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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Ermmm, a bit embaressing really. Nipples.

11 replies

TotorosOcarnina · 20/12/2010 15:52

Without sounding like a nipple staring odd ball I don't think I have proper nipples :(

Have never sucessfully BF'd and although no one has ever mentioned it to me am wondering if my nipples are the reason??

I haven't seem many boobs in mylifetime Grin apart from Page 3, which I don't deem to be your average set anyways but thinking now to the 'real' boobs I have seen, I don't have proper nipples.

The several I saw even when I were a teenager and having had 2 friends with babies breastfeed in front of me in the last 2 weeks I feel like Ive got well boy or childs nippples :(

They had large protrouding middles, like the rubbers on top of pencils, mine don't do that they are just sort of flat, they do go hard and stick out a tiny bit of cold or aroused but nothing like theirs.

As soon as they whipped them out to feed there was a large nipple ready to go i babies mouth, if i got mine out now it would be flat and i would need to try and make it 'rise' and even then it would be about a 3rd of the size of theirs.

Am I 'wrpng' is this why I've always found it difficult??

am feeling very self consious now :(

OP posts:
organiccarrotcake · 20/12/2010 15:57

What sort of difficulties did you have, toto? Did your MW help you with BFing/see your nips/make any comments?

Original poster
TotorosOcarnina · 20/12/2010 16:00

Lots of people saw them, MIL who BFd, midwives, i even saw a BFing counsellor with my last baby, noone said anything about them

but looking bck they were pinching my nipple and putting it in babies mouth whereas everyone ive seen breastfeed has a large middle to just feed with rather than what Ive got.

I just found it impossible to latch, I jutst didn't know how and even when shown it didn't feel like it was right.

OP posts:
Original poster
TotorosOcarnina · 20/12/2010 16:00

this is my 4th pregnancya nd failed to breastfeed my first 3 :(

OP posts:
onepieceoflollipop · 20/12/2010 16:01

Even if there is nothing "wrong" you perhaps need a health professional to have a quick look even if only for reassurance? Some women do have inverted nipples and nipples can vary significantly, so all may well be fine, but obviously you are feeling anxious.

Could you ask your health visitor/GP (female if it would make you more comfortable) to observe you feeding or just have a quick look to reassure you? Or possibly ring one of the breastfeeding helplines/contact the La Leche League?

MoonUnitAlpha · 20/12/2010 16:02

Could you have inverted nipples? It's pretty common.

onepieceoflollipop · 20/12/2010 16:02

In your position I would ask my midwife to have a look to reassure me. Sorry to hear you feel so Sad about bf not working out with your first 3 dcs.

I think if there was anything really "wrong" then one of the people (bfc or midwife or whoever) would have mentioned it.

Good luck Totoros.

iwantavuvezela · 20/12/2010 16:05

Totors i think you may have flat nipples? I do too. The trick is that your baby needs to suck a little, which will bring the nipple out, and then they can latch. YOu might find it easier in the first days to use a breastpump which will do this for you, and then baby can latch on. When my milk first came in my breasts were so large that it was like a football with nothing for my baby to latch onto!!! However it did take a bit of getting used to, but with time my nipples came out more and more and towards the end i could feed by just putting out breast. But in the beginning i had to get my dd to suck a little, the nipple would then pop out and she would latch. I did have to use my hand a bit as well ..... it did take me about 5-10 mins in the beginning to get a latch, in the end this was done in seconds and i breastfed for a year ...
good luck, i hope you succeed with this one .....
ps i always liken my breasts to kate moss!

iwantavuvezela · 20/12/2010 16:06

i should have said use a breastpump just for a few seconds as it will draw your nipple out .... makes it easier ...

also my dd became quite a master of my breasts!!!

Megletitsnow · 20/12/2010 16:08

I have flat nipples and always had to squeeze my breasts into a decent shape to get the dc's to latch on. They never got the hang of doing it without my help but we muddle through fairly well for a few weeks.

suzikettles · 20/12/2010 16:14

Sounds like mine are exactly the same and bf was hard. Thing is, the bf counsellor said that it actually doesn't matter as the baby isn't mean to suck on the nipple iyswim - but I got severe nipple envy and I'm sure it'd have been easier with something more substantial for ds to "aim" for Grin.

We did get it sorted eventually. All the tricks above helped. Also ds kind of fixed it for himself as the 14 months bf have given me much more sticky-outy nipples than they were before. Now, if I could only manage to get pg again...Hmm

(I also didn't realise that there was anything different about mine btw)

marzipananimal · 20/12/2010 16:22

mine were flattish but 3.5 months of bf have given me a 'proper' sticking out bit! using a pump could help draw nipple out and enable baby to latch but i would talk to a bf counsellor before baby comes along :)

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