scared about sore nipples!

[sera]

hello ladies!
i am from second tri but i thought this question would be more relative here...
i am petrified of breastfeeding, i sooooooooo want to do it and i am.. i know it will hurt for the first few weeks as i have seen my sisters do it but i was wondering is there anything that you women did that helped harden up the nipple?
like could i start puting lasinoh cream on them or. i dont know.. they are extremely sensitive and i am just scared
PLEASE help me!
thanks ladies!
xoxox

 

[mama2b]

Im not sure if there is anything you can do to harden them up before......

If you are really worried then I would get some nipple shields and the cream if you haven't already so that you have got them ready in the house if you need them. I remember my OH dashing out to Tesco at some random hour to get me some !

I think that as you have seen your sisters breastfeed you know what to expect so you probably won't find it as bad as you think

 

[sera]

hahaa it was terrible looking on at them! especialy my youngest sister! she would have to bite her lip as she was nearly screaming and her nipple was peeling and my older sister. well that was horrible as some of her niple came off! but the persued it so i know i will be able to, i m just sooo scared! lol
toughen up princess, i know... lol

 

[Serene123]

I used to squeeze a little bit of milk out and rub it on them after a feed, soon cleared up the soreness x

 

[avabear73]

Also - make sure your technique is right - that helps a LOT. Baby should have a mouthful of boob, not just the nipple ... if it's just the nipple it really really hurts, but if they are on right, all I feel is the let-down at the beginning, a few seconds ... then don't feel any pain at all.

Don't let it put you off, just give it a try .. remember, no one will make you do it and if the worst comes to the worst, you can always express.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

 

[Mary Jo]

yes, like avabear said, it's all in the latch. if baby gets sucking on just the nipple it really is agony, so you have to watch and get them off right away and reattch them so they have a good mouthful of areola as well. even so, it hurts me for the first 30 seconds or so, really toe-curling pain... but it eases off and after that he can suck for ages and not hurt at all.

Lansinoh is good if you get little chaps in the skin, also breastmilk itself is good. And you should let them air-dry before hooking yourself back into your bra.

But if it hurts, maybe consider expressing. Hopefullyyou won't find it to be intolerable. Though I admit sometimes I have thought - I won't be doing this much longer at this rate but then I find myself carrying on anyway... I guess I will as long as I can. The pain/discomfort is transient. I think if you can get through the first few weeks, you're set.

 

[becstar]

I read a book that recommended walking about braless in the last months of pregnancy at home, in a t-shirt. Apparently it was supposed to toughen them up a bit because of the friction. I never tried it though and I'm not sure it does work. I used to scrub mine vigorously with the shower scrubby puff thing but nothing prepared me for the feeling... sorry! It hurt like hell. But it is so worth it.

 

[Samantha675]

Not all women get sore. Fingers crossed you won't have any, I didn't.

 

[Genna]

If they do get sore, like toria said squeeze some milk and rub it on the nipple and let your boobies breathe as much as possible in those early days!!! After the milk dried I'd rub some Lansinoh on my nipples, and I mean a LOT..then put a breast pad on and it was bliss I'd just wipe the Lansinoh off with the breast pad when I was about to feed that way Marley wouldn't get a mouthful of lanolin

Oh and do NOT use soap in the shower to clean your nipples, that will just dry them out more

You can do it! it is sooo worth it and it definitely gets so much easier with time, it's a breeze now!

 

[beancounter]

I didn't get sore! Finn always had a good latch, and if they don't you can put your little finger in the corner of their mouth to break the seal, pop them off and re latch them. I have tubes of cream I never used.

 

[LousMom]

proper latch is the best bet... I'm on day 13 and still just a little sore, but u get through it! My neighbor who has a 3 month old told me that if I can get through the 1st 2 weeks, I'm good. Tomorrow makes 2 weeks, so I'm hoping the pain magically goes away - lol ... Its not that bad, I've used the lanolin cream and putting a little of my own milk on them after a feed and that helped too.

You can do it! I'm the biggest wimp - and I've made it through so far

 

[Cazzyg]

It doesn't always hurt. The only time I've had any pain was when I was really engorged.

There's nothing you can really do to prepare, just get some lansinoh cream in advance .

 

[sera]

THANKYOU so much ladies!!!! i love hearng all your stories!!! it makes me more confident, i am stubborn so i know i wil persue hehe, just worried about it thats all! i am sure i will be fine!
xoxoxoxo

 

[becstar]

Ilana has always had a good latch but it still hurt - she fed almost non-stop for 24 hours a day at first and no matter how perfect the latch, something sucking on you for that long is going to chafe a little! But it does get better - I now have nipples of steel in comparison!