Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Help,BF is SO painful,don't know what to do.........

41 replies

Mirage · 23/05/2005 20:31

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice,I am a bf novice as dd1 refused the breast & only ever had about half a dozen breast feeds- I had to express milk for her.DD2 is now here & seems very keen on breastfeeding,so I really want to make it work.

She was born early on Saturday & went onto the breast straight away & fed fairly frequently until yesterday,when she fed every 2 hours or less around the clock.She sometimes feeds for 10 minutes,sometimes an hour,sometimes 1 boob,sometimes both.I have to say that it is absolute agony-I have blisters on both of my nipples & yelp with pain when she latches on.

Is it normal for a new baby to feed this often?What can I do about the pain?My midwife says that her latch seems ok & that things should improve now my milk is in,but I was nearly in tears with the pain at her last feed & am dreading tonight.I feel awful because the poor little thing seems to love breastfeeding so much,but I dread feeding her.I really want this to work,but can't go on like this & am tempted to send dh out for formula,which I know in the long term,I will regret doing.

Can anyone offer any advice? I'm completely clueless as to how I can improve things.

OP posts:

Lizzylou · 23/05/2005 20:35

I went thorugh the same thing with my DS, for a few days it hurt soo badly! But then it just passed and all was well...heres hoping!
have you tried a nipple cream? I used a herbal one in a yellow and green box beginning with "K"...god, brain has gone to mush!! It's brilliant and baby can still suckle after you've applied it........

Sorry, not much use, but it really will pass!

mrsflowerpot · 23/05/2005 20:39

Oh poor you. I had 3 days of agony with ds until my milk came in, he just fed and fed and fed to the point where the third night I'd had no sleep by 5am and felt red raw, then managed a couple of hours kip and woke up soaked in milk and after that it got better. Midwife at the hospital told me that the frenzied feeding was ds trying to make my milk come in - I have no idea if this is right but it sort of made sense. Give it till your milk comes in, it might get better.

The cream beginning with K is Kamillosan, btw, miracle stuff!

Lizzylou · 23/05/2005 20:41

Thanks Mrs Flowerpot! It really is wonderful cream!

giraffeski · 23/05/2005 20:41

Message withdrawn

hunkermunker · 23/05/2005 20:42

Kamillosan or Lansinoh cream, or rub a bit of milk on your nipple and let them air dry. Both of those creams are safe to use and don't need to be wiped off, but if your nipple seems "slidey", do wipe it as it can affect the baby's latch.

It's normal for babies to feed frequently in the early days, but if your latch isn't quite right (and it can be very nearly right and still be painful, iyswim), then she might not be draining your boob effectively - midwives don't necessarily know much about breastfeeding, so I would suggest phoning a breastfeeding counsellor.

You are doing a fantastic job - it sounds like DD is enjoying it, and if you get the right help I'm sure it will be only a very short while before you are too xxxxxxxxxx

smokey · 23/05/2005 20:43

I bf my ds for 20 months and I was really surprised when my dd was born just how much it hurt when she latched on - it was agony. She was definitely latched on correctly. The pain just disappeared after a few days. It is worth persevering.

aloha · 23/05/2005 20:44

Go back to your hospital when they have a breastfeeding clinic. A tiny adjustment with the latch can make a huge difference. I really do recommend this. I do know how you feel, and if you get the latch spot on it will improve, I promise. But do get help.
I do agree that now the milk is in some of the more frantic sucking should ease off,but please get some advise from the breastfeeding experts who can see you feeding your baby.

dinny · 23/05/2005 20:44

Mirage, oh, poor you. It is so hard when it's so painful at the start. I had blisters, then cracks with ds. Worked out the agony when he latched on lasted nearly exactly the amount of time it took to say "F*ing hell". Then it was painful but bearable for the rest of the feed. I used Lansinoh (sp?) (from Boots, Mothercare etc). Seemed to help. Also massaged a bit of bm in after a feed. It does get better - you're doing really well. Sure lots of people with better advice will post soon.

Tinker · 23/05/2005 20:44

Mirage - thanks for this thread, I could have posted an almost identical query. I really don't remember it hurting this much last time

dinny · 23/05/2005 20:46

Yes, our bf counsellor at hospital was fantastic - all the mws had said my latch was fine but she said wasn't bringing ds on fast enough - the difference when I did was amazing.

spod · 23/05/2005 20:59

Message deleted

hunkermunker · 23/05/2005 21:01

Also make sure you change breastpads frequently - washables are nicer on your nipples than disposables IMO. And don't use Mothercare ones - they're vile.

aloha · 23/05/2005 21:01

I also had eye-watering-don't-want-to-feed pain with dd and found the breastfeeding clinic at the hospital was great. Just a tiny adjustment in hold made a huge difference. I knew it was working when one night I had a flicker of panic, thought 'aaaargh! where is dd?" and realised I was actually feeding her at the time! Duh!

dinny · 23/05/2005 21:02

I just walked round topless for the first 8 weeks nearly Air helps them heal fast.

giraffeski · 23/05/2005 21:02

Message withdrawn

Hausfrau · 23/05/2005 21:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hunkermunker · 24/05/2005 18:37

How are you today, Mirage? Have been thinking of you.

