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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Did anyone still have nipple pain when using shields?

9 replies

JackJack84 · 03/12/2021 05:22

DS is 3 weeks old today & I've had a rocky BF journey so far. I saw a lactation consultant last Friday who suggested I use nipple shields again (I had been using them previously but the HV told me to stop) For about 5 days feeding was blissful & pain free but in the last 2 days the pain has started again. Has anyone else experienced this?

DS has been assessed & doesn't have tongue tie, his latch is excellent & he's gaining weight really well.

OP posts:

FartnissEverbeans · 04/12/2021 21:48

Yup! No advice I’m afraid but I’m sat here right now trying to get DS to latch on without causing me unbearable pain. He was fine for a few days and today it’s back to being super painful.

Original poster

JackJack84 · 04/12/2021 22:07

@FartnissEverbeans

Yup! No advice I’m afraid but I’m sat here right now trying to get DS to latch on without causing me unbearable pain. He was fine for a few days and today it’s back to being super painful.

I feel your pain, literally! My nipples are aching like mad as DS has been cluster feeding today. How old is your boy?

OP posts:

MooPointCowsOpinion · 04/12/2021 22:15

Yes definitely. When my first was breastfeeding we had 4 months of pain with shields, my nipples were always cracked and bleeding and the nipple shields only helped a little bit to take the pain away slightly. After 4 months I decided the faff of nipple shields was too much, plus I’d got mastitis twice, so I decided to try to stop feeding with them and just bear the pain.
Weirdly… I think my nipples had toughened up a bit or my child’s mouth had grown or perhaps she had a tiny tie that released itself… because it wasn’t too long after that I was feeding mostly pain free and we managed several years with only mild issues.

WeeM · 04/12/2021 22:44

If they are actually cracked and that’s what’s causing the pain, I used loads of lansinoh and also rubbing breast milk on them probably has the best healing properties.

Bellie710 · 04/12/2021 22:48

I still remember the pain of DD1 feeding and it made me realise why so many people stop BF! I had really bad cracked nipples and feeding was agony for the first 20 seconds every time she latched on then it was fine, it was horrendous but luckily only lasted about 5 days. Hope it stops soon.

notapineapple · 04/12/2021 23:03

I used nipple shields with my second. I used to get her to latch on with the shields then slowly try and take them off mid feed to toughen my nipples up. After about a week it was fine to use without. Use loads of the creams and rub the milk on to help. This is actually one of my biggest bug bears about breast feeding and how they don't prepare you for breaking in your nipples!

FartnissEverbeans · 05/12/2021 02:12

He’s almost three weeks old now. My nips are sore all the time! He refuses to latch at all without the shields and I think his latch is probably poor, though it looks alright from the outside. He might have a lip tie - dr says he has a very large frenulum - but it wasn’t sore yesterday and today it’s sore af again!

Good luck OP, - it’s such hard work! I’m shocked

Original poster

JackJack84 · 05/12/2021 04:00

Thanks everyone for your replies. My nipples were cracked & bleeding from when he was 2 days old, managed to clear that up with Lansinoh but the pain was still there.

The lactation consultant said DS has a very small mouth & high palate so that's what was causing the pain. He also got oral thrush after I was put on antibiotics which affected my nipples so that didn't help matters. I'm finding the shields such a faff especially at night when they fall off & I can't find them in the dark!

Think I'll try feeding him without the shields & see how I get on.

OP posts:

Original poster

JackJack84 · 05/12/2021 04:04

@FartnissEverbeans

Good luck OP, - it’s such hard work! I’m shocked

It really is hard work, I had no idea how complicated it would be for us all!

I was told by 5 midwives in hospital & at home that my latch was good but it really wasn't. As you say it just looked good from the outside. My nipple would often come out white & pointy so I knew it wasn't right.

Are they going to investigate your DS lip tie further?

OP posts:

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