Scared of breastfeeding

[Kirstin]

I've always wanted to bf but the more I read about it the scarier it seems to become, I've read so so much about how painful etc it is and it's really putting me off. I cant stand pain and knowing theres a less painful option in ff I feel I'm just going to give up and quit

 

[Pyrrhic]

Oh hun, don't stress yourself. Just take each day as it comes. There is no point in putting any pressure on yourself, as you are likely just to make yourself feel worse about it!

It hurt for me when I had engorgement, but after that it was fine and it only lasted a couple of days. Most people don't have any issues at all. I certainly never had anything like cracked nipples or thrush. You soon realise it's fantastic, and it becomes so simple! Like second nature

I would just see how you go. If you BF then fantastic, but you can always FF so try not to stress yourself before you've started

 

[Kirstin]

A few weeks ago I googled "does breastfeeding hurt" as I was wondering whether milk coming through the nipple would hurt and ended up reading horror stories about babies being sick blood etc and it just makes me wonder it must be hard otherwise more people would do it :/

 

[Lu28]

It does have its challenges hon but it's nothing to worry about. I definitely agree with rafwife, don't put too much pressure on yourself at this stage, just take each day as it comes and see how you do. You might last a day, a week, a month or a year but there's always ff and one way or another you're going to feed your so try not to stress

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

I agree with the others, don't put pressure on yourself. Try it, if it doesn't work out then there is aways FF. You might find it comes naturally to you and your LO.

it hurt for a little at first, first few days before my milk came in but nothing unbearable and i never dreaded feeding. I never had cracked nipples or anything llike that.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Giving birth hurts waaaaay more than BFing!!

 

[Kirstin]

You cant stop halfway through that though

 

[Mervs Mum]

It doesnt HAVE to be painful and in the grand scheme of things it's such a short time in yours and your LO's life. You'll go through worse pain during the 18 or so years you are caring for them....believe me I'd take the physical pain of BFing over the emotional pain of being a mum to a teen girl ANY DAY.

That's how I look at it. If you do get sore, which doesnt always happen (painful breastfeeding means you're not getting it quite right) then it's just a few days or weeks in YEARS of being a mum.

 

[mama2b]

Giving birth hurts waaaaay more than BFing!!

Thats what I was thinking !!!

It does hurt to start with, but what kept me going was the fact it was best for my baby.

There is a thread at the top of this section about things that kept us all going when bf.

After you've gone through the worst bit, it is so, so rewarding afterwards.

 

[jovi_girl]

Hun, i just want to let you know, that even if you do have problems, its not so bad if you just believe in yourself and remind yourself that it will get better.

Im someone that i guess could be classed as a "horror" story, but i honestly dont feel its that bad. Both my nipples have cracked to the point of bleeding in the last 3 weeks. My bub threw up blood last week from it (freaked me out for a minute til i realised that it was just my blood, not his). But honestly, its not so bad. Yea it hurt the day it happened, but not that much! And even by the next feed it had started to heal.

Ive invested in a good quality hand pump and some nipple shields to give my nipples a break - I pump a little before each feed, which helps draw the nipple out so its better placed in my babies mouth. It also means he doesnt have to suck so hard in the beginning to get my milk to let down. This, plus using the nipple shields for a few days has given me time to heal.

Now were using nipple shields every second or third feed and this is working well for us!

Good luck! Just do what is right for you!

 

[Kitten]

I was just like you, I wanted to breastfeed but was scared of it hurting and it grossing me out etc. but it just comes so naturally. My baby had tongue tie and we didn't get it fixed til he was a week old and that first week was hell! He wouldn't latch on properly and I got a cracked nipple which was agony but I kept feeding from it which I think helped. He also kept coming off and so I'd have to keep latching him back on so had to go through the pain all over again! I also got bad engorgement in my right breast but pumped some off first thing in the morning every now and then which seemed to help and of course now I'm starting a freezer supply

It can be frustrating when they're feeding non-stop and you feel like you can't even go to the toilet because they won't let you put them down but those times only last a day or two when they're having a growth spurt or just being fussy or whatever and you get over it. But in terms of pain, I really wouldn't worry about it, just give it a go and see what happens!

 

[Samantha675]

Not everyone has pain and cracking and such. I never did and know many of my BFing friends IRL were the same. You never know till you give it a go.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Just wanted to say please try not to worry about it, you need to just try it and be relaxed and positive about it. I don't think it hurts most people? I worried about not being able to BF and hey presto, I couldn't. I was so stressed about it, I couldn't let down properly and Ruby got so frustrated, kept bobbing off, was a viscious circle.

 

[Cazzyg]

I think you tend to hear more of the horror stories than the positives.

I've never had pain, cracked nipples, thrush etc and I've been breastfeeding for 8 months now. So it doesn't always hurt.

It's important not to put too much pressure on yourself and to be positive. If you'rre already in the mindset that breastfeeding will be difficult, will be painful, then I think you're more likely to have problems, IYSWIM.

 

[leeanne]

Everyone's experience is different for breastfeeding so please try not to read other's stories. I breastfed my first two children and it wasn't painful and it was successfully done from the moment they were born.

I too have never had thrush, cracked nipples, etc.

 

[ryder]

Giving birth hurts waaaaay more than BFing!!

I agree... but you know labour is only going to last a day... Bfing pain in the beginning (for some people) is something that lasts every day and every feed for potentially months.

I agree though hun, dont stress, and dont put too much pressure on yourself. If you want to bf, be prepared with lanisloh cream etc, learn about proper latches etc. You also have alot of great support here, although dont let people guilt trip you. The main thing is that you and your baby are happy.

I was one of the people who gave up after a month of trying because it was way too painful, even though I was told everything was being done right... She just sucked way too hard for my boobs! I also had no help and no support at home really.

 

[ladyjayne]

please dont be afraid of BF. i love looking down at my LO happily sucking away, it doesnt hurt me at all although i have only just reached my 3 week point! At first we really struggled and my little one ended up getting poorley because he didnt eat for the first two days, he got dehydrated and a temp and the docs thought he had an infection coz he wasnt getting my antibodies. i felt like i was failing him but i persevered and he's thriving on it now! It can get very fustrating sometimes though when there feeding every hour and you cant get anything done but it is worth it. And like others have said, if you try it and its not for you theres always formula.

 

[sparkswillfly]

I didnt have any pain whatsoever! Its not neccessarily a given. I couldnt really feel anything when Meadow fed from me.

 

[beancounter]

I didn't have any pain either. Either Finn has a gentle suck or I have nips of leather but I have tubes of nipple cream I didnt ever use sitting round collecting dust. If fact, I never expected it to be painful. I just didn't think about that. Breastfeeding was the one thing that went right after a complicated pregnancy/birth, so that was important for me, to be able to do that for my baby. I did have a friend who had problems, they went on for a few weeks, she was getting depressed and I told her, it's ok to quit, she expressed for a while but at least she gave it a go

 

[Mervs Mum]

I think to say that you could have pain for months is completely inaccurate. I havent read about or met anyone yet who was in pain for months. Dont be scared hun. You might have a rough few weeks but that's not all the BFing. After giving birth you're tired and hormonal so its a combination of factors.

You'll be fine hun