Sore nipples - when will it stop?

[GillL]

I've been breastfeeding ds for 6 days now and have very sore nipples (I know it's early days). The position and attachment is correct as there is no bleeding/cracking etc and a bf counsellor has been helping me get it right. I had to start using nipple shields at the weekend. It still hurts quite a lot even when I use them but if I didn't then ds would have been on formula by Sunday. I've been putting milk on them after feeds and also using Kamillosan.

I asked the bf counsellor when my nipples will toughen up but she said that they probably won't because my skin is so fair and sensitive. Is this true or will I be condemned to using the nipple shields until I stop bf? I really want to continue and if that's what it takes then I'll carry on using them. I just wondered if anyone had any experience of this.

Another confirmation that it will get better, but I really feel for you right now. My dh used to say that he could tell when dd had latched on because my whole body stiffened and I bared my teeth...apparently. I can certainly remember that it hurt like fire! It lasted less than a month before I barely felt anything anymore, and frankly, I still have little feeling in my nipples and dd has been weaned 3 1/2 years!

I am also fair-skinned, so much so that you can see blue lines through my skin at elbows, knees and breasts. Freaky.

I've heard so many people say that about teeth, but teeth really didn't bother me. Perhaps I had an abnormal level of numbness after breastfeeding for a while? When dd was a toddler I would have a ring of tooth marks around my nipple when she finished

Lansino kind of helped me but the best thing that worked was not putting anything on and ensuring she was latched on properly and after a feed give your nips some air time, don't put your bra back on straight away, hang loose in a t-shirt.

I also found some breastpads made them sore, johnsons work for me or boots own washable ones only make sure they go in the wash bag supplied as it cost me £60 to get my machine fixed!!

I find a lot of breast pads 'stick' to my nipples - even after letting them dry every time! Which is painful when removing.
Have just found a bf advisor and will speak to midwife tomorrow about latch - although she's never had kids so how much help she'll be I'm not sure!

If you're not happy with bf help then contact nct breastfeeding helpline, I used them in my early days & got hold of a great local lady who worked wonders with me!

Keep trying the breastpads, you'll find one that suits, that & over time you may find you leak less and less.

Another possibility when feeding from one side use a breast shell to catch leaking milk from the other side, they are about £10 for a pair. This might help instead of letting a pad go soggy!

Good luck.

Califrau, yeah (almost) seriously! (Ok perhaps it was the 2nd thing I thought about, 'I'm pregnant' being the 1st LOL!)

I'm quite mentally prepared for the labour pain, but the pain from sore and cracked nipples for the 1st 6 weeks of dd's life was what was lodged in my head from last time round - and that was 7 yrs ago! Everytime I get dressed in the morn I look at my nipples and cringe with the thought of having a newborn attached to them again. I'm putting a lot of faith in the silverettes, but I'm a believer....And i so sympathise with GillL and anyone who's going through this right now, but it WILL get better and, more to the point, I LOVED b/feeding from 6 weeks onwards, It rocks!

Hi all. Thanks for the advice and helpline numbers.

terramum - I don't know how she was trained but she is a midwife who is also a bf counsellor. Glad to hear the nipples will get better. The nipple looks fairly normal when ds comes off the boob. He doesn't have a tongue tie.

Have been airing the nipples for 10 - 15 after each feed. Will try for longer if dd allows.

Will also try reducing the amount of times I use the shields. Have been going without once or twice a day so far when I can manage it. Will try to alternate to help toughen the nipples.

I'll take a look at the Silverette determination. Thanks for the recommendation.

Gill - lanisoh breast pads are great - they are very thin so don't show , but v absorbant and ultra gentle on the nips

I used breast sheels to catch the milk from the other boob while feeding and they kept giving me mastitis as they can block the ducts if you place them in your bra (they can press down on the area round the areola apparently). Just thought I'd share that

Lizzer,

Your welcome.. i just love the silverette and think they should be sold in the shops too.. as they would save so many bfing relationships, they certainly saved mine.

Hows thing tonight gill?

Last night ds fed for about 2 hours and it was a real test. I had to use the nipple shield on the most sore side but managed without on the other. He had a much shorter late feed and then slept 6 hours overnight which gave me a good rest. Unfortunately he has just had another mammoth feeding session of about 3 hours on and off and I was getting quite frustrated and tearful, especially considering I still have trouble getting him on due to him moving his head and arms around so much. He kept falling asleep so I would take him off and then he'd wake up routing again.

