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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Help help PLEEEEEASE help!!

31 replies

ManyMonkeys · 04/02/2010 16:58

Had my baby on monday, and got started on the breastfeeding asap! but by tuesday morning my nipples had started to crack, and i have been over and over her postioning and latch with the midwife and its all fine, she is my 4th and ive never had this trouble with my others, but despite my best efforts and LOTS of lansinoh they arent getting any better at all, and every single time i feed her the agony is LITERALLY unbearable - im at my wits end - what on earth can i do? i cant bear the pain but i dont want to give up breastfeeding already! i REALLY need some help, anything at all!!

OP posts:
butadream · 04/02/2010 17:00

Try feeding her in the bath

rubyslippers · 04/02/2010 17:02

call one of the breastfeeding helplines and get someone to help

if your nipples are cracking something isn't right

i was told my lacth was fine and my nipples cracked in 24 hours and were bleeding

will dig the numbers out for you

rubyslippers · 04/02/2010 17:02

reastfeeding helplines
National Breastfeeding Helpline
0300 100 0212
National Childbirth Trust
0300 330 0771
Breastfeeding Network
0300 100 0210
La Leche League
0845 1202918
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers 08444 122949

MerlinsBeard · 04/02/2010 17:02

assuming you are taking painkillers?

maybe lansinoh isn't working? I used kamillosan and that was FABULOUS

Hulla · 04/02/2010 17:03

Do you have a baby cafe locally? My mw told me dd's (painful) latch was perfect but it wasn't until I saw a bf counsellor I found out it didn't have to be painful.

Sorry that's not much help. Congratulations on your dd

rubyslippers · 04/02/2010 17:04

have you tried a different hold?

say rugby ball?

the problem with my DD was she was nipple feeding - so she wasn't getting the mouthful of breast ...

Original poster
ManyMonkeys · 04/02/2010 17:12

tried rugby hold, Kamilllosan - will try and get some of that! Im taking paracetamol but its just not hacking it to be quite honest! I personally feel she IS nipple feeding, but i have tried like hell to get 'more' in, but im not managing or its something else. Im absolutley dreading the next feed the pains worse then the actual birth!!!!

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 04/02/2010 17:15

have a look here

but do get some RL help

mawbroon · 04/02/2010 17:19

sorry to hear you are having such pain ManyMonkeys.

Have you heard about the biological nurturing position?

Here

Basically, you allow the baby to self attach, and the theory is that they usually get a better latch this way.

Has she been checked for tongue tie?

I would also try one of the helplines as per rubyslipper's post.

I hope you get this sorted soon.

Original poster
ManyMonkeys · 04/02/2010 20:28

Thanks everyone, im going to ring those numbers (thanks rubyslippers) feeling really fed-up with it now

OP posts:
lal123 · 04/02/2010 20:34

Just to say that my nipples were a right mess at about day 4/5 - cracked and blistered and agony to feed. Got some lanisoh etc, but it all seemed to sort itself out by about day 8 by itself. I think DD was just having to suck so hard before my milk came in properly? Hope you feel better soon

WingedVictory · 04/02/2010 20:42

I second what Mawbroom said about tongue tie. This is something I didn't hear about until my DC was months and months old. Thankfully, he didn't have it, but I think that the fact I never heard about it was absolute negligence on the part of breastfeeding counsellors, antenatal carers and midwives. If it's so bloody easy to check for, and fix, why not do it, and avoid so many women experiencing so much pain and being so turned against breast feeding?

For the record, I breastfed my DC for ages, and it was not painful at all after the initial 2 weeks' problems with latches (and other issues as well). However, I have a friend whose baby had a tongue tie, and even after it was fixed (10+ days after DC was born, ffs), the baby's habits were formed, and my friend ended up having a series of infections, fever, etc. It was all so avoidable!

I just find it crazy that it is not talked about, and I do want more people to know!

mrsjess · 04/02/2010 20:42

sounds really rotten! I know they can be a fiddle but I found nipple shields great whilst healing and also for getting my darling to open his mouth wider, which he just didnt want to do. not a long term solution as it does mean that your breast arnt getting as stimulated but could provide immediate relief this week!

I feel your pain my friend!

beakysmum · 04/02/2010 20:47

I second the nipple shields, just for a day or two!

Wishing you all the best...

