When does it stop hurting?

[liquidclocks]

I love BF 15 day old DS2 and I'm so happy we have managed to do BF this far as DS1 didn't even manage one feed. The problem is that within a few days I had blisters and was bleeding each feed - lansinoh applied, latch checked and rechecked, nipple shields useless, and two weeks later I'm still REALLY sore!

At the moment I'm expressing half the feeds and giving them by bottle (no confusion whatsoever - he's just interested in whatever the milk comes from!) which is fine but I physically recoil at the thought of the next 'real' BF. If it's only going to last a few more weeks I think I can manage but if not...

So when can I expect it to get better or does it ever?

Burping isn't generally a problem and I have a whole repertoire of methods to use that I practised on DS1! The problem really is the poor seal - or maybe I'm expecting too much - is it normal?

After reading back the message I realised that this was not what you were asking. My DS has times when he is a nightmare - pulling back on the nipple, letting go then grabbing it back again. Absolute agony when your nipples are sore anyway. Sometimes I think that it is the wind causing him to be wriggly on the breast, but at other times I just don't know. When your nipples are hardened up it won't be so much of a problem but I know what a nightmare it is. I also read that if the latch is not good the baby will not suck so effectively. Another tip i was given would be to relax yourself. If I was having problems with the latch my shoulders woud become tense an I would clench my teeth - both unconsiously - so I try and take a deep breath, relax my shoulders and mouth before I latch him on.

Hope this helps

DS2 is 12 days old and I was sore on the unfavourable left breast for about a week (blisters, bleeding). DS2 has a very poor latch (compared to DS1) and also has a tiny head and mouth (9thC). I've got fair skin which apparently doesn't help.

It's only in the last day or two that DS2 has been willing to really opne his mouth wide and latch properly. I feel I've had to work really hard with him on the left breast to get a decent latch.

You might find that as his mouth gets bigger, it's easier for him to latch properly?

I certainly felt that as my dd's mouth got bigger, things got easier. Keep doing what you're doing, liquidclocks - I hope things continue to improve!

Thanks for the reassurance ladies. I'm hoping things improve as he gets a bit bigger. He's 3 weeks and one day today and tbh it's better than I'd hoped for at the beginning so I'm pleased to have got this far.