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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Painful breastfeeding

37 replies

Vmama · 12/03/2007 15:54

hello ive been struggling to bfeed my 3 wk old son since day 1 things seemed to be getting better then have just had another day of excruciating pain when he latches on -am scared before every feed now. Really don't want to give up tho think thats just my fear of failure.

he is putting on plenty of weighht and seems fine but im often in tears during feeds

have hads lac cons round and she thought latch was fine but sometimes he just seems so aggressive and fussy partic on right breast

please tell me this will stop? also if i do decide to give up is there a time whem i will hav done him some good?
and what about mixed feeding to give my poor boobs a break? i already express enough 4 a bottle at night

OP posts:
taylormama · 12/03/2007 15:57

could it be mastisis?????? I know there are a lot of BF experts around so i am sure they will be more help ... i had it when i BF my LO and it was agony - i was advised to keep feeding and had antibiotics.

stressteddy · 12/03/2007 15:57

HI Vmama - poor you. It's horrible isn't it? I promise it does get better. Have you got any nipple shields? Not everyone gets on with them but they worked a treat for me. I was in agony and these took away some (not all!) of the pain
Best of luck and it really does get better

Original poster
Vmama · 12/03/2007 16:00

when does it get better? im counting the days -i'll try nipple shields why dont they work for some people and what do they do?

OP posts:
stressteddy · 12/03/2007 16:02

They just cover your nipples and do make it less painful when baba latches on
Some babies don't take to them that's why they don't always work.
I remember crying on the phone to friends asking when it would get better...it's different for everyone but for me it was about 6/7 weeks
Hope this helps

Original poster
Vmama · 12/03/2007 16:03

thank you i will definitely try them

OP posts:
flibertygibbetplus2 · 12/03/2007 16:05

Are you using any cream?

Wallerbies · 12/03/2007 16:06

Hi yes go for nipple shields they worked for me and I used then every now and then during growth spurts when DS decided he wanted feeding all day and all night!!!

In hospital they put so much pressure on you to BF and do not show you how to express with a machine or how to use nipple shields I used Avent nipple shields and sterilised them in between in Milton fluid it was great a revilation for my poor nipples - give it a go and yes the pain does stop. I gave up one day when I was out at the shops and had to BF DS and I forgot my shields I was so nervous but it didn't hurt any more.

flibertygibbetplus2 · 12/03/2007 16:08

I had a similar problem with first baby and was using Kamillosan. It got much worse and eventually I gave up. This time I'm using Lansinoh and being pedantic about perfect latching every time and I'm doing fine at 8+ weeks.

Wallerbies · 12/03/2007 16:09

Oh yes and do use cream I used Lansinoh it is pricy but it works brilliantly.

stressteddy · 12/03/2007 16:09

ooh yes Lansinoh - lurvely cream! Second that fliberty!

WaynettaSlob · 12/03/2007 16:13

vmama - don't be afraid to unlatch the baby and re-latch. I was terrified of doing that with DS1 and as result gave up b/f early. For DS2 I got lots of lovely advice on here, including un-latching and re-latching and my god it made such a difference. Like you I was dreading each feed and the pain was toe-curling. I also found that sitting on an upright armchair rather than slouching on the couch helped too.
You are doing really well, so hang on in there if you can. If you can't you have given him a very good start already.

lyra41 · 12/03/2007 16:20

It took us about 6 / 7 weeks before it stopped hurting, but it did gradually get better from about a month. My ds had tongue tie, which meant he was nipple feeding a lot and not latching on. It is agony I know, you're doing brilliantly, so hang in there if you can. I think if you start to mix formula and bf it will be the beginning of the end of bf, but even to have done 3 weeks is fab, so don't feel guilty if bottle feeding works best for you.

alex8 · 12/03/2007 16:27

vmama I have a very similar thread, perhaps we could start a support group?

Kif · 12/03/2007 16:28

thrush? does baby have white patches in his mouth?

foxybrown · 12/03/2007 16:38

I had thrush when I BF, never knew pain like it. Get yourselp to your GP ASAP. They will give you cream for you, and they should treat the baby as well. I wasn't keen on giving my tiny baby medicine so early on, but I wasn't keep on the long, hot, sharp needle pain deep in my breasts either. Am wincing just thinking about it. Good luck.

hewlettsdaughter · 12/03/2007 16:55

Vmama - poor you (I've been there).

Difficult to know what to suggest, other than get an expert to look at the latching (which it sounds like you've done). I used nipple shields to get me through a particularly painful time - they're frowned on a bit these days but if you want to keep breastfeeding and have eliminated latch problems... I also used lansinoh and tried holding the baby in different ways so as to reduce stress on my nipples (eg there's a 'rugby hold' you can do). Things were better by about ?6 weeks for me.

The kellymom website is good if you haven't seen it. Good luck!

hewlettsdaughter · 12/03/2007 17:07

Meant to say also - if you decide to stop at any time, you should congratulate yourself for doing it as long as you have

Original poster
Vmama · 12/03/2007 18:52

thanks everyone -hv came today and checked for thrush but it's not that. I have started to unlatch and relatch -you're all right I was scared to do that before cos it hurts so much but i will keep trying.

the last 2 feeds have been better and we're both more relaxed so fingers crossed it will keep improving

i am using lansinoh and it does help but sometimes nothing helps!

his weight increased from 8lb6 to 9lb 1 in a week so i figure he must be getting enough to eat which helps make it more worthwhile.

will let you know how i get on...alex 8 I'll check for your thread too

OP posts:
foxybrown · 12/03/2007 18:55

I've always had a painful start for one reason or another for each of my 3. Each time I found that it just came good after a few weeks and was plain sailing from thereon. Do persever if you can, you're probably almost there!

