She's finally here!!! Breastfeeding problems!

[JaclynLouise]

So finally at 38+1 my little girl arrived weighing 8lb. It was hell, but she is amazing and I'm in love!
However! My nipples already feel like I can't touch them. When she latches on The pain it nail biting!
She's only 8 hours old, why is it so bad already?
I'm waiting to check for a tie, but she's actually latching really well and even then she's not being feeding long enough to cause the nipple pain!
I've been sensitive the whole pregnancy and now that she's fed 3 or 4 times I can't even bare to touch them!
The breast feeding lady says the sensitivity could last 7-10 days! Please any ideas on what can relieve this. Thanks xxx

[Superstar90]

Ps you are not a failure if you can't get bf going - it's really hard and women need much more support than they get in this country to do it. Give it a good go but ultimately do what's best for you and your baby.

[Superstar90]

Pps it also depends on baby and birth - my Dd1 never learned to latch (hence the nipple shields) by Dd2 latched in the first 5 mins and feeds like a dream!

[jellyandsoup]

Your baby is so little, you are both still learning. I know it's trickier in hospital but plenty of skin to skin will help your milk to come in which should help with the pain. Unless the midwives are telling you to express I would ditch the pump, can't imagine that will help your nipples. Make sure you drink plenty and as mentioned above lanisol cream is fab.

[JaclynLouise]

So I just got the nipple guards and omg I forgot how amazing they are!!!
I know they're not ideal but right now they feel like a life saver, they don't stop the pain completely but they make it a lot easier. Hopefully the pain will go and I can feed without them, but if I have to keep using them then that's okay too, I just want baby to get fed okay and by breast if possible!
Won't be trying to pump again now, I have a couple of formula bottles for an absolute last resort, but the guards are my way forward for now xx

[Hedgeh0g]

Nipple guards really aren't the end of the world. I fed my first son with them exclusively for 4 months because he was badly tongue tied and wouldn't latch without. I had no supply issues, and eventually was able to ditch them at 4 months, fed him until he was 18 months.

However, because of that I have no experience of the pain of the first few weeks- ds2 is now 4 weeks and oh my god, 2 weeks ago I was literally sobbing over him every feed. A combination of having his tongue tie snipped, cracking a decent latch, time, and the fact my nipples are finally healing, means we have been pain free since the weekend.

Do get your latch checked by a trained breastfeeding supporter if possible - it might look right, but that doesn't mean it is if it hurts that much. And I recommend jelonet for healing - it's a burns dressing and the pharmacist may look at you like you're a complete loon if you explain what you're going to use it for when asking for it! (I didn't realise it was a burns dressing and she hadn't heard of it...) but it really does work. Hang in there, it does get better.

[JaclynLouise]

Thank you! I'd rather use nipple guards than have to give up completely, and pumping throughout the day can be so much more stressful than just latching her on.

The bf lady I spoke to seems very knowledgable, but I will definitely check with the HV when she comes out today.
I have been using the lanisoh but I don't find it makes much difference for me, I don't think it did last time either actually, so that new cream you mentioned might be work me looking at, I need something that helps them to heal still whilst using he guards!
Fingers crossed I'm pain free soon x

[InFrance2014]

Babies' mouths are very small at first, and not all of them are great at latching deep enough, which is a big part of the pain- plus it depends on what your boobs/nipples are like. Flat and small nipples are especially crappy.
Try and get your positioning so the baby is feeding 'down' onto your boob, not 'across' onto it (by sitting/lying back), the gravity will help them get on deeper and stay on properly. They should have a good mouth of the areola, not just the nipple bit; the nipple needs be able to get up into their soft palate at the back of the mouth for it to not hurt.
Google "exaggerated latch" and "flipple".
I used nipple shields with first baby for 16 weeks then shifted to naked boob; second time round I didn;t use them as I hated the shields faffing about when feeding outside, but it really hurt. Took a good fortnight to improve and realise I wasn't curling toes and wincing at every feed.
Also breast compressions help because they get the milk out a bit faster, so the painful sucking doesn't last so long.
Remember that the first 10 days are the most important for building your breasts' supply for the whole of your breastfeeding journey- letting the baby suck LOADS now (not the pump) will pay you dividends, even if it is dreadfully painful. Good luck!

[moobeana]

Just a note on the amazing nipple shields! It was the only way my poorly baby could latch at first. She was ill and tired, so the teat helped her to latch and breastfeed. Once she was well again I was able to slowly remove them (I would start off he feed with the shield, stop mid feed (nipple already stretched and flowing) and she could latch (fairly painlessly) again. So you can remove them once things settle down and the nipples get a bit more hardy!

Good luck and well done for perservering!

[Lj8893]

You poor thing, hope it gets better for you. You have had some great advice already but I just wanted to say at only 8 hours old a pump isn't going to be very successful at expressing anything off, save it for when your milk comes in and whilst you still have colostrum then hand expressing is best.