Feel like giving up BF - URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED

[MyBunnyRabbit]

DD is nearly 5 weeks, ebf but had bad start with poor latch, jaundice, weight loss etc etc. I expressed and gave bottle top ups in her 2nd week then went back to full breast on demand once she started putting weight on.

She's well past her birthweight and we had a week of quite good feeding. But now my right nipple is sooooooo sore, excrusiating pain....nearly threw dd across room last night when she latched, so have had to go back to feeding on demand from left boob, expressing from right to give rest of feed by bottle. She's doing fine but i am really fed up. Nipple so sore even just wearing breat pad makes it sting inbetween feeds.

Am i a differnt shape this side? Why has posiition and lacth slipped back to being wrong on just one side? Will it just happen all over again when i try once healed?? Will a nipple shield actually stop pain or not worth risk of interfearing with latch? dont want ot have to express for ever but nipple comes out funny shape after she feeds from right side but im sure positioning is same as on left...so is it my shape and nothing we can do??

is it possible to just feed from one side only.....then maybe formula the rest if cant keep up expressing regime or improve latch on that dodgy side???

im panicking
xx

[AllYourCakeAreBelongToMe]

It's entirely possible to only feed on one side, first of all. I fed DD on the right side for over 2 years. She'd never take the left. You'll make enough for her on one side, too - you'll just be a bit lopsided.
Get your latch checked again on the right side. It's probably a problem with that if it's hurting - could be that the pain's making you tense and exacerbating the problem. You could try different positions to see if that helps. Also, you need to get that nipple checked if just having a breast pad next to it is hurting you. Lansinoh is fantastic for healing injured nipples, by the way.

[organiccarrotcake]

Oh you poor thing :( It's so frustrating having one thing after another.

Your nipple should NOT come out a funny shape. Extended maybe, but not funny! Is it maybe lipstick-shaped?

The rugby hold might help because if your baby is preferring to lie on one side, this will allow her to latch in the way she's happy with.

But there's a reason why your nipples have broken down again and you need urgent, good help for this as there's a number of potential reasons (which can all be fixed). It may be a latch problem, it may be thrush, it may be tongue tie, or something else but you need to get someone who knows what they're doing to check her out. Can you get to an IBCLC or qualified breastfeeding counsellor? IE someone who is qualified with NCT, LLL or ABM?

[Milkybrew]

I can totally sympathise with you. My DD is 18 weeks now, still EBF but I remember the early days well. I couldn't get a latch on the left side that was comfortable and ended up very sore. The thing that turned it around for me, apart from excellent advice here, was seeing a breastfeeding peer support lady. She suggested feeding laying down or using the rugby ball hold on the sore side. This meant that it wasn't such agony and I could keep feeding from that side. Have you had any advice or help? Also I found lansinoh ointment brilliant for healing the sore side.
If you can keep going, I can promise it does improve! By 8 weeks it just became easy for both of us, once you get over the hurdles in the early weeks.
Hope you can find something that works for you, good luck!

[RhinestoneCowgirl]

Both my babies seemed to have a real problem feeding comfortably on one side when small - I ended up doing the rugby ball hold on that side for a while as organic describes and it did help.

Sounds horrible for you, hope you get some RL support and that things settle down soon - you're doing a grand job.

[HerMajestysSecretCervix]

Have you tried feeding lying down?

[StealthPolarBear]

bump for OP, OP how are you doing?

[DangoDays]

Eek Bunny. Hope you are not in too much pain! What does it feel like? Could it be thrush? Easily sorted with medicine for you both. Sounds like you were getting the hang of the latch so thought it might be thrush...Keep us posted.