bfeeding - not sure what is for the best.

[empen]

I need some advice. My ds is 11 days old and is dong great. He lost 6oz and put 5.5 back on already so I know he is well fed but problem is my left nipple is really painful. It is not cracked, dry or anything - it looks fine but for the first 10 seconds when feeding it feels as though someone is trying to cut it off with a nail file.
It makes me dread doing it on that side. I have been alternating sides but wonder if it would be better to feed off the right and express off the left. I am not giving bottles yet but am freezing it for a later date. He is feeding every 3-4 hours so is this enough time to build up supply in my right boob? or shall I just persevere with lefty and hope it hardens to the pain???

[NorthernLurker]

I would say, having breast fed three children, keep feeding on that side and it should settle - has any one looked at how your ds is latching on on that side?

[empen]

mw has had a look and just said it was fine cause baby is putting on weight and you can hear him gulping. I was not too reassured by her advice - is the hv better?- I am seeing her on Thursday

[S1ur]

I would suggest trying a different position on that side, maybe you're unwittingly holding him differently to the other side. Have a go at the football hold maybe, and use a couple of cushions to support yourself, sounds like a latching on issue imho

[empen]

I find the 'football' hold really weird. I tended to feed laying down (particularly during the night) but I am trying to get out of that habit so he sleeps in his own crib. I have changed to craddling him on my lap

[3andnomore]

Hm....I always experienced some stinging pain when my let down would happen, and it seemed to be more extreme on one side then the other...could that be an issue....if so...whilst I have generally felt my let down all through my Breastfeeding experiences, it went from being painful to just a weird tingly feeling....

[S1ur]

Absolutely if you can get comfy with lying down feeding it is sooo much easier esp at night. But I would just suggest having a go at a few things and seeing if it makes a difference. I've bf all sorts of weird ways with my two, but think that football can be helpful with tiny babes cos you're more focussed on their head and shoulders and less likely to do that crouching over, tense shouldered cringing thing that can sometimes happen if your in pain and bf

[empen]

what is 'let down'? sorry i am not familiar with terms. it only hurts for about 10 seconds and then all i can feel is tingling

[S1ur]

sometimes counting to ten if it is only ten seconds it hurts for (i say only, no pain is good i know it toe-curling!), my dc both were rotters at start but settled by a couple of weeks

[empen]

am familiar with 'tense shouldered cringing thing'

[S1ur]

let down is when your hindmilk is being ejected from milk glands into milk sinuses, feels tingly often. Its basically when your milk starts flowing more quickly in response to stimulation.
Sometimes it can happen when you're not feeding like at a time when you usually feed or if you hear your baby cry or sometimes seems just thought provoked. Over full boobs can make impressive displays of leaking and spurting during letdowns! trust me I have decorated rooms with milk!!!!

[S1ur]

Should add, let down happens mostly when your baby is feeding, varies as to when, some near start and then periodically through feed. Most women feel first let down and then not really others, though I felt all let downs through feed, and felt them more strongly when my breasts were fuller.

[3andnomore]

erm. I always assumed that let down is just generally the milk ejected from Breast through nipple to Baby....I tended to have it at the beginning as soon as the milk started to flow, so, don't think it was my hindmilk....

[3andnomore]

oh if it only is a 10 secs pain then tingling I really think is what I experienced and always classed as let down!

[S1ur]

KWYM I think of it as same, just quoting from book, cos I've got books me.

[empen]

so how long does it take to get from fore to hind milk?

[NineUnlikelyTales]

When he comes off the breast does the nipple seem a funny wedge shape or anything? It can be a sign of a bad latch, though it's not necessarily a good latch if the nipple isn't a funny shape. You might want to speak to one of the BF helplines as our MW sounds clueless and odds on your HV won't know either as they don't get much training.

[S1ur]

Don't worry about that, honestly, terminology babble really. Hind milk is creamier and important the food bit I guess. Look your baby is putting on weight so clearly getting enough hindmilk and foremilk. I'm tying myself in knots here with terms. It could be let down at beginning imo, my first let down is usually around 30 secs after start. sometimes less if very full, or kinda ready to go, sometimes more if end of day etc.
But I don't think it's neccessarily let down anyway. My nipples always hurt for about that length of time when first starting out bf, and did kinda 'toughen' up - horrible image! after a couple of weeks.
Check your position first and foremost, try something different, watch ds - does he do those little sucks/bigs gulps when he's into feed?

[NineUnlikelyTales]

There is no real difference between hind and fore milk, it's all just milk. When the breast is fuller the waterier milk comes out first and that is what people think of as foremilk. When the breast is less full the milk is more fatty and less watery. So there is no real time that the milk magically transforms from fore to hindmilk.

[S1ur]

nipple might also appear whiteish and squashed if incorrect latch

[empen]

have been checking nipple shape after feed and although it looks freakishly long it is not wedge shaped or at a funny angle.
I know baby is putting on weight well so I am not concerned about that - i would just like to be able to feed for up to 6 months and don't want to have to quit cause I can't take the pain.
I have a 5yr old dd and i bf her for 2 weeks before giving up cause of bleeding, cracked nipples and no support from anyone - just want t get it right this time

[S1ur]

Good for you!

[Pannacotta]

YOu mentioned you were holidng your DS cradled in your lap when feeding. Do you think it might be that he is a bit too low to get a good latch?
I breastfed DS1 but when DS2 was born he would cry/scream when I fed him and luckily one MW I saw explained I was holding him too low down - he was also in my lap, so he couldnt reach properly to latch on. AS soon as I lifted him up and faced him more in towards me - "tummy to mummy" he started to feed fine and stopped crying at each feed.
There is a website with video clips of women feedign which migh thelp you, will see if I can find it.

[Pannacotta]

here
www.drjacknewman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=42
and
www.drjacknewman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=96
HTH

[monkeybird]

Also - are you right handed maybe? When I've had nipple pain, I've often thought - since it was (almost) always on my right side, it might be a bad latch caused by my dominant (left) hand pushing baby over too far (I'm no expert but I believe the most common (but by no means the only) cause of a poor latch is having baby too far up or across (ie towards the armpit side)

I've also got some Silverettes (now have small bit of nipple damage on left side from lazy night time latching - me not baby) which are supposed to help healing (and BTW I don't think you can always see the damage necessarily) - I'll let you know how they do the trick

[puffylovett]

If your nipple is freakishly long on the left (but not on the right?), then it sounds like latch is probably slightly incorrect. It should be the same shape when it comes out as when it goes in. If it's long (as in horsepill shape) then it sounds like he's just getting the tip of the nipple and not most of the aureola.

I would ring one of the bfing helplines to check your latch, odds on the HV won't know jack, she'll probably try to help but not really be able to - IFKWIM!