when does it stop hurting?..

[tinytoes]

as u may have read i'm half expressing and half feeding direct from the boob. in fact the boob is prob less than half. but my nipples get so sore! i use lanolin daily and have some other green face-pack like stuff the MW gave me, but oh they still hurt!

within 3 days after baby was born i had cuts and even bled into the milk once. i tend to use a nipple shield quiite a bit as this helps the pain. i just wish tjese nips ofg mine would toughen up!!!

 

[sam's mum]

Mine were so painful to start off with too, but I think that was partly because I was never given any sort of guidance at all after Sam was born and he wasn't latched on very well - it was only after loads of reading things online about how he should be latched on (and endless amounts of lansinoh) that it started to get better - was painful as he latched on but during the feed I had no pain, and the cracks started to heal!

Do you have a local breastfeeding support group or lactation consultant you can go to?

There are also a few good videos on youtube which show you how to get a good latch, and some more information here:

https://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/latch-resources.html

If you can, I'd work on that rather than using nipple shields at the moment, as it can be quite difficult to get them to latch on without it if they get used to it, and it can reduce the amount of milk they're getting (I wouldn't worry about that if you're still getting lots of wet and dirty nappies though).

Hope it all gets better for you soon x

 

[lfc_sarah]

The pain gets better but doesnt completely go away

It hasnt for me..

 

[tinytoes]

thanks sams mum. yes i do have a breastfeeding expert i can go see next week if nothing gets better - 2 midwives at my maternity unit have a lot of knowledge and offer consultations - there's even a 24 hour helpline. they spent ages teaching me when i was in hospital.

i have read up on some of the resources you suggested and will try and work more on the positioning - i always end up with a squished nipple if i do anything other than the rugby / football hold. however, i do like to feed laying down so i'd like to crack this one!!

 

[sam's mum]

I was the same and could only feed in one position at first - and we had loads of problems on my right side - think it's because I'm right handed and couldn't hold him properly (I'm a bit useless and can still only burp him on my left shoulder )

Sometimes it's just the smallest thing that needs changing and it can make it so much more comfortable x