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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

URGENT....SIL is about to give up BFing her 4 day old baby unless I can help her make her nipples stop hurting!!

33 replies

collision · 09/10/2006 22:49

Cannot remember for the life of me how to stop sore nipples.

I think baby is latched on a lot of the time which will make her sore.

Any ideas as I know she doesnt want to stop. It is the pain which is making her want to stop.

OP posts:
hunkermunster · 09/10/2006 22:51

Lansinoh.

Get her to call a bfeeding counsellor.

You say the baby's latched on a lot of the time - she needs to make sure the baby's latched on well. If not, she will be sore.

And tell her she should not if at all possible stop bfeeding at night. Everything looks better in the morning and there are more people around to help.

And Lansinoh. Definitely.

Tommy · 09/10/2006 22:51

Lansinoh did it for me - got a free sample in my bounty pack and then a bought a tube. Bit pricey but deffo worth it.

hairymclary · 09/10/2006 22:51

yes, get her to a breastfeeding counsellor to check her latch.

plenty of lansinoh

and those rubbery breastpad things

Original poster
collision · 09/10/2006 22:59

Just rang her and she has the Lansinoh.

Have told her to ring a BFing Counsellor as she doesnt sound as if she is latched on properly.

Am going to see if I can find my breastpump so she can express.

Have told her not to buy any formula.

OP posts:
PinkTulips · 09/10/2006 23:02

lansinoh, toe curling through the pain and 2 weeks or so for them to adjust.

she should probably have someone double check her latch just to make sure it'ok too

Mojomummy · 09/10/2006 23:02

what about the nipple shields for a day or 2 ?

Original poster
collision · 09/10/2006 23:03

she bought some nipple shields and said they are helping but her nipples are all cracked and bleeding.

OP posts:
PinkTulips · 09/10/2006 23:05

don't get her to express, i know a woman who did that for a very young baby and he'd never latch on again. she had to express for 10 months for every fee

it just takes time to get it right, does she have the net? if so send her to kellymom, they have lots of tip and diagrams, and here in the hope tik-tok is around

one thing that always helped me get mine latched onproperly is to flatten my aureola between my fingers to make it easier for baby to get as much as possible into their mouth

hairymclary · 09/10/2006 23:07

nipple shields aren't great, but if she gets the latch sorted and uses them til her nipples heal she may well be ok

tiktok · 10/10/2006 00:34

If her baby is this young, then she has midwifery care. She needs to see someone asap - and that person should be the person whose job it is to help support her feeding.

If a midwife visit is not scheduled, then she should be very assertive (or her partner can be assertive for her) and get someone round.

Expressing may well be a way to help, alongside getting good info about the latch - ditto nipple shields. Both expressing and shields have downsides, yes, of course they do, but they should never be ruled out.

Hope she gets good help soon.

threebob · 10/10/2006 02:26

She is breaking the vacuum with her little finger after a feed isn't she?

Apronscreams · 10/10/2006 02:57

breast milk itself is good for helping sore nipples get her to squeeze a little on to the nips - coat them and leave them out as much as possible in the fresh air - its what the midwives told me to do and I'm sure it helped. I remember thinking every feed would have to be my last when dd1 was tiny - and I ended up feeding her for a year - good luck to her well done for supporting her so well

mamamaaargh · 10/10/2006 03:29

This is of no help at all, but I had the same problem. Mine was caused by poor latching on and I ended up having to use a nipple shield . It took ds 5 months to 'get it' & suddenly everything was fine - he's almost 13 month & we're still bf! So, it really is worth persevering. Make sure, if she uses a nipple shield, she does so under the guidance of a bf counsellor. It can be hard to wean a baby off them and I think they can cause problems with milk supply - that said, I know a few people who have used them and had no problems. They do make bf in public a bit awkward though & it was tempting to give up. Good luck to your sil

cmm · 10/10/2006 04:06

I really empathise with her! My little one now just over 8 weeks, I had very sore cracked nipples until about 2 weeks ago, also had mastitis 3 times - SO nearly gave up but very glad I didn't. I was having to supplement with 1xbottle per night due to her low weight but now just on breastmilk. Agree the latch is important, saw a lactation specialist and NCT advisor - is she supporting her breast underneath if heavy? Sometimes if heavy this can drag nipple and cause cracking and soreness. I was told to do this but then again be careful not to apply too much pressure so to block ducts off when feeding apparently. For me Lansinoh didn't help but Kamillosan (advised by a lot of people including female GP - on prescription) did sooth and eventually helped healing (along with positioning). It really does get better. My nips are still a bit sore but generally now they healing well and I NEVER thought they would! Hope this helps - good luck x

TwigTwoolett · 10/10/2006 06:55

try putting some of her breast milk around the nipple and leaving them in the open air for a while to aid healing

check baby's latch .. get professional help

once this is sorted out teach her the counting slowly to 10 .. my sister told me to count slowly to 10 and the pain would go .. which I did .. over time I'd be able to count to lower and lower numbers until I wouldn't count at all by about 6 weeks ... it helped a lot having this mythical count of 10 to rely on (in a this is normal sort of way) .. this is not a solution for sore nipples .. just an aid for the general 'pain' of breastfeeding for the first time

Original poster
collision · 10/10/2006 10:27

Thanks ladies.

have rung SIL and told her to read this thread!

