Breastfeeding becoming just too painful.

[mrsissue]

I know sore nips are a common problem on here so I?m sorry for starting a tread that has probably been done a thousand times before but its really beginning to get me down.

I posted on here a few weeks ago because my baby was born 6 weeks early and was in neonatal and I really needed advice about how to handle BFing in neonatal. I was given really good advice so thank you to everyone that replied.

We left hospital with the baby on mixed feeds because it seemed to be the only way that we were going to get out of hospital. Since we have been home my DS BF?s and then has a small formula top up about 30ml.

He is now nearly 6 weeks and its painful when BFing, I know pain is meant to be a bad latch but I?m trying really hard and the latch looks fine. It is difficult to get him to open his mouth wide enough but he does and his mouth looks fine. He is gaining lots of weight and he is healthy. It hurts as he latches on and then it gets better for a while then it starts to ache. The skin on the nipple isn?t sore or broken although my nipples start to sting sometimes when I?m not feeding.

The feeds are also taking a really long time, which is also getting me down.

I have been lurking on here everyday since we got out of hospital and I think I have learnt loads reading about what others are going through. Please help, I?m not going to give up but I may have a mental melt down.

Any chance it could be thrush? Pain in the breast as well as at the nipple can be a sign of that getting bad.

Hopefully someone more experienced than me will be along soon! Congrats btw on getting this far.

Have you tried nipple shields? They saved my sanity when I was having latch problems with DS and feeding became very painful! I only really needed them for a couple of days; they seemed to help right the latching problem as well as give my nips time to heal. HTH!

Japhrimel I don?t think its thrush because I don?t have any of the other symptoms.

My HV didn?t seem to think that nipple shields were a good idea and she suggested using creams instead but the pain is more to do with the latch than the skin being sore so I think I might give shields a try.

TBE I?m not going to give up because my nips hurt, I can see how well my DS is doing and I would rather being in pain than stop him from BFing but as its not meant to hurt I would rather it didn?t and must mean I?m doing something wrong. I haven?t heard of biological nurturing positions so I just goggled it and I think it?s worth a try because I always thought that it was bloody stupid that they recommend you sit it the most unnatural position to feed. I also think that the sitting position might be part of the problem because the feeds are taking so long its difficult to stay sitting up in the cradle position, without your pain hurting or your arms falling off! I?m seeing the HV tomorrow and I think I will go to BF support group on Wednesday but I just want some advice for right now so thanks

have you tried the rugby ball hold? I used to get quite bad nipple pain (like you, everyone said latch was fine) but since I started using that hold, it's disappeared. Have a google if you're not sure what I mean- basically, you sort of hold the baby at your side. One the one side, I position her face sort of under the breast so I can "hook" her mouth on to the nipple, on the other, she goes on from the side (I have slightly wonky boobs!).

also, are you using cushions to help with positioning so your arms don't get too sore? I've got a v-cushion for this which has been invaluable.

right I just bought some nipple shields and lansinoh cream and I'm going to try both in a min. I cried my eyes out at the last feed more from the feeling of hopelessness more than anything.

EmmaBemma, I have tried the rugby hold before but not recently and my husband today suggest trying it again, so think I will if nip shields dont work. I do have cushion but i find it gets in the way more than anything and makes me really hot and the baby gets warm and falls asleep!

I feel like I just complain!!

Oh lovely breastfeeding is hard. At 6 weeks I was in same boat (and now at 7months still going strong!).

Shields are good, also try breastfeeding in the bath (obviously not practical for every feed!!) but for some reason DD would open her mouth really wide in the bath- figured it was something to do with her being relaxed!

Has you LO been checked for tongue tie? That can cause latch problems/sore nips (that don't look like latch probs IYSWIM) and could explain the long feeds. My DD was diagnosed at 6weeks and had it snipped at 7weeks and it transformed feeding (although her new latch redestroyed my nips so I didn't have completely pain free feeding til 16weeks!)

Anyhow do stick with it if you can bear- promise promise it does get loads and loads easier and once its properly established its a doddle! Do keep us posted.
x
p.s ultimate breastfeeding pillow is "mybrestfriend"- absolutely fantastic for positioning- brilliant brilliant brilliant!

i hope your nips heal soon mrsissue - i have been there too and it is miserable. lansinoh is fab - slather it on before and after each feed. my 12 day old dd always has loads of it on her cheeks poor thing! good luck!

Have you contacted the NCT (National Childbirth Trust)to ask for a visit from their nearest breastfeeding counsellor? She would come to your house and advise you (no charge). They are wonderful and have huge experience.

I would back up what petisa says - plenty of lansinoh. It did the trick for me whilst I was getting bf'ing established and I would always recommend it to bf'ing mothers now.

If it continues despite this get it checked out.

Hope things improve soon, you are doing so well.

Hello all again,

Thanks for your replies, I love this site you will always get a wide variety of replies. My HV came out today and she really solved my pain issue, she sat and watched me latch him on and she could see that his mouth was latch on properly but because my nips point in different directions I was pulling my boob over to get him to latch on rather than letting his latch on where my boob fails naturally iygwis. She showed me that I was trying to control him latching on rather than letting him get on with and as soon as she helped me it the pain was gone!!!! It still a bit sore but its more because of how much they were hurting before but the difference is crazy.

Thank you all so much and hopefully I will get really good at BFing and will be able to help some else rather than lurking on here stealing all the good advice! :)

that's great news!
actually i think i'm doing that too - so someone is already stealing your good advice