Original poster

Mirage · 24/05/2005 18:56

Hi,Thanks for all the support & advice.It does make me feel better knowing that I'm not the only one to struggle.I meant to reply last night,but bed was calling me.

I'm still very sore,but my milk has come in properly now,so am hoping that dd2 will feel a little fuller & not want to feed so often.I have also resurectted my breast pump,so that if I'm really sore,we have some breast milk as back up.

Another midwife came to day & left me with a sample of lansinoh & I have some kamillosan too,so will persevere.DD2 has only lost 5% of her birth weight so she is obviously getting enough milk.

Thanks for the helpline numbers,the midwife left one for me too,so if things don't improve,I'll get on the phone & get it sorted out.

Congratulations to Tinker too

OP posts:

Mosschops30 · 24/05/2005 19:29

Message withdrawn

hunkermunker · 24/05/2005 19:33

Glad things are going a bit better for you, Mirage.

I found the middle of the night feeds were the worst (the last thing you want to do in the middle of the night is wake up and attach a baby to painful nipples!), so I resolved that if I was going to decide to stop breastfeeding, it would be during the day. I never make decisions in the middle of the night

florenceuk · 24/05/2005 19:45

Just to add my experience that even a small change in the latch can make a huge difference - basically if you can find a pain-free position, then you have the latch right and it will allow all the blisters to heal up and you will feel much better more quickly. But I have to admit it took me a long time - quite a few weeks of gritting my teeth. In the end I found pulling baby in very close and experimenting with the angle she came in on worked - so keep going. It's hard when they're screaming and you're tired, if you have a comfy armchair put it next to the cot so you're not feeding in a awkward position at night and can move baby around easily to try different positions. And Lansinoh is excellent stuff.

Hausfrau · 25/05/2005 09:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sizeofahouse · 25/05/2005 13:52

Just had exactly the same when my dd was born five weeks ago - lansinoh is the stuff to use, its brilliant but don't put them out in the air to dry, my midwife told me not to and it makes sense. Because what happens when the baby latches on when you are sore is that the scabs and sores on the nipple rips open again which is the moment when you utter the bloodcurdling scream! The nipples become less painful when they don't dry out everytime between feeds and scab up again, just whack on the lansinoh and keep doing it until the next feed, good thing being you don't have to wipe off before baby goes on again. Also I have a good boob, bad boob, so I would feed more on the less sore one, it doesn't matter I don't think just means ones bigger than the other. Hope it gets better, if its still agony once the cracking has cleared out, check you don't have thrush - that is another kind of agony but one way to tell is if your nipples stay discoloured after you feed for a long time and baby has a white furry mouth. I'm sure you don't, but when you're all healed up and feeding has stopped being agony, then it shouldn't hurt anymore if you know what I mean! You're doing great, no-one tells us how hard breastfeeding is!

sharklet · 25/05/2005 14:06

I had a very similar problem with my DD - it was so painful at first and I used to yelp with pain and got very sore. I used kamillosan and also I was advised to try some nipple shields. They were great and got me through until the sores healed.

What you really need is to get the latch right. Does your local NHS run any breastfeeding cafes or drop in you could go to. I found being told how to latch properly was no comparison with seeing it for real.

HTH

Emma x

Original poster

Mirage · 27/05/2005 13:07

Sorry,Mosschops,meant to say thanks for your post too.I know what you mean about the guilt-I beat myself up terribly when dd1 refused to feed from me & vowed that I wouldn't go through that again.I have started supplementing with formula after a hellish night when dd2 wanted to feed continously from 12pm to 4am & totally emptied my 'good' boob.I now have huge blood blisters on both nipples-nice!I was crying with pain & nearly bit through my lip-why don't they issue bfeeding mums with gas & air?

Anyway,I am managing to pump a fair amount,so she is getting about half formula half breast milk.I don't think the midwife was very impressed,but she isn't the one suffering.I am hoping another day or so of 'resting' will enable me to try again.

Meanwhile dd2 seems perfectly happy,which is the important thing.Thanks for all the support & advice,I am going to persevere if I can

OP posts:

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread