Pinched nipples all the time!

[loulouf79]

I'm so fed up, desperately want to continue but struggling so much.

I've been to three breastfeeding clinics this week and the lovely BF workers there have managed to latch my 8 week on. However, I just can't do it! I'm using the cross cradle hold and have attempted rugby ball hold. Whatever I do, I'm getting a line at the top of my nipples. Worried it will blister if I continue. I unlatch several times each feed to try and improve the latch. He seems to always have a good amount of breast, but it must be a shallow latch

Wondering what else to do?

I'm seeing private midwife next week to assess for tongue tie. Was told he may have a small posterior TT at a breastfeeding clinic.

I have nothing particularly constructive to add but when i read 'pinched nipples' in the title my initial thought was tt. You may get some answers after dc has been assessed.

Have you tried nipple shields?

Oh yes, Nipple shields is a good suggestion. I've never used then but I've heard some positive stories on here about them.

If you do try nipple shields I would say only use them as a temporary solution whilst you look at other things (tt particularly) as they can restrict flow which is frustrating for the baby and may impact on your supply longer term.

Do you get the pinched nipples at the clinics? If not, any idea what you're doing differently there? Are the BF workers touching you to get your baby latched on?

If the latch is comfortable, maybe take some pictures so you can see how things are different?

Generally, the big things that help, are making sure you're not holding your baby's head (not even a finger up the back of his head), and ensuring your baby's nose isn't touching the breast when they are latched on. (if the nose is touching the breast, shift the baby in the direction of his feet)

Nipple shields are not a great option, if the baby is able to latch well - latching less-than-ideally generally means the baby will get less milk than he would get if he was latched ideally. Nipple shields will further reduce how much milk he gets.

Sorry I should have mentioned, we were using nipple shields up until a week ago. My DS was born prematurely, so we used shields initially to help him latch on, but then they started to hurt and seemed to be causing friction and lots of pain at the base of my nipple.

At the BF cafe, they put DS on a lot more firmly and kind of push him towards me. I don't get the pinched line when they latch him. I'm getting so frustrated that I can't do it! Lots of tears over the past week I have watched lots of clips of 'you tube'

I attempted laidback feeding, but nipples are so sore from the shields that this didn't work.

I don't want up have to stop.

If your nipple is squashed with a ridge it indicates that the baby is not latching properly so is compressing the nipple against the top of its mouth.

The ridging could just be a bad latch or positioning but it is also a common in tongue tied babies as they are unable to latch on properly. Has your baby been checked for TT?

At the BF cafe, the bf people actually latch the baby on for you? Are they NCT people? They really aren't meant to be hands-on like that, for this exact reason. It works fine when they do it. But you're not learning the technique, because they are doing it, not you.

Could you maybe ask them to show you how to do it, without touching you?

Yes it's an NCT baby cafe. They dont touch me. They place their palm on my DS shoulder blades to get him to latch properly while I hold him in position. I'm not really sure what happens so differently there, but it all goes wrong once I'm home. I'll go back next week and ask them to watch me while I latch DS. Will take pictures.

TT will be assessed on Tuesday by private midwife.

I've now got a few very small blisters on top of left nipple. I just need to try and get through the weekend before I get help: Never been do frustrated!

Oh ... I'd ask tiktok, because she has an NCT background, but as you can see, touching the baby isn't really helping. I would really ask them not to touch you, or the baby. They should (I think?) be trained to teach you to push the baby on yourself, as that's what you need to do once home. I know other breastfeeding charities train their volunteers to not touch the mum or the baby.

Hmm, the NCT's online stuff says they are "hands off". Frankly, I would complain - this is not something that should be happening (although I know it does, in many places). They have functionally done you a disservice.

Well I've survived the night. Was so close to giving FF for the first time yesterday evening. But we managed, despite ongoing pinching. Will go back up the BF cafe tomorrow and will mention about not touching etc and watching what I do. I really hope this whole BF gets easier.

Thank you everybody for your replies x

Few things thst helped me to get a deeper latch with both mine were getting their chin/bottom lip to touch breast first, make sure it's breast not areola, then bring top lip down over nipple. You should be able to see your areola above baby's mouth.

Secondly, you want their lips to be splayed like the K in the Kellogg's Special K logo, if that makes sense.

Finally Google the 'flipple technique' and have a look at examples on you tube. This saved me at 3am with DS2.

These are all things that helped 'conceptualise' what I was aiming for with the latch if you see what I mean.

Good luck

Oh my gosh I went six weeks with undiagnosed TT, it was awful, I was in tears every evening and used to dread the feeds.
I asked my first lot of midwives about TT as I knew about it already, they said no she didn't have it. In week 2 a HV told me she did have slight TT but that since she was putting on weight it wasn't interfering with BFing. I was evidently playing down just how much it hurt me.
By week 6 I thought my nipples should have toughened up by now, at a health clinic a different HV told me my latch was perfect but recommended I go to BF clinic.
I went there the next day and they said my latch and positioning weren't good, plus she had 75% tongue tie! Had the TT done four days later (practised my improved positioning in the mean time) and it totally changed feeding, went to virtually pain free the same day.
It didn't hurt DD, the doctor said the worst bit for them is the taste of the rubber gloves in their mouths.
I so hope it is this for you, such a simple procedure if so. Best of luck