sore nipples and EBF hungry baby!

[codenameduchess]

My 4 week old is EBF and has been since he came off tube feeds at 5 days (expressed up until then) and since yesterday OH MY GOD my nipples hurt! 😭😭 the right one in particular is agony when he latches!! He's a big boy and a fan of the boob...

He has a tongue tie but we've had no problems until the last couple of days.

I've been using lansinoh nipple cream but that not cutting it, any tips to save the nips?

He's my 2nd, 1st was combi fed from a week old as she refused to bf so this boob monster is all new to me.

No advice I'm afraid but just posting in solidarity as I'm in the same boat. I had about 3 days of getting the latch right and feeding not being painful, but now he just won't open his mouth wide enough!
Have you looked at Dr Jack Newman's website? ibconline.ca
He's got some good advice/videos/troubleshooting. I found the LLL website helpful too.

I think you need to take them off by sticking finger in their mouth if it’s not open wide enough and then wait till it’s open wide and stick whole coloured part of nipple in

Cabbage leaves put in fridge then put in bra . Nipple shields work well for a short time too . congratulations on your baby x

Nipple shields! These saved breastfeeding for me. I'm still using them 11 months on with no issues.

Nipple pain shouldn't be part of the course.
It might hurt initially as he latches but if that pain persists he is not latched on properly. Have a good look at videos on YouTube. The "flipple' technique is good for getting a deep latch.

Once you have damage to the nipples as much as possible leave them to air dry. If you have to wear a bra/top then nipple shells/ cling film to protect them from sticking.

Lanisoh is great stuff but can make baby slip off the nipple so worth wiping off excess prior to feeding.

I would definitely look in to getting the tongue tie snipped ASAP or some advice from health visitor/ lactation consultant ASAP. Nipple shields can help too.

I was looking for this page when I posted earlier but couldn't find it:
www.laleche.org.uk/nipple-pain/
It helped me identify which particular issue was causing my nipple pain (baby not opening wide leading to too shallow latch) - although not how to fix it! But it might be a helpful starting point?

Thanks @JonnyPocketRocket I've had a read and I think our issue is latch... tried following CHINS and the lazy baby won't move his head to the right position! I'll keep trying 😂

Looking I don't think his latch is deep enough, as this is the first time it's been painful I'm hoping it's a short phase, his tongue tie was checked last week and she was pretty confident it didn't need snipping.

Who was it that checked his tongue out of interest? Did they put their fingers in his mouth and check the mobility of his tongue? You really can’t tell anything just by looking. My daughter could stick hers out fine but when a specialist examined her, it hardly lifted at all. It’s also about how it feels to you, ie it can look fine but the pain is telling another tale. Tongue ties can affect your supply in the long run too if they’re not draining the breast efficiently. You’ve got all my sympathy though, nipple pain is awful especially when they’re feeding so much! I found the biological nurturing positions better for her getting a deeper latch by the way x

@Almond791 it was the tongue tie specialist for our area, she atends a bf support group and did an assessment (fingers in his mouth, checked movement). She did say take him back if anything changed so I might pop back this week.

I'll go look up biological nurturing positions now! He's been happily feeding today (and getting plenty if the nappies are anything to go by), my horrible pain clearly isn't bothering him.

Ah fair enough, I only asked as I know a lot of health Visitors/midwives don’t have much knowledge of TTs (having being fobbed off quite a bit myself with my other 2 children). It is odd that it’s only just started being painful although babies can get lazy with their latching over time. No signs of thrush or anything in his mouth?
Yes, it seemed to get her to open her mouth wider and puts their tongue in a good position to get a good mouthful in and for your nipple to be past the hard palate of his mouth (and so shouldn’t be painful then).
Good luck, let us know how you get on! X