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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Breastfeeding still painful almost 8 weeks

10 replies

mzlk · 28/01/2023 17:04

okay so I’m really struggling with continuing to breastfeed
I really don’t want to stop but it’s just so difficult

this is my second baby, she doesn’t open wide at all. My first used to open really wide (we still had pain because I didn’t really know what I was doing)
But this time I know it’s because my baby isn’t opening wide enough. Literally only slightly opens her mouth. I usually have to just shove it in when she cries because crying makes her open a little wider.

both nipples come out lipstick shaped

pain in right nipple has always been there, have had a couple of painless feeds but most are uncomfortable

left nipple didn’t used to hurt but had started to feel the same as the right one since yesterday

any advice?

I’ve heard she could have a tongue tie that’s been missed but not sure where to take her to get checked again.

OP posts:

ReamsOfCheese · 28/01/2023 17:06

I had this with DC1 and he was 7 months old before anyone took it seriously and checked him for tongue tie because he couldn't actually keep food in his mouth when we started weaning him, because the tongue tie was so bad. Prior to that I was dismissed by everyone. When we got his tongue tie cut it was like he was a different baby and feeding was so easy.

ReamsOfCheese · 28/01/2023 17:07

The health visitor referred us for tongue tie assessment but only when I asked her to.

GloomyDarkness · 28/01/2023 17:14

Have you tried running nipple over nose to encourage opening of mouth ?

I had this with DS - it was painful for a long time well past 6 weeks they kept promising - and that trick sometimes helped.

I have wondered since if there was a undiagnosed tongue tie which luckily improved or he grew out of but my HV were unhelpful and BF support wasn't great in that area,

Ostryga · 28/01/2023 17:16

You’ll likely to have to go private for tongue tie assessment and snip, but it’ll be done by next week if you find a practitioner. If you was for NHS tongue tie you baby will likely be weaned before you get seen.

It does sound like tongue tie. What shape is her tongue when she sticks it out? Could also be lip tie.

fairgame84 · 28/01/2023 17:20

My DD had a subtle posterior tongue tie that was missed for 3 weeks. It was snipped on the nhs, only a 2 week wait.
Contact your infant feeding specialist midwife or health visitor for a reassessment.
Even after it was cut, DD still didn't open very wide and still doesn't now at 16 weeks. I took her to an osteopath on the advice of the feeding specialist but he ci concluded that she's just got a small mouth.

BuffaloCauliflower · 28/01/2023 17:24

I’m so sorry you’ve struggle so long. Have you sought any help from anyone so far?That does sound like a tongue tie. If it’s an option a private tongue tie practitioner is the quickest and easiest route, costs about £180. If not speaking to your health visitor or the infant feeding team at your hospital is the way forward.

Original poster

mzlk · 28/01/2023 18:17

Thank you everyone. Really appreciate it.

She has a lip tie, can that cause these symptoms too?
I heard the NHS don’t snip those.

I’ve messaged my HV to ask if I can be referred to check for tongue tie as we can’t afford to go private at the moment.

Her mouth is very tiny tbh, but when I’m trying to latch her I try to do the whole nipple to nose thing too - she just doesn’t make any effort to go on, she just opens her mouth very slightly and hovers around my nipple lol.
Not sure if it will just improve as she gets older and mouth gets bigger…

OP posts:

JarOfShapes · 28/01/2023 18:20

You need to speak to the infant feeding team at your hospital so you can get appropriate and professional advice from a lactation consultant.

Health visitors have no breastfeeding training and midwives have very little, so they are not qualified to help.

fairgame84 · 28/01/2023 18:30

Health visitors have no breastfeeding training

That depends on where you live. The health visitors here are trained and there is a infant feeding specialist in the hv team where live that can assess and refer for tongue tie. It seems that the service you get is very postcode dependent.

AprilallYear · 14/02/2023 02:27

Just wondering if you've tried an osteopath? I've heard cranial osteopathy can be helpful when babies are holding tension in their bodies. It could be tension that's preventing her from opening her mouth wide. Apparently tension is more common in babies when there were difficulties during a vaginal birth and or a long pushing phase.

I took my baby for cranial osteopathy because of pain when feeding. It looked like a really gentle treatment, so I'd happily take him again. I think it helped a bit :)

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