OW OW OW is breastfeeding meant to hurt like this? (2days old)

[Purdicles]

DS born 2 days ago and today I am really finding it painful when he is feeding. Last night he fed pretty much solidly from 8pm til 3am - I think he iss latching on well - midwife said he has a good open mouth, full cheeks etc so I'm fairly certain he is getting enough. He does suck like mad though and the suction is something else.

Just wondering if anyone had any advice or pearls of wisdom to keep me going as I am beginning to dread feeding which feels totally wrong!

Congratulations on the birth of your new baby!!!
Please persevere with getting some RL help as it is sooo worth it when things are going well!! Early days for me was extreme pain!! With blood and tears (mine!). My mw was brill (old school) , taught me diff feeding positions including lying down, and said little things that kept me going. It's all really worth it!! My ds is now 5 months and still bf. And I'm loving it

Lansinoh lansinoh lansinoh!

I used 3 tubes with dd2. our latch must have been really crap. I wouldn't be bf her now (at 15 months) if it wasn't for lansinoh slathered on before and after each feed for the first few weeks. I gave up after 5 days with dd1 as my nipples were bleeding, she was screaming and I hadn't heard of lansinoh. If your nipples crack don't let them dry out, and they do heal quickly OP and it will get better and easier and it will stop being sore and will be so worth it! Good luck OP

Can I just go slightly against the tide with the nipple creams?

They DO have a place and they CAN help. But not with a poor latch or early BFing pain! They can help with some healing issues - if there is damage - and they can be a godsend. They should be applied after the feed, not before as you don't want to get the cream into the baby's mouth.

Well worth looking into but with advice from your BFC, OP.

Just agreeing with organiccarrot - I never used creams but had hideously unbearable pain with DS, which was miraculously cured by a visit from the World's Best BF Counsellor (obviously the lady you've consulted will be just as good ). A good latch is absolutely essential.

I had the same situation as you, Purdicles, when my DS was born. Breastfeeding was HELL and no-one else seemed to have the same experience. All the other people in my NCT group managed to get bf established but nothing worked for me - saw the bf counsellor who said the latch was fine, midwife gave me loads of support etc but it was always agony. My DS just has a funny way of sucking that puts huge pressure on the nipple.

The only advice I can give is to try nipple shields - the Medela ones worked enough for me to grit my teeth and manage mixed feeding for a while at least. I'll never know if the pain would have eased eventually as I only bf-ed for 6 weeks but all I can say is that no-one in my NCT group had the problems I had with pain so I think some babies just feed in funny ways and some women have more sensitive nipples so if you want to EBF in that situation you have to be very determined. For me the stress and pain was just ruining my time with my baby so I gave up eventually. Still feel guilty but what can you do??! I enjoy being with my baby more now the stress is gone. He is still a difficult feeder and sucks in a lot of air on the bottle etc but at least I have the energy to cope with it now as I'm not in agony and exhausted all the time.

PS Lansinoh did nothing for me either except helping a bit to heal the skin when my nipples were cracked and bleeding

Stung like mad in the first few weeks. TMI alert, Toecurling at first latch and then settling down but still there a a change in position was agony. Nipples blistered/ cracked etc but then a layer of blistered dead skin came off and they were fine, took about two weeks. I think it's a bit like breaking in new shoes by wearing them 12 hours a day to start with.

I'm still bf ds who's 15mo.

Is it just really painful for the first 30/45/60 odd seconds and then fine? Or painful the whole feed?

If the former then I think this is normal and doesn't mean a bad latch etc. My DS is 6 weeks now and that "initial" pain is much much less intense now (first two weeks it had me in tears!)

If it hurts for the whole feed then I think sth is wrong.

Hurting as in toe curling when first latches or throughout? I had the latter for a week or so despite everyone telling me everything was fine. Saw a bf consultant (paid £140. It was so so worth it!). She pointed out lots of little adjustments and after that it was just a latch on pain which suddenly went.

BTW I was v badly damaged from the "lying back and letting baby do it herself" technique as in recovery and then on ward after my section she was essentially allowed to munch the nipple and a huge chunk came away on both sides! Just be careful if you try it.

Lansinoh is fabulous stuff.

And another post going against the tide...

Nipple shields also have their place, but they should be used only with the support of a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor as they can lead to low supply problems.

It hurt a lot to start with. You're doing really well, keep seeking out support and it will get less uncomfortable.

Laid back nursing saved me but the same rules apply for the latch, if it's wrong you still need to take baby off.

Good luck and congratulations!