Another Mumsnetter in the making!!

OP posts:
booge · 10/10/2006 10:29

Another vote for Lansinoh.

BIGlilBUBU · 10/10/2006 10:41

Make sure she doesnt have thrush on her nipples. I was really sore for ages i tried the cream, breast milk checked ds was latched properly but none of it worked...and it didnt work because i had thrush, once i knew what it was i felt much better and got it treated and the pain soon went.

fondant4000 · 10/10/2006 10:48

Lansinoh is the ONLY one that works. And air your nipples as much as possible - i.e. sit with them out!

Bf counsellor shd help her to sort out latch, and keep her going. (Mine was a godsend thru' absolute nightmare of cracked, blistered toe-curlingly painful sore nipples)!

It only takes a few hours of good treatment for them to recover. Once you get the latch right and use the Lansinoh they'll be far less painful after just one night - honest! Worth persevering (took me 7 weeks, but don't tell her that!). Also had loads of support from dh, and no-one saying I shd stop.

mears · 10/10/2006 11:05

If her nipples are cracked and bleeding then the latch is not correct. The midwife should still be visiting and can help to show her different positions to use. Get her to try the rugby ball hold with the baby under her arm. By changing positions you change which part of the nipple is going into the baby's mouth. Feeds will be long if the baby is not fixed properly too. Avoid nipple shields if possible as they can cause problems in themselves. I would use them however as a last resort if pain means switching to bottle. Expressing will not be helpful and can damage nipples more.
The correct latch will make all the difference. Lansinoh is definitely soothing. Take paracetamol/brufen regularly. Another tip is to hold an ice cube (in a plastic bag) against the nipple for a few seconds before latching the baby on - it numbs the pain sensation. Reassure her it will get better.

kittyb · 10/10/2006 12:07

Get some bottles and do both! Didnt confuse my ds, and by the time he was a bit bigger and my nipples had healed properly, I went back to just bf. So glad I persevered, but dont let it spoil this really special time with a new baby.

I had a really painful forceps delivery, then painful nipples from the start, and I started to feel really low and was looking at my baby and just associating him with pain, which was really scary. Went to bf clinic every day and eventually an older midwife said to me "oh pet, you cant feed on those nipples" and I thought "hallelujah, at last someone believes me" and I started to enjoy my baby.

Sorry this has become a bit of an outpouring, but it doesnt have to be all or nothing - try both.

imnot27 · 10/10/2006 12:19

Yay, I'm with Kittb! I can remember the pain soooo well, and last time was two years ago! With my first dd I sobbed my way through bleeding nipples and unsympathetic midwives, dreading every feed. With ds, I though sod this, and gave him a bottle of formula on day 2, and went to bed! Then expressed for a day (midwife couldn't speak with the horror of it! ) My nipples had healed, so fed him fine, used shields when I was sore, and gave him a bottle of formula every night (actually dh did, great bonding hee hee) and breast fed til 6 months, when I gave up cos I wanted to! Repeated with ds2, combining is GREAT, you get more sleep, and it's got to be better than resenting every feed! Sorry for waffle, but felt Kittyb has got it spot on!

imnot27 · 10/10/2006 12:21

Sorry, more from me. I had my position checked countless times, apparently as I am so fair my skin is more delicate so wasn't position that was the problem, was that I am delicate flower.

katierocket · 10/10/2006 12:24

NCT helpline is really good and they will send a breastfeeding counsellor round if you want (free). I remember crying with agony when DS was 1 week but I perserved and it did get better very quickly.

Not all babies will mix feed (take bottle and breast) by the way - DS never would.

tiktok · 10/10/2006 12:29

imnot, glad you found a solution that was right for you.

But:
It does not matter how many times women get their positioning checked and are told 'everything is ok'.....if the nipples are sore/cracked, it is almost certainly down to positoning that needs amending (I don't say always - there are a very few exceptions). People's skin texture varies, and for some women it might be even more crucial to get things right, but the delicate skin is not the cause of soreness.

There are, of course, health risks with using any formula at all. And while combined formula and breast can be a way of extending the breastfeeding, it doesn't work for everyone, and introducing bottles early on risks an early end to bf.

So what works for one person may not work for everyone else

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