Really fed up

[janx]

Still having latch problems (posted on here a while back and really found all your support great). My ds is 15 weeks and I have only had one feed that was comfortable. Have seen so many people about it and am now seeing a cranial osteo - they said his neck and jaw was tight, but now think it is alot better -he does look like his mouth is opening wider....but it still is uncomfortable. Have had him checked for tongue tie - not the problem. My nipples are so sore that they even hurt when I express milk. I fed my daughter for a year with no problems and just can't see that this is going to get better. I really don't want to switch to formula - it just isn't for me, but it is really getting me down. Any advice, jokes or general words of support would go down a treat.

Would you like a virtual easter egg ? Green and Blacks ?

I'm sure it will get better - slowly he's getting bigger and the osteo is loosening his neck and jaw, but it'll take a while for your nipples to get better. Have you tried the Silverettes ? And been checked for thrush ?

The only joke that I can think of right now is a physicist one, so prob not terribly amusing to you !

not so much a joke, more a and a reminder that we bf mums are well 'ard... ds is a committed finger sucker - dp was having his finger chomped on the other night, then turned to me all surprised and said: "ow, that's really hard, my poor finger!"
yes, and what do you think he's doing to my nipples seven times a day!
hurrumph.
sorry you're having a tough time, do hope the cranial helps (it did for us) and well done for keeping going!

janx, I didn't get my BFing epiphany until 16 weeks, and we'd had to stop the car so I was feeidng DD in a layby at the side of the A64 on the way back from the East coast......i hope you get yours soon as it sounds like you are doing a fab job

agree to get checked for thrush; I have had recurrent bouts and it makes BFing very sore indeed and my nipples feel raw.

so, what do you call a donkey with three legs?........

....a wonkey ..or should that be [groan]

oh cmotdibbler - a big fat bar of green and blacks - what a good idea - will get one later. What are silverettes? I have had thrush a while ago - at least I think that what it was - nobody seems to agree on that one - will see the doctor again
Chasing butterflies - thanks for the support - and glad the osteo worked for you - fingers crossed
lackaDAISYcal - love the joke and bring on that epiphany
Apart from thrush and latch issues is there anything else that could be making my nipples sore? answers on a postcard

May I recommend the one with dried cherries in it ? And maybe a Magnum or other decadent icecream of your choice. Silverettes are these slightly weird things that are silver plated and go on your nipples to aid healing - apparently silver is antimicrobial. Someone on here really rates them for sorting out painful nipples.

Presume you are slathering on the Lanisoh already - how about trying some homeopathic remedies ? At least they can't do any harm.

If you've had thrush, then it could well be that again. From others on here I think it tends to cause real sort of deep pain, but am sure that an expert will be along soon.

The other thing is vasospasm due to a shallow latch - I've had this as a recurrent problem and the tips of my nips are permanently sore. Theres a thing on kellymom about it, symptoms are pale nipples after a feed, squashed nipples and sometimes pain down the leg.

Hi
Not tried the cherry one - but am partial to the ginger one, Will google the silverettes - yep am slapping on the Lansinoh
I had deep pain with the thrush, so I don't think its that
MrsWaggsnapps - my nipple tips are really sore and oftern compressed after a feed, but not had pain down my leg - unless my three year old is yanking at it. How are you treating your symptoms?

I was thinking vasospasm too. My ds was exactly the same - he is 22 weeks now and I can't put my finger on when it got better, but it was around 16 weeks. Then he got distracted but that is another story....
Do your nipples turn white after feeding? I found heat helped - and cold was agony!
other thing that helped was positioning, I started to feed with him sideways on my knee and leaning back and in slightly. Did away with cushions and props and suddenly it all felt very natural for both of us. He was much more relaxed so his latch got better

In hindsight I had really bad vasospasm when I fed my DS five years ago (and gave up after 5 weeks!). It was truly horrible. Had it a bit when Dd was younger, but found that paying attention to positioning as well as latch was the key.

I was discussing positioning on a thread the other day; as the baby grows it is easy to keep their body in the same relative position, but due to growth their mouth is too far around towards your armpit iyswim and they tweak at your nipple a bit, causing no end of problems. Try going back to basics for a bit with nose to nipple and see if that helps.

i hope you can this resolved janx, as Bfing when it goes well is the best thing in the world. 9mo in for me now and I can't imagine stopping

(well I can because we have a few biting ishoos going on, but that's a whole other thread )

Silverettes on special offer here - not tried them myself but read lots of enthusiastic comments on here

I've still got this problem but if I'm a total queen about positioning it eases up - the only one that doesn't cause immediate pain is the cross cradle, which I am still doing at 8 mths (not at all easy on the arms - I've got biceps like a barmaid) and I too have to watch that she's not too far over.

