Please help urgently! Engorged breasts and expressing

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Milk has come in, ds was having latch problems anyway and with my boobs completely engorged he just won't stay on. I am in immense pain. Have been advised by the mw to express a bit but my manual pump won't suck! It works, I know cos it sucks dh's nips no probs haha! But when I put it over my nipple I just can't get any suction, like there's no seal. What am I doing wrong? What else can I do to alleviate the problem?

Some mums find that massaging away from the nipple can reduce the engorgement and help the baby get latched on.

Could you try manual expression OP? Often works better when you're really engorged.

Try having a read here: www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/engorgement.html

Try to relax (I know, you're in pain...) maybe in a warm shower or bath (the warm water will help to release the milk), or draping warm towels on your breasts just before manual expression.

What latch problems were you having?

He has a slight tongue tie, so he loses latch, falls asleep and comes off in about ten minutes. My nipples are cracked and bleeding and I dread the next feed. He's only 4 days old and I'm already thinking about jacking it in. The breastfeeding mw I saw said they could cut the tie next week if I'm still having problems, but how on earth do I cope until next Tuesday?

I will check out that link and try and hand express. He's screaming for a feed now, better go.

This leaflet has some info on exaggerated attachment, I think on page ten. It might be worth a look?

www.sunderland.nhs.uk/admin/mopil/pdf/20060405104105.pdf

You can express by hand this is better until your ds can latch on!!!

www.kellymom.com or google kellymom has pictures of how to do this...

I had a bath and managed to get my pump working in the end. Expressed a bit on both sides then had the best feed we've had yet. There is hope.

Great news.

There IS loads of hope but you can also try to push for a faster snip - it's urgent for you.

There are lots of people here (including me) who've fed through TT and it can be done, and I totally understand the dreading the next feed - hating every minute - not knowing how to get through the next hour, never mind to next week. It will come, and in the meantime there are options.

You've had a good feed which is great so you know it can be done :) The exaggerated latch is a good idea, and it might be worth trying the rugby hold. Trying to work on getting the deepest latch possible, each time, will protect your nipples as much as possible.

It's also possible to express a few feeds a day and offer a bottle or cup just to get through and protect your nipples. Feeding with a cup isn't easy though (you'll really need your MW to show you how), and a bottle may be ok but it may encourage him to latch more shallowly, too. On the other hand, if it keeps you going until next week, it's better than not.

Hang on in there... this WILL pass and when you look back on it the next few days will seem like no time at all, even though they feel like eternity now. :)

We now can't do the division until a week on Tues . We're still not entirely sure we want to go ahead, but now we have 10 days to practisse getting this latch right before we have to decide.

I'm concerned about giving a bottle at this stage, he's only a week old, with the latch difficulties as they are, I don't want to make it any harder for him. Even if cup feeding is as tricky as you suggest, which I can well believe, if it gives me some relief for a few hours, it's worth it.

May I ask, did you have the division done in the end? I know it's not necessarily a magic wand but I feel like I'll try anything to get this to wor. I really don't want to give up but the pain is at times unbearable.

We have had a few good feeds today, but they are so hit and miss, why is it that sometimes I can get a good latch and sometimes I can't? Is it the TT that means he falls asleep very quickly at the breast? Is it the TT that makes him slip off and lose the proper latch during a feed? It's a nightmare because he'll feed for 5 minutes then either I'll have to take him off because it's hurting so much, or he'll be asleep, then he wakes again after 40 minutes to feed because he didn't get enough the time before. This is especially at night when I guess he wants to cluster feed, but last night he fed on an off for nearly 6 hours and dh and I nearly went stir crazy with the crying/feeding/half-sleeping cycle.

I just really want someone to tell me it will definitely get better and it is worth it.