Help!
DS is 4 weeks old and a has been happily breastfeeding. His weight gain is fab - born at 9lb8, was 10lb at 10 days and 10lb 10 at 3 weeks. He feeds much better on the right than the left so although I alternate between feeds he spends 2/3 of his time on the right.
My right breast is now VERY sore. It's not the nipple but the area surrounding it - probably an area an inch and a half diameter. It feels badly bruised and there are what appear to be bite marks both above and below the nipple. It makes latching on very painful and sucking quite uncomfortable.
I've tried the rugby ball hold which was marginally less painful than cradle hold and lying down but still very sore, especially at the beginning.
Because he has a tendency towards colic and over feeding I have been going for more smaller feeds and taking him off to Burp every few minutes which means having to reattach him regularly. On a couple of occasions he has clamped on really hard and I've had to get my fingers between his jaws to open his mouth. This isn't just breaking a suction seal but forcing his jaws apart to get him off.
I was planning on going to the breast feeding group next week for help but can anyone give me any advice to get me through the weekend?
At the moment I am favouring the left (even thought of expressing from the right makes me want to cry) but was thinking nipple shields might provide a bit of protection. I've not used them before and don't even know where to buy them. What else might be worth trying?
Any advice would be much appreciated.