Help, can someone save my nipples?!?

[Sadie789]

Day 10 of breastfeeding and I swear my right nipple is about to fall off. The other one is not far behind. The pain is excruciating!! When DC latches I have to kick and swear and wince for about a minute before it’s bearable but the pain continues the whole feed. Not ideal for feeding in the corner of Starbucks.

I’ve had midwife advice and she’s shown me about positions and getting the right latch which is fine but doesn’t address the existing pain.

I’ve googled and again there’s lots of vague advice on latches and top tips etc but nothing on what to do once the nipples are done in.

Does anyone have a strategy for me? Should I just start expressing? (Wanted to wait until at least 2 weeks) Should I only use the less painful one for a while?

I have breast shells which have helped a bit but cluster feeding means neither one is getting a real break. Nipple shields were rejected by baby.

So sore!!

Lanisoh and tons of it.
Lanisoh therapy pads.
And perserverence. It does get better I promise you.
It is extremely painful. Grit your teeth.

Oh no, I had this too! I had to bite down onto something to help with the pain at the start of every feed!
Try to get to a breastfeeding support group if you have one in your area so a specialist can check your latch.
I found using lots of different positions helpful as the pressure was on a slightly different part of the nipple each time.
Also make sure your nipples get good chance to air and really dry out after each feed before you apply
I gritted my teeth and things were much better by 4 weeks- hang in there, it’s worth it!

I agree with Lanisoh. I think their nipple cream contains fairy dust or something - it is actually magic!
It only took a couple of days to massively help me. I was at the point of giving up at around day 10, but still going strong at week 11.
You're doing amazingly!

Lanisoh.
Before and after. And every moment you can.
Breathe in as they go to latch.
It was like glass slicing through nipple. It does get easier.

I would say your latch still isn’t right. Can you get to a breast feeding group or even a private lactation consultant. Has lo been checked for tongue tie?

I feel your pain. Those first weeks are so hard. But you sound like you are doing so well and want to keep feeding. Nipple shields rescued me when I thought I couldn't go on. I know you said baby rejected them but are there other, thinner makes you could try or could you persevere and see if you can make them work? I know it's not easy but might be worth it in the long run. Hope things turn a corner for you soon.

I had this with both babies, worst the first time but awful. I was lucky that both of mine would let me get away with shields for a bit, but second wasn’t keen. Was also using various creams but found they weren’t helping enough.

A friend got me some of the MAM compresses and they saved me the second time around- I left them on as long as possible and they really helped. Highly recommend!

Thanks, will look into a breastfeeding group but the only one I know of is a drive from where I live which is not an option for another few weeks...

I don’t think my latch probably is right yet but because the feeding is so relentless I’m not really getting the chance to perfect it, it’s just a matter of getting her on somehow just now.

I have Lanisoh which I probably haven’t been using as much as suggested so I haven’t noticed a big effect from it but I’ll try and apply it more often.

I just feel if I could give the right one especially a day off there might be some chance of getting it better!

(Been up since 1am feeding constantly so now at wits end).

I was at a breastfeeding class earlier this week and the specialist midwife said that often in what sounds like your situation, the nipple isn't going far enough back into baby's mouth so you are effectively rubbing your nips against the rough part on the roof of the mouth throughout the feeding process which won't then be able to heal if it's happening all the time. If you can change positions so the wee one is allowing you further back to the soft part it should make all the difference apparently. She recommended lying back and letting gravity do its thing... Hope this helps!

I had this around the same time as ds cluster fed so I was sore. I can't agree more with other posters. Nipple cream before and after.
Still going strong at nearly 11mths. It does get better.
Changing feeding position is a good idea too, I have massive massive boobs so struggled a lot with some positions. Rugby hold etc puts there mouth in a slightly different position on your nipple so might give u relief

My wife used lanisoh and lots of it. Use ot before you feed and straight after. It took her a good few weeks but eventually she was able to feed without pain......apart from when little one bites that is. Persevere and use lanisoh......it will get better!

You can get breastfeeding cooling pads which help numb the pain.

