Breastfeeding concern

[Theyarealltaken]

Hi! I’m 27 weeks pregnant and really worried about my future breastfeeding journey...I’ve always had very, very sensitive nipples, my partner can’t touch them and I don’t really as it’s just very uncomfortable to me. Although I’d love to breastfeed my baby for various reasons but I’m worried I just won’t be able to 😢 do you know any tricks/tips ? Is there any cream that would numb them ? Or maybe they will toughen up after birth ?

I had this problem and had to use nipple shields. I BF my daughter until she was 2 and we never stopped using the shields!

They do toughen up a bit but be prepared for some initial pain (and for everyone to tell you the latch is wrong as a consequence ... mine wasn't, it just hurt!)

Lansinoh and nipple shields are what got me through the first few weeks.

Lansinoh cream is really good. You can also get cold compresses and breast shells that keep your bra off your nipples.

Sorry OP can't help much, never had that issue

However with DD1..... well she was bottle fed and then I switched her to BF It got to a point where she completely refused the bottle but I didn't have enough milk. She would feed for forever and nipples got very sore. Lanolin helped! And also not wearing clothes...... (flat was not overlooked so it was ok)

Lansinoh - pre & post feed for first few weeks / months! Can’t recommend it enough.

I also have very sensitive nips but found they toughened up very quickly after birth. I tried nipple shields a couple of times but found them too much of a faff so just persevered through the discomfort until they desensitised (which took 1-2 weeks). They’re now totally fine for feeding, but can feel really sensitive towards fabric etc so I had to get my mum to make me ultra soft, fleecy breast pads.

I think the main thing to remember is that it's breastfeeding, not nipple feeding. So baby will take a mouthful of breast tissue, the areola around the nipple. When the baby is latched effectively, your nipple will be far back in baby's mouth, near the soft palate. Once the milk starts flowing, the feed should be very comfortable. This can take a while to achieve; it's normal to get varying levels of discomfort in the early days when you and baby are practising. It's worth experimenting with different positions. Look up biological nurturing/laid back breastfeeding. This can help to achieve a really deep and comfortable latch. The main thing to remember though, if the sensitive nipples means the thought of it makes you feel squeamish, is to remember what I said above, that it's breast, not nipple feeding! Good luck!

So baby shouldn't be sucking on the nipple itself at all... Hope that makes sense!

Thank you so much for all the information! I’ll have ‘breast not nipple’ feeding in mind 😊

I second what somethingsnappy said. Your nipple should be on the baby's soft palate at the back of their mouth - Google a diagram. You'd also be surprised how much nipples toughen up!

Reading up on latch might help you avoid/shorten the early period that can hurt (didn't for me but it's common)