Any advice for breastfeeding with flat nipples please

[hazbaz]

I'm expecting DS2 in 6 weeks and want to try and arm myself as much as possible to be able to breastfeed successfully this time. DS1 was on the smallish side and my breasts were huge with milk and my nipples went completely flat and he could only ever latch on with nipple shields. After bfing with the shields combined with EBM & formula top ups i'm afraid i switched to full FF when he was 2mo as he just seemed too confused with nipple shields and bottles and my milk started to dry up.

I felt such a failure and really really want to be better prepared this time and bf successfully.

If there is anyone who has had similar problems and can offer advice it would be great, many thanks

best advice i can give is to find yourself a decent breastfeeding group, or breastfeeding counsellor in your area so that you have a port of call once baby is born.
i love our local la leche league group, they're so helpful.

my nipples were very flat before i had children. you ought to be able to latch baby on despite the flatness, although it's hard in the early days when you are getting engorged too, but expressing a bit off can help make it softer and easier for baby to latch on
one baby is latched on s/he will pull the nipple out enough normally to be able to feed ok. that certainly waas the case for me, and now my nipples are not flat at all!!

so i would say persevere with feeding without shields and make sure you have some support in place

Hello,

I have flatties too and had issues BF-ing DD. I was put on the expressing/topping on routine as DD would not latch, even though she was term. We got through it and DD is now 8 months and EBF. My advice would be that if your DC2 won't latch, draw your nipples with expressing and try again. Lots of skin to skin etc. If you do get stuck on the expressing/ topping up train then make you sure you try BF before and after every express/bootle feed. By doing this my DD got what she needed from expressing and topping up and then figured out how to latch. I would say she latched properly for the first time around 4 days old and then was fully EBF from 2.5 weeks. I won't lie though, I had a lot of pain and i think having flatties did not help with that. All i can say is to grit your teeth and the pain will pass - we were pain free by six weeks.

quote from Dr Jack Newman 'babies breastfeed, they don't nipple feed'.
Baby comes out with no expectation of what size/shape breasts or nipples should be. They come out with their natural ability to breastfeed.
Not saying it can't be tricky, but try to have babe take as much breast as possible. Then they will do with the nipple as they ought to.
Breast shields will alter supply. Try not to use them as a first line of defence. Do follow the advice given here already.
Well done for seeking assistance.