OUCH!! BF hurts so much - can you help?

[tek78]

I had my baby by emergency c-section last Friday and since I've started breast feeding my nipples are so sore I'm seriously considering giving formula. I'm pretty sure I can't be the only one though. Are you having/had same problem? How long does the pain last?

My little girl latches on ok most of the time now but the first time she latched on last week she took a small chunk out of my nipple and now the wound won't close so I can't feed her on the right boob so am expressing. Any tips to get the nipple back on track? I heard about silver cups - do they work?

Oh and when should I feed her as the midwife said 30 mins every 2-3 hours but my milk must have changed as after 10 mins she's asleep! That might be why my nipples hurt as I have to feed her about 15 times a day for her to get enough food it seems.

Please help.

Get some lansinoh to start with,try rubbing a little milk into the nipple and then sealing it in with the lanolin. Also have your nipples out as much as possible rather than put away in a bra.

30mins every 2-3hours is bunk. Let her feed for as long as she likes (even if only 10 mins or less) and if she goes to sleep, lovely just offer her the boob when she wakes up.

When they are this little all they want to do is suck suck suck because it is how they tell your body that it needs to go into production. My babies were attached more often than not for the first 4 weeks.

If one side gets tired, just swap her over and then back again as necessary.

Feeding cues are chewing hands, sticking out tongue, "rooting" (if you brush her cheek and she turns towards you with her mouth open) and of course crying.

When in doubt, offer the breast, she really can be hungry 10 mins after a mammoth feed. There is nothing wrong with her or your milk if she wants to feed all the time, it is in fact ideal.

Aside form your holey nipple (ouch) all sounds relatively normal, I'm afraid. It does hurt at first; remember you're applying strong, wet suction to a sensitive piece of skin for half your day! Have you heard of Lansinoh? Its a nipple cream, and really is brilliant.

WRT your right breast, I once met a lady who had similar, and said that feeding in the Football Position helped, as she could make sure her daughter was over the crack.

Don't worry what the midwife is saying; optimally, babies should be fed on demand anyway. If you need to keep her awake to feed, try changing sides, taking a layer of clothes off, changing her nappy, stroking her cheek. There a thread a while ago about keeping your baby awake, actually.

Feeding about 15 times a day is normal for the first few weeks; it does get easier after that point, I promise!!

As tempting as it is, try and avoid formula if possible, as it will just make things more difficult in establishing your supply at this stage.

Congratulations

You're doing well so far, keep at it! x

if Lansinoh doesn;t cut it, try Jelonet - it's a dressing meant for 'moist wound healing', usually for burns, and is fab for traumatised nipples. Ask in a pharmacy.

I had the same problems with pain and I'm sure most Mums do, especially with your 1st baby.

I found it got a bit better after 2 weeks pain-wise and then just continued to get a bit better each day. DS is almost 5 months and I now love BF - a lot different to the early weeks where I dreaded each feed. It does get better, I promise!

The advice about the football hold worked for me too. Also try lying down with your baby beside you - my favourite feeding position as you can have a crafty nap, hee hee!

The only other thing I would say is feed your baby whenever they want it. All this every 2-3 hours stuff just made me feel bad when DS wanted feeding again after an hour.

I totally know how you feel I am going through the same thing - a crack on my left side and feeding has just become so painful! I am also feeling really exhausted and getting frustrated feeling that she can't need to feed again already!

A friend of a friend has put me on to a woman who is going to give me one to one support. she said it was the best money she ever spent. Her website also has ebooks with advice and one is about sore nipples www.letsbreastfeed.com/breastfeeding-ebooks/sore-nipples/

My DD is now 2 weeks and 5 days and she was an emergency c as well. It is really hard to know if you are getting it right this early on. I sypathise!!

It is definitely worth keeping the baby awake to make sure she has fed properly. If she's just having a quick snack then falling asleep, she doesn't ever get to the richer milk, only the more watery stuff that comes through first. Then she won't last long before she's hungry again.

This often happens with small babies - dd1 was a tiddler (also emergency cs) and fell asleep at the breast after just a few minutes in the early days. I was advised to tickle the soles of her feet to make sure she had had a decent feed each time, and it really seemed to work. Then the old nipples get a bit of a rest!

Stick with it, many people go through a painful stage, even those who go on to feed for months. Good luck.

Congratulations, you're doing really brilliantly.

It's normal for them to feed a lot and for feeding to exhaust them at this age. I never woke a sleeping baby. I trusted dd to know when she needed a refill (as she was healthy, feeding enough in general, weeing and pooing- sometimes you do need to wake a very sleepy baby who isn't taking enough milk but dd was just a little and often feeder). The foremilk/hindmilk isn't as simple as it's made out. A baby who snacks regularly as opposed to having longer feeds at greater intervals is just a different personality. They don't miss out on the hindmilk assuming everything else indicates they are well.

I'd advise contacting a breastfeeding counsellor from one of the helplines to check your latch.

I had a chunk out of my left nipple and it was a latch issue. I found the rugby hold helped (and also was better for a post-cs stomach). It's toe-curlingly painful when they latch on to a damaged nipple isn't it?

It will pass but ask for help from a bfc.

Well done, you're doing marvellously.

Oh and if dd had a v short feed on one side and then a cat nap, I often put her on the same breast when she woke up before then offering the other side.

I agree with OgreR, foot-tickling and the like are more trouble than they're worth.

I tried this with DS1, but I think it just annoyed him and stressed me to keep him awake.

He fed constantly it seemed, although never had a missing chunk thankfully!

If you think silver cups would help I've got some which I only tried once (had ecxema on the nipples!) - didn't help in my case but you're welcome to them if you want to CAT me.

Not sure you can use them on broken skin, though.

Lansinoh was a lifesaver and I used a whole tube in about 2 weeks!! BFing was painful for a little while and I nearly gave up. I just went from week to week. I said to myself that I'd give it one week and if it wasn't easier I'd switch to formula. Every week it got a bit easier and a month or so in, it was painfree and fine.

Definitely get some advice on your latch, I found DD was only sucking the nipple rather than taking in more of the surrounding skin - she wouldn't open her mouth wide so I had to use my other hand to squeeze my nipple to shove it in through her little gums

There are videos on the internet, I found these helpful. I also would have a hot bath (or use a compress) and express some milk to relieve the pressure and make it easier for DD to latch.

That's reminded me - I suffered dreadfully with this when DD was about a week old.

A midwife spotted she was sucking on the nipple rather than 'milking' the breast; she taught me to 'tease' her with it - when she turns to latch on, pull away slightly so she opens her mouth really wide, then shove in, aiming for the roof of her mouth!