What amount of pain in normal?

[angelandbump]

I am only on day 4 of BF but information online and by midwives etc is so conflicting.

I had some latching issues but I seem to be able to get my son to latch on to both sides but both sides hurt...ALOT!

My left nipple is slightly flat so I bought a niplette which helps him latch onto that side but the pain when he sucks is gut retching. My right nipple is a lot better but it still hurts through out the whole feed.

One person says BF should consist of a 10second toe curler then pain free after that.
Another person says BF us toe curling for the first 1-2 weeks and I just need to wait for my nipples to toughen up.
Another person says I must have an issue with my latch.

I don't know what's right but my left nipple is that sore at the moment, I am going to purchase a breast pump to give that side a couple of days break and feed from the right side.

ANY advice will be greatly appreciated x

 

[Piper84]

LO should have as much nipple and areola in his mouth as possible and you shouldn't be hearing any clicking noise of the vacuum being broken because LO's tongue has slipped.

It is toe-curlingly painful at the beginning of each feed for the first week or two, I find. Keep applying lansinoh after EVERY feed and give your breasts as much fresh air as possible (not suggesting going out like that though )

 

[optimistic1]

For me just about every feed was a toe curler during the entire feed for the first few months. People tried telling me it was thrush a million times but it wasn't. Things got a little better towards 3 months but still occasionally would hurt. My daughter would latch on perfectly but later in the feed her latch would shallow out and she would clamp onto my nipple and I would literally be digging my nails into my boob and trying to shove more areola into her mouth but she'd just slide back (she was super lazy) she was gaining weight perfectly always in 80-85 percentile for weight so I just dealt with the pain. Once my daughters mouth got big enough to fit my boob in without trying the pain was gone it was sometime after 3 months now she sometimes gags because she gets too much of my boob in her mouth. I think if your not having any issues with thrush or latch just ride it out cause eventually it'll subside...and its not always after the first couple of weeks and pain does not always mean there's a problem. If your able to have an lc take a look at his latch go for it if he does have a bad latch improving that with help the pain a lot.

 

[meli1981]

It should be comfortable, if its really sore i would check your latch. If the pain continues i would see a lactation consultant, theyre very knowledeable

 

[angelandbump]

Thanks ladies, it turns out I have quite flat nipples and baby doesn't get them to the back of his mouth causing the latch to be off. I used a shield for 24 hours and that gave my nipples a rest but I couldn't get baby to latch on right using the shield and baby was just sucking the nipple and in return was still hungry after every feed so I have went back to feeding with out a shield and although it's uncomfortable, it is not to the extreme as it was.

Any tips for ladies with flat nipples? X

 

[seaweed eater]

Use cross cradle hold. Cup your breast from underneath with thumb on one side and fingers on the other (same hand as breast, e.g. right hand for right breast) at the areola. Press your thumb and fingers toward one another so that your nipple is sandwiched between areola on both sides. When LO opens wide, use the other hand, which is holding his head, to quickly push his mouth onto the nipple/areola sandwich before he has a chance to close it. Because he is lying horizontally, the nipple "sandwich" should be longer side to side than up and down in his mouth (but it will be vertical from your perspective).

That's the trick a nurse at the hospital showed me, and it worked great. After you BF for a while, assuming the latch is good, your nipples will be drawn out so that they are not flat anymore. I hope that makes sense -- good luck

 

[Jadie]

Excellent advice ^^ that worked for my LO who wouldn't latch to my right breast

 

[megrenade]

My son had a great latch, but I was in pain for the first 2 weeks.. pretty moderate amount of pain too.

If after the first month, you are still experiencing soreness even after all of the lovely advice you have received from the ladies above, I would have your baby checked for a tongue or lip tie (the sooner the better, really).

It'll get better, I promise!

 

[angelandbump]

Thanks girls, I had the breastfeeding specialist out today and she said LO's latch was perfect and my nipples just need to toughen up lol.

xx