Please help me to continue breastfeeding...at the end of my tether but don't want to give up now - long, sorry.

[Caz10]

will try to cut a long story short!

DD is almost 5 weeks old. Latched on well (or so I thought) at the start and all seemed rosy.

Then at about 2-3 weeks I started to get really bad pain on one side, cracked nipple etc, I was putting on cream etc but nothing seemed to be helping. Got to the point where I was crying every time she latched on, couldn't stand the pain. Lovely lovely BFN BFA came out to see me and basically my latch on that side was all wrong. I had nipple damage and severe nerve compression - OW!

So tried and tried to get latch sorted out, nipple started to heal up, still sore but bearable.

Went to BF support group last week, said latch was improving, keep going etc, I was starting to feel quite positive about it even though it was still sore and a struggle.

It has been taking AGES to get her latched on, basically she will open her mouth wide but not tip her head back, or she will tip her head back but with her mouth firmly shut. I know it is just a learning curve but it can take up to 45 mins to get her on, normally about 10mins, and it's getting me down seeing her distressed. It's also knocking my confidence for BF in public as it's so hard to get her on.

Now in the past week I've been getting really bad deep breast pain, went back to BF group today and they think it's probably thrush which has got in when my nipple was damaged. They gave me the BFN leaflet and I have a lot of the symptoms. Can't get an appointment with bloody GP till next week. On top of that, apparently my latch, which I thought was getting better, is still no good.

I really really don't want to stop, but it feels like this is getting harder instead of easier.

DH is very supportive, but I think he's losing patience with me too. He won't believe that the "nose to nipple" thing is true, and thinks she looks too awkward! Half the time I end up putting the nipple level with her mouth after about 10 minutes of trying just for an easy life and because I hate seeing her upset. But then my nipple comes out all compressed after a feed which I know can only lead to trouble!

I know these are small problems compared to what some people suffer, but coupled with sleep deprivation they are really getting me down! Feel a bit demoralised today too after a week of trying so hard to get the latch right and finding out I haven't managed.

Any words of wisdom? Thank you.

OMG that is awful! I can't believe your Dr was so terrible.

You do need to treat your daughter. I had to put the gel in my son's mouth otherwise you just keep reinfecting each other. Is there a BF counselor you can get on side? Or a decent HV?

If it is thrush you need the pills too.

I hate that the support is so shit out there for people. I can't believe your HV said that about bottles No wonder so few people BF.

Hang in there!

Or can you see a different dr at your surgery?

caz, I meant to say as well about holding and positioning.
I have always had to feed using the cross cradle hold otherwise ds just doesn't latch on very well (is getting better though)
so for example if he is feeding on the left I will be holding the back of his neck with my right hand and my breast with my left hand. It makes it much easier to get boob and baby together. also try having dd on a pillow if you don't already.
With positioning try and make sure that she is lying on her side properly with her tummy towards you. I was letting ds slip over onto his back and when I corrected it his latch improved and my pain went as he wasn't dragging the nipple down all the time

Caz - I am furious on your behalf. Nothing to add to the other really good advice, really - try talking to your midwife or health visitor. Even once I got the thrush sorted, I still had problems with latch, positioning etc. I found I was given so much (sometimes contradictory) advice so i just kept reading kellymom and MN and trying different things. Gradually, things improved and just a few weeks later we were feeding without pain. It got so easy.

Got to dash as DD (now 14 months and still BF) is scampering around.

Just wanted to give you some moral support. Hang in there.

Sorry to hear the doc wasn't helpful
Kellymom has v good info
I had thrush with both babies - the daktarin took ages to shift it with DS but with DD I ditched it and tried grapefruit seed extract tablets which seemed to fix it much quicker

Is there a BFC you can see locally?

I have breastfed 3 babies with lots of problems like thrush, cracked bleeding nipples, mastitis and learned with each baby really what worked for me. I have never found health visitors at all helpful. In fact I just find them an irritating presence when you just want to relax they come banging on the door demanding to undress and weigh baby even though he's asleep ...finally! It's only with my 3rd baby I found the confidence to say no to them! Ones I've met are useless with regards to breastfeeding, they are clueless and yep always tell you to "top up" bottlefeed. My 3rd baby was breastfed exclusively by just resting alot (ignore messy house & demand help) drink alot of water, eat well, sleep as much as you can. I found rubbing the breast milk around the nipples helped with soreness, cracking - and airing nipples prevents alot of problems - I don't wear a bra just a vest top as bras make you sweaty and damp all the time which creates conditions for thrush! at night I go topless with baby sleeping alongside so he can feed on demand. Personally I found prev that creams etc aggravate problems. Finding a natural treatment is best.

Caz - sorry you are still having problems. Try the cream for a few days hopefully it will get better - mine has improved significantly, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that yours does too. I think the first 6 weeks were worse for bf for me, then it started to get easier to do, so I think you have just been unlucky and got thrush at the wrong time...

My DS is 5wks old too and I have had similar problems to you without the thrush tho'. DS is very twisty and unsettled when feeding on the right side and I ended up with a cracked and very sore nipple. He is fine on the left side.
I took him to see a chiropracter last week and found that his left shoulder was slightly out of alignment which was causing him discomfort when he was laying on that side to feed.
Since he has been treated he has been so much easier to feed. Maybe this could be worth a try...
HTH

Ugh, stupid stupid paedatrician

Hi Caz,

Can't offer much advice as I'm struggling with the BF and the pain in my left breast has returned after taking a course of antibiotics. Going to see HV next week and see if she can advise.

Just want to say hope everything sorts out quickly for you and hope you see someone else who is more helpful than the peaditirican

amani, if you have been treated for thrush etc and still having pain then the most likely explanation is poor latch or positioning.
the absolute best person to help you with this is a breastfeeding counsellor. Unfortunately a lot of HV's and GP's just don't know enough about breastfeeding to be able to give you good enough advice

Thank you again so much.

Spoke to someone again today from the BFN she didn't think I needed to treat DD either!?! I am very confused. Slathering on the gel after every feed, we'll see how it goes.

fingerwoman and anyone else who treated using the cream/gel - how long did it take?

superloopy that is very interesting - i always think she looks akward and uncomfortable on that side, would make sense.

Someone from BFN is calling me back tomorrow.

HV said to feed every 2 hrs - it takes us an hour to feed...I'm sore!

Moan moan sorry and have to run now...

mine cleared up in a couple of days just using canesten on me and daktarin on ds.
but we carried on with it for about a week just in case lol

Like fingerwoman, my thrush cleared up in a few days with the canestan cream (things starting feeling so much better in a couple of days). We carried on using the cream for a week to ten days, I think.

Amani- hope you get that left breast pain sorted out. I normally get thrush after antibiotics.

How are things going now, Caz? Hope the BFN was helpful.

Anyone else completely astonished to discover you could get thrush in your breasts? I had no idea, pre-baby!

Very glad to hear it only took you guys a couple of days! Fingers crossed.

BFN still to call back, fingers crossed again.

V sore today as I have to feed DD every 2 or 2.5 hours to try to get weight up...she takes sooo long to get latched on the feeds are just running in to each other...started to feed at 9am, so next feed would be 11 or 11.30, but by 9.45 she still hadn't gotten latched on - finally managed to have her on and drinking for about half an hour in total (on and off, on and off!) by 10.45 - nice big break before next feed, NOT!

Amani how are you doing? Hope the HV can help. Have to say I'm dreading mine coming back tomorrow!

Pain is right over right breast, strangely my armpit is sore too now!? Owwwwww.

mommalove that is exactly what I had been doing wrong, had her too far forward so she didn't have to tip her head back at all. will try pulling her legs back. I hold her further away now, she just doesn't seem to like tipping her head!

Thank you again! Really struggling, and you guys are really helping.

caz what a shame you have been so unlucky with your hv and the paediatrician. it will get better, the first few weeks are the worst and you are getting good advice here and from the bfn. nod and smile a lot at hv to get rid of her.

how is dh? tell him the best way to help you feed the baby is to support you to bf and that formula isn't an option. mine needed explanation of that, he wanted to 'fix the problem' ie bottles.

Hope you got some sleep Caz. Don't worry about the hv saying specifically every 2 hours. If you can, just take dd to bed, lots of skin to skin and feed on demand. Get dh to bring drinks/sandwiches/magazines as required!Hope the thrush is starting to clear up too.
Well done and keep going, you are doing a marvellous job!

oh caz you poor poor thing - how are things today? I can't believe you are still persevering despite everything and you will be so proud of yourself when this is all over and bf is easy (and it will be I promise).

You dr is a twunt and should be struck off

Can you see another dr and TELL him/her to prescribe the fluo... (cN;T REMEMBER NAME) TABLETS. tHEY ARE THE ONLY THING THAT SEEMED TO WORK FOR ME (oops sorry for caps) although I fear I may have thrush again now (if it ever went away) as my nipples have gone bright pink and are killing me

BTW pain in your armpits could be ductal thrush - this is what i had apparently but treatment is the same I think

let us know how you're getting on. xx

Caz, I haven't had time to read all the thread as am on my way out to work but try Exspore tablets for your thrush. Active ingredient is Extract of Grapefruit Seed Oil...worked for me even when Fluconazole failed. If you have time do a search on my name and 'thrush' for lots of threads with more info. Also Milton kills thrush as boiling sometimes doesn't.....

BTW, my friend just went rhough the same and is now happily bfing so hope you can work it out.

THANK YOU ALL!

dd has put a wee bit of weight back on so that is a relief and formula wasn't even mentioned! she did ask if i felt i had plenty of milk..not sure how i would tell?? it dribbles out onto dd's face while she is faffing around trying to latch on, so i think i must be ok?

Am sooo re all the conflicting advice though, and i know the thing to do is to go with my instincts, but to be honest i don't seem to have any anymore! 1st timer anyway, plus my head is swimming with all the different things i've been told over the weeks.

just to confuse me more, the bfn called back last night, said after talking it over with a colleague they are now less convinced i have thrush and it's more likely to be nerve compression....SIGH....so now no clue what i should be doing/not doing/taking/not taking/rubbing on my bloody nipples.........

skiddadle, ductal thrush is what i thought too from reading up on it...but now apparently not....

would really just like someone to tell me how to fix it!!

Caz, from the pain you described it sounds like you may have a blocked duct? Is your boob very red and feel a bit lumpy at the sore point? Try having a warm bath, and massaging your breast v gently at the sore point...more smoothing the breast from your armpit down towards the nipple. I had horrendous blocked ducts with dd and the massaging thing definitely helped. La Leche League were fab (we had LLL trained councillors at the bf support group i went to and they were so helpful, much better than hvs). best of luck I hope you get some really useful advice soon!