MiniMarmite · 04/02/2010 20:53

This is how I was with DS . Seeing the hospital lactation consultant and using nipple shields for 8 weeks did the trick for me (but I didn't go and see her until DS was 17 days old so I was in a real state by then). In the immediate couple of days after seeing the LC I also expressed one feed per day as it was more comfortable...but you might not be able to do this with 3 other LOs to look after!

Hope things improve and many congratulations x

yummumto3girls · 04/02/2010 20:56

Use nipple shields, they are a life saver. I found the Avent ones best, I better fit for me. Have used them on all three DD's and at times have been the only way I can carry on past the initial two weeks and way beyond. They have not affected my milk supply at all, just a pain to sterilise and to put on !!

Congratulations and good luck.

sparklycheerymummy · 04/02/2010 21:19

i second the nipple shields idea.... i used them when ds was about a week just till i got the sorenenss down etc

MiniMarmite · 04/02/2010 22:09

I needed the medela small size but they are only available through phoning medela for some reason: phone number

theboobmeister · 05/02/2010 11:49

Creams have proven to be ineffective by a number of scientific studies. Nipple shields can also create more problems than they solve. The only reliably proven way to get this fixed is to sort the latch - if it's still hurting then the midwife doesn't know what she's talking about.

Definitely get onto the BF helplines straight away and see if you can get a counsellor to come out and see you today - or if you can go to her? There are lots of possibilities to consider and they will know all the tricks in the book!

Good luck!

linspins · 05/02/2010 22:17

My Ds is 2 weeks old and it has been hell with open wounds on each nipple - despite all my best positioning etc and practically living at the breast feeding clinic! But Nipple shields saved the day and I am now over the worst of it. Avent one are great and really thin. I used these together with expressing sometimes and giving him my milk in a bottle. Good luck! I know how massively agonising it is! xx

woollyjo · 05/02/2010 22:26

I got into a terrible mess with dd1, MW lent me a hospital pump for 3 days (couldn't get the manual pump to work on my engorged boobs)it was long enough to heal. There wasn't anything wrong with her latch btw she just was a very keen feeder.

Hope it clears up soon.

maldivemoment · 05/02/2010 22:29

ManyMonkeys - I'm feeling your pain. I was HOURS away from giving up breastfeeding due to the excruciating pain when a friend told me about something called JELONET (spelling?) and it was this alone which saved the day for me! Continued with Lansinoh but did not work as well for me as JELONET.

You have to ask pharmacist for it. It's a type Of gauze with basically loads of Vaseline smeared all over it, which you put over your nipples between feeds. It literally sticks to your nipples (not in an 'ouch' way but in a lovely soothing way!) Rather messy and you have to wipe it off before you feed (I used a warm flannel) but honestly, for me, it was the BEST thing. Checked with midwife and got the ok to use it.

Get someone to run-as-fast-as-they-can to pharmacy tomorrow and ask for some.

hellymelly · 05/02/2010 22:31

Nipple shields can lower your supply a bit but to get you throught he next few days they are worth it.My dd had a slight tongue tie so her latch was a bit off and I then got thrush and it was utter agony feeding her,I squealed every time she latched on,I used nipple shields for the first two weeks and I think they did affect my supply but they did ever so slightly numb the agony.Then I saw a private bf counsellor and she was fantastic and sorted out my latch.The tongue tie improved as dd got older.Certainly by six weeks I was pain free which I realise will sound like an eternity to you,but I have had years of pain free bf ever since.

WingedVictory · 05/02/2010 22:42

As for the latch, I found the most helpful image was "hooking" the baby onto to the nipple as though s/he were a jumper going onto a hook (that is: get the upper lip to go past the nipple before coming down to close mouth) was the most helpful advice.

willowstar · 05/02/2010 23:35

hello, sorry I don't have much to add other than my sympathy...I was sometimes seconds away from quitting in the first few weeks because of the pain - I would take out the box of formula, stare at it, then dig deep and put it away again...it is just so bloody agonising isn't it? but you will get there. I am still feeding my little girl at 18 weeks and I wouldn't believe I would have been doing this if you had told me in those first horrible days and weeks. but I came and posted on here and people told me it would get better and so I am telling you :-) no practical advice because I honestlyh don't know how I got through that first while of cracked nipples and just plain soreness other than lansinoh and nipple shields. For what it is worth I was so scared of compromising my supply by using them that I used them for alternate feeds for a couple of feeds.

Keep it up, you can get through it.

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