Very sore nipples

[sundayblanket]

My baby was born on Tuesday and has since really ramped up her feeding. Maybe she's doing cluster feeding as it feels like she's constantly on my boob.

This is fine for one of them, but the other, which is flatter/sort of an innie, is absolutely destroyed. It comes fully out when the baby sucks, but the act of sucking is so so painful I end up in tears. I've put cream on the nipple, and I know a good latch involves the areola, not just the nipple. But it's got to the point I can't even bear to put the baby anywhere near the right boob.

Any advice? Thank you!

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Try a nipple shield on that side and see if that helps a bit with the pain. Also you could try expressing from that side, if it's not as painful, just to give it a break for a little while even just a day.

You could try holding your baby in a different position on that side, maybe the rugby ball hold, or try the biological nursing position. There's a technique called the "flipple" which helps get a deeper latch - there are videos on YouTube showing how to do it.

Congratulations, btw!

[LyricalGangster]

Ask the midwives to come out and check your latch tomorrow - hopefully it will be a good mw who can help. Also Google your local la leche league and breastfeeding clinics at the Children's centre, they can help.

Lansinoh nipple cream is the best one

[FleasSitOnPeas]

I second nipple shields. My child fed perfectly from one breast but was very painful on the other, this was also despite a good latch (I had it checked). My nipple would always come out slightly squashed and was so tender for feeding, even though there was no visible sores/damage. I used shields sporadically and lansinoh generously, until the baby figured it out somehow by himself and it was plain sailing from then on. From memory it took about 4-6 weeks, which I know sounds like a long time but the shields and cream helped massively. Good luck and congratulations!

[PinkAvocado]

And I’ll add to the chorus - nipple shields! Sounds like you’ve got the latch ok (although mine latched better onone side than the other so definitely get it checked) but it’s the nipple itself that needs help. Nipple shields saved me a lot of pain and after a while I could ditch them as my nipples became bigger with use

[sundayblanket]

Thank you all - nipple shield for now plus MW support soon seems to be the answer! Will get the shield today 🍼🍼