Breastfeeding after the first few weeks

[MadMonkeys]

I struggled bf'ing dd1 and had to switch to formula after a few weeks. I expected the same thing to happen with dd2, but I'm a stubborn thing so I gave bf a go with her anyway. It has been a struggle again, with deep cracks, mastitis and a family who think I'm crazy to be doing it again, but after 5 weeks I think things are improving and for the first time I think it might be possible that bf is going to work this time. So, I have a cpuple of questions which I never thought I'd need to ask...

1. Do nipples leak for all the time you bf, or does that tail off after a few weeks/months?
   

1. For those who had sore/cracked nipples - did you need to use Lansinoh or equivalent all the time you bf, or do nipples get used to it after a while?

[ClaireMarathonFeeder]

Hello madmonkey

Glad things are going better for you this time!

To answer your questions: no&no. Nipples stopped leaking as bfeeding got established and also were no longer sore. I think it was around week 6-7... But my sleep deprived brain cant remember much!
Good luck

[SirBoobAlot]

Well done for persevering, madmonkeys! I hope you're really proud of yourself :)

Your milk supply tends to regulate itself after the six week growth spurt, and you should find that your boobs stop leaking at some point in the foreseeable future.

If you are still struggling with cracked nipples, would suggest that you have your latch checked. How bad are they? Is it that they are just a bit tender recovering or they are very sore? The best thing for sore nipples is actually breast milk. So when your boobs leak, just rub a little of the milk back into the skin :)

[ElphabaTheGreen]

I have to admit that I still leak 5 months in, although not as much as at the beginning. It usually happens if I haven't given a feed for a little while i.e. when I've had to leave DS with grandparents and a bottle of EBM and go somewhere like a job interview. That wasn't embarrassing at all. No, not at all. (Got the job, but ). I also managed to leak a week ago when having my photo taken for the local rag with DS and DH. I think that was because I had to pull DS off before he was done. Fortunately they used the photo without the incriminating wet patch, but DH got all kinds of grief when I saw the evidence on some other photos (yes, he'd noticed but 'didn't want to embarrass me'. Argh!)

Don't use Lansinoh anymore, though, and I did have awful problems in the beginning with pain, cracks, bleeding etc. You toughen up and don't need it anymore thank God, considering the cost of the bloody stuff

[whatsoever]

So glad you asked these questions MadMonkeys - I'm changing my top more often than DS' babygros at the mo, as left boob leaks profusely during/after feeds & I'm hopeless at placing a muslin to catch the drips! Looking forward to that stopping. Also 2/3 the way through my £9 tube of Lansinoh and DS is only 11 days old! I had heard whispers you can get it free on prescription though so will ask at my 6 week check. I don't feel too cheeky given I got a grand total of 3 free items when preggo.

[MadMonkeys]

Thanks ladies for your posts.

SirBoobAlot (excellent name!) I got everyone and their dog to check DD2's latch in the hosp and subsequent home visits and they all said her latch is perfect. Most disappointing, as I was hoping someone would spot a problem I could then fix. The general concensus is that my very fair skin is the problem and the fact that I produce babies with a very strong suck. I've tried everything to get the cracks to heal, but then last week, just as I was going to switch to formula, feeding suddenly became virtually painless and the cracks started to look a little less deep. Since then progress has been slow with the cracks healing, but they do seem to be getting less deep, and I'm taking the painlessness when feeding to be an indication that the latch is good. I do wonder if things started to get better because DD is growing and now that her mouth is bigger the latch is getting deeper?

Anyhow, good to know that leakage will probably get less, even if it doesn't stop altogether, and that I may be able to stop spending fortune on Lansinoh (got through 4 tubes already in 5 weeks...).

[JW37]

Madmonkeys try gelonet instead of lansinoh. It's cheaper and lasts for ages and is really good for moist healing.

[SirBoobAlot]

Be careful with lansinoh, only use the smallest amount - half a pea size. It can otherwise make your nipples too slippery for baby to be able to latch on to, and do more harm than good. I swore by it until I did my breastfeeding training, when I discovered that the best "fix it" is actually right there in your breasts :)

Make sure little ones body is turned towards you, not just their head. And tuck their bum in; if bum is brought in tight, then the rest of the body tends to line itself easier.

Pleased to hear its no longer hurting, that's great news :) Keep on doing what you're doing, being stubborn always helps with early weeks of breastfeeding

[Startailoforangeandgold]

My boobs stopped leaking and hurting and DD2 feed quite happily well past school age.
DD1 was like your first DC never got the hang of BFing at all.

I just found your body settles down to making milk as required. Morning and evening only is fine and DD ended up almost doing weekends only.

It's ridiculous how simple it becomes after the agony of the first few weeks.

[Rachog]

Like you I only got through The first few weeks by sheer stubbornness but now 14 weeks in it is going much better.

I don't need lanisoh or breastpads at all now and only tend to leak a little when he has slept through the night.

[Seriouslysleepdeprived]

I found my nipples improved a lot when I stopped using the cream. Air drying worked much better surprisingly. I have two tubes of the stuff which I now use as lip balm

[feekerry]

I stopped leaking about 5 months and only leak now if my dd now 7 months does a 13 hour stretch at night.

[Softlysoftly]

No and no in fact I no longer wear breast pads at all.

Until lo sleeps through a feed (once in a blue moon) and then I wake up in a puddle

[NotQuiteCockney]

I have very pale skin. I had a baby with a very strong suck. This meant that the first five or so seconds of every feed hurt like hell - but after that, no pain. No cracks, no damage. The cracks and damage are not going to be down to your skin colour, or the strength of your baby's suck - they are going to be down to a mouth abnormality, or a bad latch. www.realbabymilk.org is a good place to look for breastfeeding groups, if you're in the UK.

Leakage varies quite a bit - supply does regulate itself. Also, there are muscles that hold the milk in, and they get stronger with use. So that tends to get better.

Lanolin-based creams can really help, but what also can help is ensuring you don't put a breast pad or bra on top of the cream. It soaks up the cream, and then sticks to your poor nipples, so that when you next feed, you lose some nipple.

If you put a layer of clingfilm between your nipple and the bra/breast bad, you will feel like a wally, but you should keep your nipples intact, a bit more.