Breastfeeding

[Marsh212]

Hi everyone ,

LO 4 days old. Milk has come in. LO struggling to latch and things arnt going well. Having to supplement with formula.

Both breasts large, very sore since milk has come in. Nipples painful and cracked due to what I think is bad latch.

Want to try and establish breast feeding but it's just too painful to cont to try and feed .

Pumped slightly and this was extremely painful too

Not sure what to do from here . Breasts are just too sore to continue to feed. Should I be pumping ? Should I be hand expressing ? I am taking pain relief as needed and nipple cream.

Advice ?

Nipple shields!! Saved my dd from quitting when her nipples were cracked and bleeding... A week later all healed... Cream and shields a tenner each from supermarkets...

Which bits are sore? Nipples or the whole boob? Feeding will help with whole boob pain. Try taking iburofen, warm flannels on before feeding.

Watch youtube videos of how to get a good latch. I found this really helpful. It takes even professional lactation consultants a while to get a good latch.

Just remember hydrogel pads are good for cracked nipples. Instant relief.

Lanshion also do hot and cold compress packs you can use.

Hi op, congratulations!! You probably need a tongue/lip tie assessment ASAP for your little one. I would definitely get in touch with the lactation consultant attached to your area and start pumping so your supply doesn't drop. They can lend you a pump if needed and help make a plan for how often to pump, do the assessment and help with holding position that can help baby latch.

I would also pump or at least hand express before trying to latch baby especially if you're very engorged as that can make it hard for them. You need to get the milk moving to give yourself relief, avoid mastitis and maintain supply.

Silver cups are great for healing but you use them OR nipple cream.

I will say, sometimes it is really painful at the start. Ds also had latch issues and it was toe curling pain when he initially fed but it did ease after a few days of perservering. When he got his tongue tie cut it resolved our issues immediately.

It's tough going op, la leche league are also great and I'd get to a bf group near you who can give you hands on support and advice on latch.

So my breasts are sore I think purely due to the engorgement but then my nipples are sore because iml just don't think baby is latching well at all 😫 I honestly think my nipples are too big !? Is that a thing !?

I feel stuck between a rock and I hard place because I know I need to try and keep baby on the boob to establish supply but it is so so painful at the nipples I just can't do it ! And it is the same with pumping .

The engorgement I can cope with.

I think I will try hand expressing maybe and not using the pump until tomorrow to try and give my nipples a rest

I bought some nipple shields but they were the wrong size so I am going to have to correct this tomorrow

Thanks so much for all you're advice , it is really helpful

Work on the latch and the pain will go in time. The rugby hold is brilliant for these early days - it requires a lot of pillow positioning, my DH used to do it for me.

In the meantime some cooling gel pads, airing the nipples (I basically walked around top less for about 4 weeks) and putting some breastmilk on them really helped.

@Lavender14@Notlookingforwardtosummer@Shesellsseashellsnotinmystreet@WhatHaveIDone889

Hi all ,

So things have improved slightly but I still havnt fully established breast feeding. I think the latch is better because I'm less engorged.Nipple pain much improved.

What do I do when one boob is producing alot less than the other ? My left boob is producing very little even though from the start baby has been on both boobs equally. When I express it can take 30 min for one ounce only.

Do I just feed from the better side and then pump the left side at the same time ?

Or should I be doing something else ?

TIA

I fed through the pain. Only lasted 3 days, nipples bled too.
currently trying to get baby to take a bottle

What you express from a breast with a pump is not necessarily an indicator of its supply. Pumping is often less efficient at removing milk than a well latched baby. Keep putting baby to both breasts and only pump if LO doesn’t empty the breast and you feel uncomfortable or if you’re trying to establish a separate supply of milk for bottles (which I’d try to avoid focusing on until you’ve got the latch and supply issues of direct feeding sorted).

Does the nipple pain persist throughout the feed or only for the first few seconds? If the former then you need to unlatch baby and relatch as pain should only be for the first few seconds if babe is on properly. Watching close up videos of what a good latch looks like and what angle baby should be approaching the breast from (very close to you, in a straight line from ear to hip, chin to breast first and wide open mouth) is always helpful. You should still be under midwifery care, have you been visited and given feeding assistance?

I ebf DD2 from 2 weeks old to 6 months and then feed her for another 3 years. 2 years later I still have a small amount of milk. But I only once expressed 2oz from one boob, the rest was just dribbles of milk. Expressing is very different to bf and isn’t an indication of how much milk you have. Just keep offering both feeds each feed and try and alternate which one you start with.

Try and remember which boob you started with each feed then the next feed start with the other side. Babies often take more from the first side so it’s a good idea to alternate. I wouldn’t worry too much about pumping for now, just feed from both breasts and your supply should sort itself out

Congratulations on your new baby ❤️... I find Lucy Webbers resources on Instagram hugely helpful on achieving a deep latch. I listened to her book 'breastfeeding and the fourth trimester' via audible but it is also on Spotify if you have this premium already - lots of helpful info. I also had a zoom call with her when I was about 2 weeks pp for helpful advice. If your finances allow this may be worth considering. Also try to reach out to your midwife or health visitor for breastfeeding groups in the area or an infant feeding team if there is one.

Like others have said pumping isn't an indicator of supply, as baby with a good latch is usually better at milk removal/transfer. I'd try to gently hand express off if feeling engorged and if impacting LO being able to latch. I know some people are against this but I use the huckleberry app to record times of feeds and remember which side I fed off last. However if you feel that would stress you too much don't feel the need to.

The first 6 weeks is all about building your supply, your LO is essentially trying it put in an order for you to make milk to their needs so sometimes pumping can interfere with this which is why they say gently hand express.

I think someone above has already asked about the type of nipple pain - I used to get "pain" when my milk was on a let down and milk ejection reflex (MER) and I used to think it was a bad latch but it usually went after a minute or so and once I realised it was the MER it stopped me faffing with the babys latch and actually they were taking milk and latched ok.

I hope that makes sense.

Really hope you take good care and have good support around you xxx