Can I run this by you bf'ing mums?

[munchkinmum]

Hi

To cut a long story short... ds 7 weeks old. Got very cracked nips at start and subsequently had to express and top up for about 8 days. Have been exclusively bf'ing for about 5 weeks now.

Have just recovered fron thrush too but still have got pink nipples that are tender. They are not sore or cracked, but just pink and sensitive.

Doctor is pretty sure I no longer have thrush. My ds's latch is strong and I know that we struggle with good latch in mornings as my boobs are so big and he also has a tendency to slip off the nipple coming to end of feed so I am making every effort to take him off when this happens. As we both still have L plates on, we sometimes take a while to get a reasonable latch too... Don't get any pain though... just uncomfortable so no major nipple trauma.

Do you think that my pink nipples are a result of the above? Anyone else have this too? Is it likely my nipples will toughen up?

I know that I still getting the hang of this but would be good to know that I'm not the only one finding this hard....

well done you for sticking with it.

I was in awful pain for first weeks but was utterly determined and after a few months it was fab and I was so glad.
give your nipps a few days to settle then see HV for advice, or doctor if they still seem very different to you.

they do toughen up eventually. Lansinoh is fab to help them and doesnt need to be washed on between feeds.

you should be very proud of yourself well done.

Thanks WMI, will start putting on the Lansinoh again to see if they settle down.

x

Hi munchkinmum well done on your pregress so far. I suffered much the same as you when I started breastfeeding but it sounds like you are over the worst. It is great that you recognise when the latch is wrong and can correct it before any damage is done. When I had sore/tender nipples I tried Bio-Fem nipple patches and I found them vety soothing. There is a website www.biofem.co.uk/compress.cfm.
I bought them in my local chemist. Might be worth a try.

Wow. Well done munchkinmum - keep it up as it DOES get better, it just takes a while. My DD was at least 14 weeks before it stopped hurting/being uncomfortable and started being wonderful. That was a long time according to my friends who found it much easier. I had generally sensitive nipples, my DD had a less than fab birth and being hauled out with forceps meant her jaw was strained and therefore she didn't open her mouth much, and also she is a greedy guts who chomps and chomps, and I was frankly not at my strongest after that birth and a 3rd deg tear! My DD is 6.5 mths now and I am still bfg and intend to until 12 mths. I researched and researched once I'd had her and ended up taking a little bit of everyone's advice. Your boobs WILL get used to it. One thing - your shape, the level of your boobs and size, the weight of your baby and your strength will all mean you will have a way to get it right that wouldn't suit someone else. Another reason I struggled is that I am 5'2" with 32 G boobs which hang a little on the low side, so DD could never rest in the crook of my arm like other babes did with their mums. Just find your own way, be easy on yourself and it will get better and better and know that you are giving your DS the very best start in life. Sorry for going on a bit, but am so passionate as I so nearly gave up so many times and am so pleased I didn't!

mine are the same, MM. i am still using daktarin & canesten, but others have told me to push for fluc to clear any potential thrush from the ducts too.

MN thread about fluc and thrush

have you tried feeding laying down in the morning? I've found dd can latch onto bowling ball boobs easier like that.

they will definately toughen up, lansinoh is the best, also don't use showers gels, just warm warter, then leave to air dry and apply lansinoh

Hello, i am in the process of doing a breast feeding peer support course and we have been told that almost all nipple problems are down to 'positioning' issues.... Have you got a local breast feeding support group you could go to, there will be someone there who will be able to help with that and alot of other mums probably going through the same thing for a bit of support!

Hello Munchkinmum,
Just wanted to add my support to you for doing the best possible thing for your baby by bfing.
I had a similar time to you with my dd, now 2, and I went on to feed her until 14 months. I found the pinkness of thrush took a while to disappear and was frankly easy to confuse with the pinkness of having the baba sucking on them very hard day and night.
We beat the thrush eventually using Daktarin, and I also took acidophilus capsules and ate live yoghurt to keep my system topped up with something to fight off the thrush nasties. Laying off the sugar and very sweet fruit helped me too - nothing for the thrush fungus to feed on. There is a whole anti-candida diet (Google it) but I've heard mixed reports and a small baby is enough to deal with without embarking on brutal eating regimes. Good luck and always trust your instinct.

Thank you all SO much for replying. Had a good cry reading the latest posts, it's so good to know that I'm not the only one finding bfing hard. To know that other people have been there and come up trumps is so reassuring and will spur me on. The spirit of mumsnet!

Am sure that the thrush us gone and pinkness down to the hoover tendencies of my ds and latch practice! Will carry on trying to get the best latch possible and hope it will get better!

If anyone else wants to post their experiences that would be great!

THANKS TO YOU ALL AGAIN!

I find silverettes fantastic for sore nipples. I used them for thrush too, and they really helped then as well. I will link to an earlier thread where I talked about them.

Here

But lots more threads if you search silverette or silverettes.