Breastfeeding newborn, sore nipples. Possible tongue tie?

[Missonhartbaby]

Hi, wondering if anyone has had the same issues and if they managed to resolve them?

I'm breastfeeding my 12 day old and my nipples are getting more and more sore. I'm struggling to get him to open his mouth wide enough to get a proper latch and initially it is quite painful as he sort of sucks my nipple into his mouth so is clamping down in the end part for abit. He also struggles to keep it in his mouth, it seems to pop in and out quite often

He's having plenty of milk as is gaining weight well and plenty of wet and dirty nappies but he is fussy in the breast, pulls on and off alot which causes him quite alot of wind and he never empties my breast well either (I know we're constantly making milk, but I mean I know he hasn't had enough as he'll be asking again in 5 mins and is obviously hungry not just for comfort)

I breastfed my first for 18 months and although I do have quite large nipples I don't remember them being this sore so I believe he had a wider latch than my LO now. I've tried different positions and waiting for him to open his mouth wide and doing the flipple etc but nothing seems to work. It's like he physically can't do it. He makes some clicking noises when he feeds sometimes and has abit of a heart shaped tongue which I've read can be a sign of tongue tie.
It's getting me down because he's taking up alot of my time with the constant little feeds and fussiness and I have a 2 yo son who is struggling with this too as I'm spending alot less time with him.

Any advice would be really appreciated!!! TIA

Your best bet is to speak to your health visitor. As a first time mum I didn't have a clue about tongue tie. My DS was feeding very frequently and their were other signs but I didn't know any better. It wasn't until I went to a weigh in clinic and he was screaming that one of the health visitors noticed his tongue tie. She asked me questions such as the clicking noise and then we got referred. They grade tongue ties and my DS had a partial one so was border line for whether to cut or not. They gave me the decision. I had it cut and it had an immediate effect on feeding. DS wasn't affected by having it cut in any other way so I was really glad that I had it done.

Agree get it checked out - ask your HV if they have experience of it though. I had three TT babies and diagnosis was hit and miss. Can you try a breast feeding cafe if they are open or a private referral (you may need to consider if you can pay for private. DC2 was diagnosed within a few hours of birth but having it cut on the NHS would have taken a month or more. Other things can cause pain too though - particularly thrush ! Have you tried nipple shields ? You can also get gel circular wound pads on prescription which are a god send for cracked and cut nipples !

Thanks for you replies! My HV is coming tomorrow to weigh him, I did mention it on the phone but she didn't seem fussed so il try again tomorrow and see if I get somewhere. I mentioned to the midwife too and she was just like you'll both get there 🤷‍♀️ like she was happy because he hadn't lost any of his birth weight so kinda seemed like it wasn't a concern to her really.
I went to a breastfeeding group with my first which was fab but it hasn't re opened yet with covid so I'm going to have to rely on the midwife to agree and help me sort it if it is tongue tie...
@niclw that's good that you were glad you had it done! What was the procedure like? I just know that although he's having enough milk it would be easier for us both if he was more settled and having longer feeds and it wasn't hurting me!
Luckily they aren't cracked yet but feel like they're verging on it! I've been using lanisoh but dunno if it does much for me!

@glassbrightly also private isn't something we can afford to do and I worry that it won't be of high enough importance to get it done in the NHS now with everything that's going on too

Definitely sounds like it could be. Be aware that HV and midwives are often not trained to spot it and it often gets missed even if it's been checked, so you may need to be quite pushy to get seen.

As for the actual procedure it's very quick. Usually you put baby on a table and hold the head and the practitioner does a little snip with some scissors and then straight after a feed to settle baby. Over within seconds. You could see if there is a private consultant in your area.

www.tongue-tie.org.uk/find-a-practitioner/

For what it's worth my breasts have never been empty. I have quite large breasts and I think I have a very fast flow and my baby never fed for longer than 5 mins each time.
So my point is you don't have to be doing anything wrong just because the book says they should be emptied.
Also, my boy struggles with latch and basically what your midwife has said is right...you will get there. I think it took 2-3 months for my boy really to be bug enough to comfortably feed

Have you tried laying on your side?

Sorry for the slow reply. My mum came with me to the tongue tie clinic and it was a very quick process. I decided to sit away from the table where they did it and let the medical staff hold him as I didn't want to see. I can understand why some people might be distressed seeing their baby upset but I kept in mind that it would make his life and feeding easier. Apparently there isn't any pain for the baby when they have this done. They just get upset by the procedure. They get you to breastfeed immediately for two reasons: to settle the baby but feeding helps to speed up the clotting process as there is a little blood. In the days after, there are signs to look out for in case of any complications but she said that virtually no baby suffers from them and gave me her contact details so I could get in touch if he did have a problem.
If you don't have any success with your HV you could see if you can find details of the NHS tongue tie clinic in your area. Your GP may be able to refer you as well. Good luck x

Sorry have just skim read, but I had very sore (cracked) nipples with DD1 when she was newborn. I highly, highly recommend nipple shields. They take the edge off the pain, also help with the latch. I used the medala ones which you can get from Amazon. I had the clicking noise with both of mind in the early stages. I think it was at least partially down to just the babies' having very small mouths and it being difficult for them to keep the seal. One health visitor said DD2 may have had a bit of tongue tie but I didn't get it snipped or anything. I'm still feeding her now she's almost one.

Oh other advice for sore nipples: air them as much as possible, you can get cups from phillips avent I think to help with this. I also expressed a few feeds when I had a cracked nipple just to have a bit of a break.

Good luck!

Sorry just to clarify, the cups are for wearing under clothes, obviously easier to just go topless if you can!

Absolutely sounds like tongue tie! My second baby had it it was a flipping nightmare. The clicking the on and off the boob the (in the end) bleeding nipples. Thank goodness I’d already breastfed one baby and knew it wasn’t supposed to be that way. I got it diagnosed quickly with the midwife and dealt with it privately as it was going to take 8 weeks for the referral to come through. Do have a look for local tongue tie clinics there might be one in your area.

Op have you seen this

As well as tongue tie, it also sounds like you could have fast flow/let down. My ds clicked when he fed because of this (but didn't have tongue tie). Kelly Mom website has some useful articles about how to help with this is you Google.
I'd also recommend seeing a IBCLC lactation consultant if you can afford one.