Sore nipples - please tell me it will get better...

[CuteLittleToes]

My newborn is only 2 days old, and every time I bf my nipples hurt so much... Not just at the beginning, but through the whole feed, and everywhere it says this is not normal and should only hurt at the beginning.

It's such an agony every time... I've been in tears 5 times today as it's just unbearable... MW been visiting yesterday and today, and he's latching on fine, but it still hurts...

Please tell me it will go away and my nipples just need to toughen up??....

[ColdTeaAgain]

Glad to hear it's getting better whenever I felt like giving up, I used to keep saying myself "give it another week and see how you feel". It helped to give myself little targets to keep me going.

With the engorgement, it may be because its still early days and your body is still adapting to getting the whole supply and demand thing right. If its uncomfortable I would hand express until they feel a bit softer, especially before a feed because when your boobs are too full it makes it very difficult for newborns to latch on properly which will can be more uncomfortable for you as well.

[Slacktacular]

What they said re latch, but also worth getting someone to check (if they haven't already) whether your LO has a tongue tie. I had a hideous start to BFing but an undiagnosed tongue tie was the culprit and getting that sorted allowed me to eventually correct latch, heal nips and am now still feeding my 14 month old. Absolutely second the recommendations for getting a breastfeeding support worker to watch you latch baby on - mine was a lifesaver. Well d

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

Re engorgement: I remember a few weeks of super-painful engorgement. Even clothes loosely touching was painful. I had some cold-packs that helped. And hand expressing a little when it was really bad to allow DS to latch - as pp said.

Then for a few months they'd get engorged if I hadn't fed for a while. When I went back to work at 5.5 months I had a few weeks of uncomfortable engorgement while I was pumping. But they softened right down and I went on to feed till DS was 2. They even went back to normal size and continued to feed well. (Although, I produced enough milk for quintuplets, which I know is different to many people's experience)

Boobs really are amazing!

[geekaMaxima]

While nipples are healing, try breast shells like these www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000MMQO60?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

They hold clothing etc away and let air circulate to help sore nips heal. And they collect any milk leaks... Wearing them for even half an hour after feeds, with Lansinoh on, really eased discomfort for me.

Otherwise I second pp's advice to get latch checked. 10 different midwives + 2 HVs told me my latch was perfect when it plainly wasn't . It took one face to face meeting with an NCT breastfeeding counsellor to show me what a really good latch was meant to be like.

[CatHackney]

I found it all very painful and had mastitis, then thrush. Eventually, my LO figured it out and I toughened up, andhe is now 8 months old and a very happy, healthy breastfed boy, and breastfeeding is a breeze. Really. I just put him sort of near my boon and he works it out, entirely pain-free.

Just keep going! You are doing better than you think.