Breast feeding

[preggersteach]

So just had my LO on Saturday and have an inverted nipple on one breast that baby can't attach to so getting some nipple shields to hopefully make it easier however in the short term the great is getting hard and sore (I assume engorged?) I'm just wondered what the best course of action is now with it? Do I try and hand express some milk to get it down, put warm compresses on it? Can't seem to find non conflicting advice! TIA

Do you have a pump? I would pump as much as you can so you don't become engorged leading to mastitis etc.

Hand express or pump if you can.

Where are you? There's lots of drop in breastfeeding clinics around that people can suggest

Hand express to relieve any discomfort and keep getting baby to try to feed as much as possible (using nipple shields if they help). If you really aren’t getting anywhere with this method then pump every 3 hours to maintain supply on that side and relieve enforcement. You may find he will prefer the “non inverted side” (sorry I couldn’t think of a better way to say it) in the long term which is fine and your supply on both sides will settle accordingly.

Thanks for the advice, I'll get pumping until he's had this tongue tie sorted and see if that helps!

And thanks @spugzbunny I will look into that as well

As your milk has just come in engorgement is normal but it can be uncomfortable.

If your LO is not removing milk effectively due to the tongue tie and other latch issues, then yes you will need to express to make sure your body keeps getting the message to produce milk. This is a temporary measure so make sure you're getting support with the latch and tongue tie as well. Try not to worry too much about how much you're producing at this stage - it's more about stimulating the milk production than worrying about how much milk you can get. You might want to use those breastmilk storage bags and save the milk in the freezer if you're not topping up currently.

It's no problem to use nipple shields if you want to, bear in mind you may not be able to wean off them immediately after the TT division, it can take a bit longer.

Thanks so much for the advice @BertieBotts. Have been expressing today and already they feel much less uncomfortable

Also, for your inverted nipple, if latching is an issue, look for supple cups or the niplette to help pull the nipple out. I have flat nipples and they caused problems with my first baby (so much that, among other things, I ultimately had to stop much sooner than I wanted). I used supple cups the second time around. I only needed them for the first couple weeks, then a combination of baby being better able to latch and the nipples naturally pulling out with use meant it was fine. It made such a difference.