I've ordered the silverette - lets just hope they arrive soon - I really don't know how long I can go on for.

I tried phoning NCT last night and couldn't get through. I'm going to try again now and see what they say. I'll let you know how it goes.

Keep going, it will get better and it will be worth it. I had terrible sore and bleeding nipples with both dds. It's horrible, I was very close to giving up, my dd1 couldn't get enough milk though the sheild so gave up on them.

Use lansiloh as often as you can
BTW with both dds, 5 weeks on the dot - totally pain free feeding, it will go by faster than you think.

Try thinking of each feed as one feed closer to the pain stopping -it helped me not to feel so bad everytime she cried for milk.

Also - don't listen when people say it only hurts if you are not doing it right. DD1 gained 2 lbs in first week and it hurt like hell.

Gill hang in there. Honestly as soon as you get your Silverette you will start to feel the relief.. please make sure you have some baking soda/bicarbonate of soda as this is how you clean them. Apparently this rubs up all the silver ions which then kill the bacteria. I could actually see my MASSIVE wound heal before my eyes each time i removed the cups. They are the best invention ever. They actually won the best innovative breast care product 2007

have you thought of expressing and then bottle feeding perhaps once or twice a day to give your nips a bit of a rest.

When I was really bad I expressed the morning feed - it hurt but not as bad as a feed, don't know if maybe expressing one side a little to try baby on the bottle may be of help, then if it doesn't go swimmingly you still have milk left, if it works then hey presto!

determination - Got my silverette this morning. Sending dh out to buy some bicarbonate of soda later so I can start using them tonight.

I went to see an NCT breastfeeding counsellor today. She showed me the right way to hold the baby when latching him on so he is able to tilt his head back and open his mouth wide. I put him on the most sore breast and it didn't hurt anywhere near as much as it usually does. Hopefully with the silverette and new technique it will start to get much better.

absandme - I have thought of expressing but I wasn't sure how early you could introduce a bottle without confusing the baby. It certainly has been very tempting but I didn't want to jeopardise the breastfeeding before we've got it established. Do you know what the recommendation is?

Ooo GillL, can't wait to hear the results! Sounds like things are going to get a lot better from now on... I had to express from one side from about 2 weeks just to rest that side it was so messy, I really hope that you don't need to faff around with all that malarky though..Fingers crossed for you

Are you sure that your baby isn't 'slipping down' the nipple during feeds. Some women attach their baby's really well and then either don't notice that they have slipped down the nipple or are reluctant to interrpt the feed by breaking off. It can be very common for new babies who get very sleepy on the boob. Watch for it and if you think your DS has 'slipped down' don't be afraid to break him off and re-attach.

Good luck x

Congrats on the meeting with nct bf lady today, it sounds like it went really well. I too had to sort the head tilt out with my girl ( & a little more!)!
Good luck with silverets too, it's the first time I've heard of them on here, why didn't I log on months ago?!?!?

As for expressing, I was told officially not to start til 6 wks as it takes this long for milk to get established, but between you, me, the gatepost & loadsa people reading this I expressed from end of week one. I actually had major latching problems & gave up bf'ing & expressed every three hours for 4 wks until I got the problem of latching sorted with the help of nct bf counsellor.

Bearing in mind I expressed very frequently in order to help my milk supply and my LO didn't have a nipple for 4 wks, she then took to me when I got the latch right no problem.

People do say babies can get confused with bottle and nipple but I never had a problem, some people say a lot of bottles in a day may cause issues and if the flow is too fast they prefer it as they can get the milk easier. These are all points to consider but do what you feel is right.

Some people I have spoken to have real problems expressing and gave up. Another lady I know had one side which was really sore & just expressed that side to give releif & a little healing time.

Don't forget, it will still be painful expressing, my toes used to curl when I was sore!
A couple of helpful tips to help expressing, I was told & used were to gently massage in small circles the fleshy part of boob, then gently stroke towards nip all round boob to help with let down & if further assistance is needed looking at a photo & thinking of baby.

I reckon, there's good and bad points but I'm confident you, like me will listen to advice and do what you feel is right.

Let me know how you get on and shout if you want anymore waffle from me!