Will I regret this?

[Limelight]

Are there any BFing experts out there you can help me? I'd be very grateful!

I've had a problem with DC2's latch which combined with an inaugural night of cluster feeding when my milk first came on led to very sore nipples!

A lovely lady from BFN has sorted me out. Hurrah! I know what I was doing wrong (2nd baby complacency and impatience basically) and now feeding is a lot better. However my right nipple is very cracked still and DC2 seems to find it easier to correctly latch onto the other one. No idea why!

My query is this. Do I feed her entirely from my left breast which seems to work better today, and just express from the other. My reasoning is that it will give cracked sore right nipple the chance to heal a bit, and that I then might find it easier to correct the latch?

Thanks!

How old is your baby, LImelight?

I'm guessing still quite young yes?

It's a judgement call what to do next - if you leave your 'bad' nipple alone, as you say you will need to express (by hand, prob, depending on the site of the crack) as often as you feed, to maintain supply and comfort.

You will prob have sufficient milk on the other side, or you could also give the ebm you have got from the 'bad' side.

However, now your baby is good at the left, the same skills might emerge with the right, if you try the same techniques with her.

Can you call the BfN lady again? She has seen you, and would help you decide.

Hi Tiktok and thanks for this. Yes she is very young. She was born on Friday. When I realised there was a problem, I decided to act straight away rather than let it get worse and have weeks of soreness (I made this mistake with DS).

I think I will express. Seems like a good opportunity to start building up a stock in the freezer too! I think I will be able to sort out the latch on the right but she's getting frustrated and my slightly tensing up in anticipation of pain probably isn't helping. Maybe if it heals a bit, I'll relax, she'll relax etc.

With the benefit of hindsight I think I had problems with this breast with DS too. Sorry if tmi here, but the nipple has a sort of small wart thing on it which I've always had. I think if a baby is ever going to get it's hard palette or tongue stuck on something, it'll be that! I fed DS until he was 1 and it was a really positive experience. From memory, I think I had very occasional periods of soreness.

Thanks for your advice, and I think I will call the BFN lady again too.

i had similar with my 2nd child who would only latch on one side. took him to a cranial osteopath who noted (as we had) that one of his shoulders was very hunched up. he got it straightened out, and hey presto, he fed fine... suspect he was just uncomfortable lying on the bad shoulder.

Just a quick update. I left alone for today and have expressed. Just fed using bad breast and actually, it's a lot better! So I think a bit of a break, lots of cream etc has helped. Let's see anyway!

hi limelight, glad you're on the mend. i had exactly your situation. cracked and no chance to heal it seemed. knew what to do to get it right but due to open wound on nipple still bloody hurt! expressed from damaged side for 2/3 days with lots of lucas paw paw ointment, then very strict with the latch. all was absolutely fine after that.