JimJammum · 13/03/2007 21:33

Someone once told me that when you first latch them on, you have to curl your toes hard and count backwards from 10 to 1 before the pain goes. That's exactly what it felt like for a good 6 weeks, and someone else I know said it hurt like hell for 8 weeks. In hospital the midwives kept saying that he was obviously not latched on properly if it was hurting but when they checked, he was on just fine.

It does get better if you can bear it.....My lo also put on tons of weight which is the only thing that kept me going at times! Try to relax, becuase if you are dreading it, it may be making it worse??? But you are doing great to have got this far - I always assumed it would be easy as it is natural, and was surprised it was as hard/painful as it was at times.

Dragonhart · 13/03/2007 22:38

I had exectly the same problems when starting to feed my DS and at three weeks, I felt so sick with the dread of everyfeed, I just couldnt do it one night and got DH to go to Tescos and buy a steriliser and a breast pump (thank heavens for 24hour opening times!) and then rang the BF councillor in the morning in tears.

She came round and gave me some advice on position and using a pillow rather than the big wiggy cousion I was using and it really did help. Just knowing that I was doing it right helped and she gave me alot more confidence which also made a difference.

It really does get better and at about 4/5 weeks most of the feeds were pain free and at 6/8 weeks it was a breese. I was so glad I had made it through those first few awful weeks.

Good Luck. xxx

Original poster
Vmama · 14/03/2007 10:37

I nearly gave up last night -was dreading him waking up for next feed and then sure enough it was really painful and I ended up sobbing in despair. Then DH did 2 feeds in the night -first with EBM then formula but DS puked all over me when i tried to feed him this morning. Does that mean formula doesn't agree with him or is it because he's had mixed feeds?

I'm trying again this morning and so far it's ok still hurts but not as bad -it always seems to be worse at the end of the day for some reason. I have a deep crack in my right nipple and this is what's causing the problems my left breast seems ok for now.

My boobs were so full and lumpy this morning but I managed to express over 150 mls so at least I have some for feeds.

My mum suggested that I express all his feeds for a couple of days to give myself a break -has anyone done this?

I don't know why I'm so determined to keep going I keep fluctuating from wanting to give up and spare myself the pain to wanting to keep going and hoping it gets better.

The LC sad he has a latch like a barricuda which is obviously part of the problem -maybe he's just not meant to breastfeed? I'm so confused and while I want to do what's best for him i don't want to be miserable mum all the time and surely I shouldn't be frightened of feeding him?

OP posts:
Sterny · 14/03/2007 10:42

You poor thing. I had exactly the same problem as you and I decided to express ds's feeds for a couple of days to give me a chance to heal and ended up doing this for 4 months! Finally got bfeeding again, so it can be done and no pain this time - I think ds's mouth is bigger and he can latch on better now.

Good luck!

Lazycow · 14/03/2007 11:00

Vmama

You knwe we used to call ds the barracuuda as well. He had a really strong suck/latch. He was also slightly tongue tied which I believe led to even more pain.

I was in excrutiating pain for the first 10 days. After 6 days I started using nipple shields (after I had seen a bfeeding counsellor who helped with the latch etc) for all feeds which made the pain just about bearable. I too remember crying with fear that ds would need a feed - particualarly at night when it all seemed so much worse.

I used the shields until ds was 4 weeks old, then I started taking them off sometimes (if I could bear it). By the time he was 6 weeks old I'd stopped using the shields and the pain was quite a bit better. I won't lie though, for me the pain on breastfeeding was always there - it was Ok though and nothing like the early weeks.

Ds was breastfed in the end until he was 2 years old. You can do it - honestly if the latch is OK and if you don't have thrush or mastitis (alll of which you seem to have checked), the pain should get better. Once you have got to 6/7 weeks you should find it has really improved. If the pain gets worse rather than better over the next couple of weeks then get the latch etc checked again but it sounds to me like you have reached the peak time of difficulty. If you can keep your nerve for the next few days/week - it really should improve

One thing I did for the night feeds in the first few weeks was I got one of those DVD books from the library and when I was feeding ds at night (always took him 50 mins - 1 hr to feed in the early weeks)I'd listen to the book. That way I sort of had something to look forward to and to distract me while I was feeding.

Lazycow · 14/03/2007 11:05

By all means get dh to give a bottle of expressed milk at night if it means you get a rest and some sleep. Try and avoid formula and try and stick to only one bottle in 24 hrs so you can avoid nipple confusion. If you give too many bottles the baby can get lazy (breastfeeding is harder than bottle feeding) and it can make the pain worse.

The other thing to try is a glass of wine while feeding him in the evening (especially if that is when it is most painful) - I know alchohol is usually a no no but in emergencies it can help you relax and so little gets in the milk that 1 glass to help with the pain and to help you relax should be fine.

Trry and keep going for a few days more - if it starts to improve at all you will see the ligght at the end of the tunnel and it will start to become easier. Don't give up yet !

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