I'm in so much pain I want to give up

[OnlyWantsOne]

Dd3 is 9 days old

My nipples are blistered and bleeding
Feeding is agony.

I've been using a sheild some feeds to rest
Nipples but she doesn't feed properly. Or drain breast. Think now have mastitis (red patches on one breast hurts hot lumpy)

So I either use sheild and feed inefficiently for hours and get mastitis or rip my nipples to shit.

I cannot go on in this agony

You need some breastfeeding support immediately love. Call the postnatal ward.

In the meantime, hot and cold flannels, wet healing - either a small amount of lansinoh cream or breastmilk rubbed into the nipple - and deep breaths.

Please get someone out to see you asap.

Get her checked for tongue tie - she's not feeding properly. Could be her latch or could be a tie stopping her from latching well.

Kamilosan is really.good as well as lanisoh.
Try giving the breast feeding network a call, the were amazing when I needed support:
0300-100-0212.

second to lansinoh
get help asap but don't give up just yet
i was there as well, dh even thought once i was giving dd tomatoes when she threw up some milk coloured red with blood clots. i was crying at the prospect of feeding her over the weekend before finally getting help from the local baby cafe
massive hugs

And if you really need to, there is no reason that you should not be taking paracetamol.

i am bf my 11 week old now (and typing with left hand) -it is possible to go through the hell and continue... but i do understand the excruciating pain (like someone is rubbing sandpaper on the nipples every 2 hrs... bloody hell it is!)

I'm taking paracetamol & brufin
Am "airing" my nipples, using lansinoh too. Nothing is helping :(

My community midwife is not on duty till tuesday

You need some in person support. Are you supposed to be having a MW or HV visit soon? Believe they normally do one around day 10? Call the postnatal ward and say you need a breastfeeding specialist to help you.

Don't suffer alone. You need to get checked out for Mastitis firstly.

Try calling your post-natal ward for advice on your latch, and how to relieve the pain - you may find massaging your breast helps unblock your ducts, and hot flannels laid over your breasts can help with this too. The postnatal ward should be able to show you how to massage effectively. They can also show you how to hand-express your milk after your baby has fed, to ensure your milk ducts aren't getting blocked.

Also ask for her to be checked for tongue tie, as this could be the reason she isn't latching and feeding properly.

Lansinoh or breastmilk on your nipples will help with the blistering and bleeding.

I had very similar problems with DS, who had a slight tongue tie and didn't feed properly for over a week. When he really wasn't getting any milk I was advised to hand express some milk into a special tiny cup with a lip, that I then let him lap the milk out of.

If your postnatal ward can't help, try

La Leche League

or the NCT.

They have lots of advice on their websites, and you can also phone and speak to someone who is trained in breast feeding support.

You can get through this! Good luck.

As I said .before the Breast.Feeding Network were amazing:
0300-100-0212

mw has been & checked for TT - and my latch, and helped massage the areas that were bright red & agony...

Has she suggested anything helpful?

I found that one bad latch caused sores, scabs and cracks which were then agony at the next feed even though the latch was better. I learnt to take dd2 off immediately if I suspected she wasn't on properly. After a few days things settled and feeding was no longer agony.

I really feel for you.

Mastitis made me feel more ill than anything. I truly feel for you, get the latch and tongue checked by an expert as some tongue ties are not obvious. My DD2 had a posterior tongue tie diagnosed at 5wks. She had the snip and the difference was unbelievable. I only knew things weren't right because I'd not had the same issues with DD1.
I alternated hot and cold compresses and the one thing that helped me with any blockages was deep (and fucking painful) massage. Warmed olive oil helped for massage.
I really hope things improve for you and you feel better, it made me very weepy

I've latched her on and off over 25 tomes it's still hurting like fck and I can't get that right amount of nipple in her mouth. Gahhhhhbbhh

What position are you feeding in?

Holding her accross me tummy to tummy

I really feel for you. I remember the horrific pain so well. I would recommend the breast feeding network. Phone them. I did when I was desperate & the lady had to listen to me sub for a good few minutes before I could actually speak to her. She gave me good advice on latch over the phone & I also had a local bfn lady come out to see me & son feeding a few times. I was very lucky that I didn't have to deal with more than a mild case of mastitis. I ended up using nipple shields from 6weeks until.we stopped just after 9 months so it is possible...

Call the bfn number above & ask for someone to come & see you. I really.hope you feel better soon. I cried for weeks due to the pain & ended up feeding expressed milk only for the two weeks before I tried shields as my nipples were just so fucked that I couldn't face the pain anymore - I used to slap my face to distract me from the nipple agony. Not fun. That's when I realised I needed to try something different - expressing & then shields.

And then I latch her on she sucks causing immense pain then falls asleep and slips off onto Thr nipple

I really wouldn't air dry. If your nipples are cracked/scabbed then they will dry out and every time you latch on the crack with deepen from underneath.

Jelonet/lanisoh and keeping them covered up is the best thing for healing.

Good luck.

will deepen

What saved me was expressing for a few days as it gave my nipples a chance to heal and then i started from the breast again.

It does hurt until you both get used to it, although the mastitis will be making it a million times harder. I feel for you, but it really does get better, but if you want to, just stop, noone will judge you :)

Hope it eases soon. I remember being in tears each feed until about 7 weeks in :(

lol atacareercrossroads I was just going to add that!

Sometimes there is so much pressure - but it is OK to stop you know- you are the only one who can decide , and no one would judge you for finding the best way for you personally.

I soooo know your pain. You know what? It's completely your decision to continue or stop. I can say this as someone who was forced to give up bf after a week with a newborn DS who had severe jaundice (on uv cot), low blood sugar and just couldn't manage to latch onto my ridiculously huge breasts (he was barely 6lb).
2nd time round with DD I was desperate for a better experience after feeling utterly devastated and guilty and a failure with DS.She took to bf like a duck to water. Sadly for me, I found it the most painful experience and came to dread every hourly feed. I sought help... nothing wrong with latch, DD gaining weight beautifully. It just bloody well hurt like hell. Despite wanting to ebf for 6m, I gave up after two. I didn't feel so bad as with DD but unfortunately there is sooo much pressure put upon us to bf come what may and the guilt is easy to feel. I thought I hadn't done it just"right" with 2 cs's and unable to bf properly.
I'd just like to give you the benefit of my wisdom, really. DS starts school next wk and DD is 18m. My DCs are happy, healthy and intelligent children who really bring nothing but sheer joy. What is really important is knowing you're loved, safe, warm, wanted, comfortable and, in the arms of your dear mummy, fed. In whichever way. Good luck OP x