Nips sore as hell, been told by 3 diff MW's that DS is latched on, just got small sensitive nips...

[Holymoly321]

Am feeling very VERY| sore and depressed - have got very big boobs but very small and sensitive nipples meaning BF'ing is becoming a nightmare (only a few days in!). Have been checked by various MW's who have all said baby is latched on correctly, it will get better but I'm not so sure - it feels like razor blades attacking me whenever I feed DS. Anyone else suffer like this? Did it get better?

God this sounds like my experience with my dd. She was latched on properly but it just hurt like hell. I ended up expressing and bottle feeding her the expressed milk and slowly built up the number of feeds I did each day straight from the boob. then after a few months we got over to fully bf straight from the boob and just the odd expressed bottle but it took a lot of time to not be so sensitive.

The pain is strange-very hard to describe but it makes your toes curl.

I'd suggest you go to Boots and get some nipple shields to give yourself a break for a bit. Doesn't fully take the pain away but its a lot better. I used them on and off when I was sore and the baby did not really seem to care much either way.

Sorry to be blunt but LOTS (but not all) of MWs don't know what they're talking about when it comes to BF and their answer isn't very helpful to you with your 'razorblade' pain when feeding...

Lots of us here have been thru' it and if you get good advice from people who really know about BF it can get better. Best advice is to speak to a proper BF counsellor. Best also to do it sooner rather than later in case your nipples get further damaged.

In the meantime, slather them up with Lansinoh or Kamillosan between feeds (no need to wash either off).

has he been checked for tongue tie (probably parital) everyone kept telling me that dd was latched on properly but she wasn't!!!! All of fine were hugely improved after cranial osteopathy (so they could open their jaws wider) and one of them was better after having paritial tongue tie divided. Honestly I think a 1mm incorrect latch can make a huge difference.

Have you contacted your local NCT/PCT?La leche league breast feeding counsellor most MW'S Do not have specialist training in this field.

You're definitely not alone.

I'm sure it will get better but I would recommend getting hold of a proper breastfeeding counsellor through NCT, LLL or hospital asap to look really closely at the latch and also to check for things like tongue-tie. Midwives aren't always the best on breastfeeding.

I was in this situation a few weeks ago, feeding was toe-curling agony for up to the first week. Nipple shields for a couple of days gave a break and time to heal and haven´t used them since. Pain is mostly now at the beginning of a feed but definitely not the agony it was earlier. Stick with it, it will probably get better. Lansiloh was also a godsend in the first week, don´t need it now..

Would also contact a lactation consultant, midwives don´t alwayys know a good latch..

You could get 15 midwives to look at your latch but most of them will have had maybe an hour's training on BF. HV probably even less. I second what kittock says about seeing a proper BF counsellor as you need someone who knows what they are talking about.

MW are always blaming women for their incorrect physiology causing BF problems - I was told that my nipples are too small and don't stick out enough. Whereas the human race would have died out a long time ago if so many women had over sensitive/too big/too small/not sticky outy enough nipples. But it's easier to blame the woman rather than their own lack of knowledge and experience (not necessarily their own fault).

Hi,
Think I did have 15 midwives looking at my DS latching on- all thought he was doing well. Took an NCT breastfeeding counsellor minutes to work out it was rubbish!

Told by MW's have largish breasts and small/flat nipples so that was problem with sore nips not latch.

My advice- get someone who specialises in BF to see you soon. I waited about 8 weeks thinking it was almost normal to feel excruciating pain from boobs/nips every feed.

Apols to all good MW's who know what they are talking about with latch- just didnt meet any!

Have to say imo I think both mother and baby's physiology can sometimes play a part (sure it was in my case anyway - had flat nipples when dd was born and think she also had partial tongue tie). But all the more reason to see experienced bf counsellor/lactation consultant very early on to diagnose the problem and help you find a solution.

Oh I do agree kittock, but it just seems to be the default setting for some MW when they can't solve the problem.

I found breast feeding literally toe-curling/teeth gritting between days 4 and (about) 14 but it did get better - your nipples toughen up I think.

I used lansinol to ensure that they didn't get cracked and did occasionally pump and cup feed to give the left one a break sometimes.

I assume they've checked you don't have thrush - this can make your nipples very sore.

i've had the same prob, saw a bf councillor who sad no one can tell you if your latch is good unless they've watched you actually put the baby on and even then it's still not right if it hurts after the first 20 secs or so (if your nips are already damaged will hurt for the first bit apparently), so it's well worth seeing a bf councillor and getting as much help as you can. I'm still getting pain but expressing at moment to build mikl back up as i had given up for 5 days but hoping to get it going again, ds on formula at moment . Good luck