Another thing is to watch out for a really good gape so that the nipple gets as far in as possible - the problem is caused by baby's tongue pressing the nipple to the roof of their mouth whilst milking - the nipple is supposed to be further back

Hi
I don't think it is vasospasm from reading about it. He does have a high palette and thrusts his tongue out alot before latching on. I have been told I have long downward east facing nipples (can you believe it!) and that he is not getting enough of my breast into his little gob to get past the hard palette

lol janx, I bet you always wanted to know that about your nipples

DD also has a high palette which I believe was contributing to our early problems. It doesn't seem to be an issue now though, but like MrsWaggonSnaps, I'm always really careful with positioning.

i'm sure there are different feeding positions which might help. Have you tried the rugby ball hold? I use that when my nips are sore as it does seem t help a bit (although she is a bit too long for that now and just kicks off agaist the back of the sofa)

I am with you on the pain though . I'm now 7 weeks pregnant and my nipples felt like raw flesh when she was feeding this morning.

Have you had a look on Kellymom or Hunker's Blog for "troubleshooting" ideas?

Janx, have you tried bf in the bath? I really struggled in the early days and our best feeds were in the bath - we both relaxed and his latch was much better.

Loads of sympathy, it's really awful when it feels like it's just not getting any better!

It will get better, promise! Mine made my nipples feel like broken glass was being pulled over them each feed (and between feeds, and in clothes, and out of clothes) for around four and a half months (though it started to ease towards the end when the nerves Finally started to numb a bit!).

I worked out (after a Lot of position checking and a Lot of people saying "If you're doing it right it shouldn't.... argh, why are you hitting me with that breast pump... gerroff you're mad you are!"*) that Wee One was biting the end of the nipple to cope with an extremely fast let down and flow overall. He was also not opening his mouth wide due to a combination of me getting used to things and him not liking so much milk all at once (it quite often shot out his nose, poor mite). Lil monkey he was though! As his mouth got bigger, the pain lessened and so did the biting. I also used to press him closer to the breast, which seemed to cut down on how hard he could bite, and made sure that I jammed as much of the nipple into his mouth when he opened it as I could so he took a nice big mouthful. Relatching until the pain was bearable (just) also helped a bit in the early days.

* Well, ok, perhaps not that last bit, but I did start to feel a bit like that after the number of folks quoting the ole "Shouldn't hurt" line got into double figures with no improvement or useful advice! ;)

Definitely feeling for ya though! It's not fun when it's that bad.

(We're now past 10 months and still feeding with no pain - darn handy for us it is overall)

Hi all
thanks for your support
lackaDAISYcal - have tried rugby ball - but he is so long that it does not work. did you mean the bit on tongue tie in hunkers blog - or was missing something?
Not tried the bath ib - good idea
Dakiara - thanks for being positive - my nips feel like sandpaper is being rubbed over them and that glass feeling. One thing makes it slightly better and that is if I hold my boob with my thumb in front and the rest of my hand underneath and press down - a bit like you might hold a sandwich before eating it! I think that must change the angle of my nipple slightly
I have had so many people suggest I give up - my dp has run out of things to say to me about it
What keeps me going is that I fed my daughter so I know it can be comfortable and the fact my son is thriving and quite the little porker

No real advice, but just to say well done you! I keep going around in circles of some days are ok, some days I've had enough of the pain, so totally understand the fed up feeling! 15 weeks, hope I get that far

Have you had a bf counsellor check your latch? i was in agony until i say a LLL lady, she fixed in 2 mins and from then on it didn't hurt a bit. It was all in the positioning, and I had had at least 3 midwives tell me my latch was fine, when obviously it wasn't.
I really recommend a bf counsellor if you can find one.

Hi [bluejelly]
Ihave seen several bf counsellors - spent an hour with a specialist who helped me try many different positions - the last one just didn't know what to say to me!

Janx, I do that hold on my left side otherwise it's unbearable, it doesn't help the carpal tunnel tho

OMG - I had a comfortable feed early this morning - around 4am half asleep - not sure what was different, but it didn't hurt. Unfortunatley back to discomfort the next feed, but wow it is possible - I am so excitied