Sore, cracked nipples

[hmyh23]

Hi all,

Day 7 here and really suffering with sore, cracked nipples. I am following all the advice I've been given- using Lansinoh, dabbing with breastmilk, air drying where possible but they don't seem to be healing up and are constantly stinging and tingling. The initial let down when the baby latches is very painful and then the rest of the feed is better but still uncomfortable which means I dread every feed. The hospital midwives and community midwives have checked the latch and agree it's good, the baby is maintaining weight and is thriving so no problem with the amount she is getting. They seem to think the damage is from the first couple of days when the latch wasn't good but I dont know how to heal it when there's only 3hrs between each feed. I don't know whether to stop and express for a few days to see if this will help but I'm worried about getting her back on the breast afterwards. I don't want to throw the towel in now after trying so hard to get to this stage but I don't think I can just keep feeding through the pain. In all honesty I'm wishing I had just bottle fed from the outset as I feel this is adding an extra level of stress on top of recovery from labour and getting used to everything.

Any advice welcome from people who have been through similar.

[hmyh23]

Also, if I were to express how would I know how many mls to give for each feed etc? Thanks!

[ighinici]

can you get her checked for possible tongue-tie? my LO had the same and after they clipped the tongue tie, it was a lot better.
however, cracked nipples will most likely stay on the menu for another month or so... newborns are small, they don't have mouths big enough to get the whole areola in their mouths. plus, your nipples take time to adjust to being sucked on every two hours.
so try to hang in there, it's still very, very early. but it does get A LOT easier. i was convinced i couldn't continue breastfeeding past 1 month, then past 2 months, then sometime after 2 months i realized i hadn't noticed when it became extremely easy. first month is crime and punishment though. but it's totally worth it, protects you from many sleepless nights later on (less illnesses thanks to your antibodies) ;)

[tiktok]

Nipple soreness is awful.

Yes, get tongue tie checked, but in addition, check out (online)

• biological nurturing (it's a way for the baby to self-attach)
  
  and
  
  
• the mother and baby dance (also a means of self- attachment)
  
  If you want to take time off to give yourself a break then of course you can express....use your hands if you can, as pumping can open the healing skin and you are back where you started :(
  
  A day or so might be sufficient.
  
  Don't fret about how much - the midwives will work it out with you. General guide is about 150 mls per kg, so if your baby is 3.5 kg, she will need about 500-550 mls in 24 hours...if she feeds 8-10 times in that time, you'd be offering 40-50 mls a time. You'd need to express 8 x in 24 hours. No need to be concerned about getting her back to the breast after this break...the vast majority of babies are happy to go back and only fight if they have had struggles at the breast when people have shoved them on or had too much pushing and shoving :(
  
  Obv easiest thing is to try to get a comfortable attachment without the faff of expressing.
  
  The other possibility is nipple shields which can give you a break, too - they have their drawbacks, so use with professional advice.
  
  Hope things get better for you.

[MrsAlbie]

Ugh, nipple cracks are the worst! I was crying with the pain!

I got one early due to poor latch on one side but started using a silicone shield (Boots own brand) on that side as well as a different position on the advice of the midwife. Baby was 4 weeks and took to shield with no problems. A week later it's not completely healed but it means the feeds are nowhere near as painful and it looks like it's going to heal eventually.

Really hope you heal quickly, OP.

[DextroDependant]

Much sympathy OP, cracked nipples hurt!

If you are happy to give a bottle can you give formula May be for every other feed so each nipple has a good rest?

Also get checked for thrush and young tie.

Lanisoh at every feed.

Good luck, hope you heal up soon. I felt like giving up so many times during those early weeks and them one day it just clicked.

[skippykips]

My DD2 has tongue tie. I spent weeks dreading when the times she needing feeding.
I called breast feeding helpline and they suggested nipple shields. After 2-3 days my nipples felt 100 times better! It felt bizarre at first but soon got used to them. In fact I ended up using them on day 3 with DD3 and used them for the time I fed her.
www.boots.com/boots-maternity-silicone-nipple-shields-10053050