If you can't reach a group why not try YouTube? They've great videos on how to latch

I’d use a nipple shield on the worst side at all feeds for now as that will help with the pain. Has your baby been checked for tongue tie? DD2 is 12 weeks old and had a tongue tie. It was cut at 6 days old but those 6 days where the worst. I’d sit through a feed gritting my teeth and unable to talk to anyone through the pain. Shields helped slightly but it was still very painful. Once the tongue tie was snipped it was like a different baby. It still hurt for the first minute but not through the whole feed.

Is there any bf support that could come to your house? Can you ask your health visitor? We have a service here that does home visits.

And the bf supporter I had suggested exaggerated latch techniques. The best for us was putting my hand under my boob and squashing it flat but vertically rather than horizontally just as baby latched on. It helped get more breast in her mouth rather than just nipple.

Yep that you can not use enough lansinoh, my gp prescribed me some with DS1.

With DS2 I used to alternate boobs st night night for a week or so when he was about 2 weeks old. Not official advice but it helped heal my poor shredded nipples.

Air them as much as you can.

Also agree with using another hold, rugby or lying down.

Nipple shields saved me and I wouldn't have been able breastfeed if I hadn't used them for the first few weeks. There are lots of different ones. I think I initially tried the ones from Boots which have a very big teat! Preferred the Medala ones which you can get on Amazon. Might be worth trying another brand if you haven't already.

I had this with DS1 - trust your instincts. At its worst I did end up giving one side a 'rest' to give it some time to recover. Just did some hand expressing to prevent engorgement and keep supply going. I think it was only about 12 hours - that was long enough to let it repair a bit.

And yes to tons of nipple cream.

Nipple shields! I use the mam ones, you can get them from amazon

I was in same situation like you, had a lady looking at my latch and she said is perfect, no tongue tie, same as you bad pain first minute or so and after that okish..painful nipples constantly even in between feeds..I used nipple balm after every feed, if my nipple was in terrible state I fed on other side for couple of feeds and expressed the painful one..situation improved massively and at week 8 and me giving up thousand of times suddenly everything became ok and no pain..he is 4 months now and I'm still breastfeeding with no pain and no need to use the balms and creams anymore..good luck hope it gets better for you soon x

There is a miracle ointment from Italy called Osmin Rag. Available from Amazon. It works in only two days. First four weeks are so tough bf but after that it’s easy. Good luck.

OSMIN RAG LOZ TRATT SENO 25ML www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DMANAB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ax9qDb95FYBEY?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I had pain with both my children for several weeks 😭. Resulting in bleeding nipples, Raynaud's of the nipple, and lots of tears on my part. Went to loads of clinics, but couldn't seem to "fix" it. Had checked for tongue tie at clinic and no tongue tie found (though my youngest - now 3 - can't stick her tongue out very far, so I do wonder if she had a slight undiagnosed tongue tie).

At the time I read that if baby had a high palate they would grow out if it, and wondered if this was the issue. so I persevered, and both times the pain went around somewhere between 4-6 weeks (I forget exactly when, it's been so long, but it was a lot longer than I was expecting and got better very gradually). Never had pain again with them and successfully breastfed until 15 (eldest) and 30 months (youngest).

What worked for me until the pain went away? Moist wound healing so lots of jelonet (cut into squares and put on nipple), and using the rugby hold seemed to work better. You might want to also get baby checked for tongue tie.

Good luck. it's so tough in the early days but it does get better.

I fed both of mine (14 months and 9 months) with nipple shields. They both had great latch, but I literally have thin skin and the pain was excruciating! I never had a problem with them. There are lots of different types of shields out there, so give them a try!

Breast fed all 3 of my children, one of the biggest things is having your breasts out in the open as much as possible, definitely leaving them out to dry straight after feeding. I was wearing pads and a bra all the time (I leaked at night) but when I let the air get to my nipples more it helped them to heal.

I was so close to giving up in the early days, I can definitely understand why so many women do, it was hell.
What helped me were using the gel pads between feeds, and using rugby hold until healed. I think it just puts pressure on a different part of the nipple.
I’m now 8 months in and BF couldn’t be easier. The pain is just a distant memory.

I still have a few of the gel pads left over, if you want to pm me your address I’ll happily post them to you.