ITS NOT MY LATCH!!!

[peeapod]

I am getting fed up of all advice blaming me and baby for the pain I'm getting in the teats. It isn;t my latch or even the physical position thats hurting, its the fact that I have sensitive skin and it feels like they are on fire, not only tat shes feeding quite regularly (like every hour) so its putting pressure on them.

does anyone have any sensible suggestions rather than the nhs "its my latch" line. or what to do to relieve the pain?

im about to give up its just hurting too much and im feeling blamed for it.

Have you tried nipple shields?

Lots and lots and lots of lansinoh. If yours are like my nipples were they toughen up quite quickly but oh my did it hurt to start with.

Have you checked out

La Leche League? They have a support line and may have groups in your area?

Second the lansinoh.

Also, when they say about the latch, they don't mean that you are doing anything wrong. It takes a while for both of you to get used to it, and some babies are MUCH better at it than others! I didn't manage to bf ds1 because it hurt so much and I felt really judged and like a failure - then with subsequent DCs I realised that actually it was the support that failed, and that it's normal to hurt at the beginning (though not too much!), and it's normal to struggle a bit with the latching and the rhythm of it.

If they mean well it can be best to try to take their advice, but also check for tongue tie and try to get to a bfing support group near you. Good luck!

I agree, try not to take the latch advice as being at fault. For me I know that my problem is that my nipples do not reach far enough back into baby's mouth so instead of being on the soft palate at the back, it rubs on the hard palate, causing pain and damage. Having big boobs makes it worse. Multiple experts have not been able to resolve this fact and it's nobody's fault. The nipple shields provide protection and give baby something to latch on to. I found it helped me to have a logical explanation.

Lansinoh can help healing but doesn't stop the damage happening again ime.

Who told you it was latch? Poor latch is a common reason for nipple pain, but not the only one. Has your positioning been helped too?

THe pain you describe as "burning" does set off a little alarm bell to me. How are your niupples between feeds? Thrush is a common reason for nipple pain, and many women describe the pain as "burning". Has that been investigated? Don't worry if it is, it can be easily remedied, you and baby would both need treatment with a cream or gel.
I advise to to seek alternative help. Find a different HV or midwife or see your GP.
Great advice is available though volunteer organisations, La Leche Leage and NCT who have telephone helplines open 7 days a week, they would be happy to discuss your problem.
Hope things resolve soon. X

Burning does sound like thrush. We have a very poor latch here (still, at 6 mo) and it doesn't hurt one bit. So although it can be latch that causes pain, it's not always the case. If it is, you can get help to sort it in the majority of cases (me being an exception I think as LO always pulls off a good latch to be on more shallow!). It doesn't mean either of you are doing anything wrong, just that an adjustment of technique could help.

Have you seen a GP? Can you call La Leche League? Do you have a breastfeeding cafe nearby? These all helped me immensely. They will also help confirm any thrush. Nipple shields and Lansinoh I also second. X x

How old is your baby?

For the first 5 weeks my nipples were in agony due to being sucked on so vigorously was something new and the fact my DS was feeding every 2 hours. I absolutely smeared myself in Lasinoh cream. Not just my nipples but my whole areoles too. I bought tubes and tubes of it but it was worth every penny. My nipples were still very tender, it hurt to have material against them (I.e pyjama tops), but the pain was less acute.

I was told that some point my nipples would harden up as they got used to being used for feeding and it did happen. DS is now 9 weeks and my nipples are fine, I'm able to tolerate them being nibbled on, pulled and scratched without any discomfort and I can't remember the last time I used Lasinoh.

The latch being off by even just a tiny bit can make a lot of difference, please don't take it as a criticism! But yes, feeling "on fire" does sound like it could be a skin issue - maybe get checked for dermatitis or something like that?

Nipple shields can be good for some people, as long as you get a good fit.

Also, be careful with lansinoh - if you slather it on and don't get it wiped off before feeds, it can make it very slippery for the baby and seriously affect latch.

You need to get real life support, so someone can look at the latch- it's not a criticism, just that small tweaks to positioning can really help with pain feeding. It can also make baby more efficient so they may not need to feed so often. If you have a bf group near you, I would really recommend going along. You could also call the national bfing helpline. It's what they are there for. You don't need to be in pain.

Be careful with lansinoh if you have sensitive skin. I am allergic to it and it made my sore nipples 100 times worse! Do a patch test first

Lansinoh is agood treatment for moist wound healing. It is not a panacea or even a lubricant. Most breastfeeding women should never need it. If there is nipple pain that needs addressed. Lansinoh is not a remedy. As others had suggested it can cause problems. Lansinoh is the grease extracted from sheep wool, some women are allergic. It can cause eczema, dermatitis and is not a particularly good thing for baby to ingest.