Breastfeeding Pain

[Helga55]

My LO is 5 days old, have been breastfeeding as & when I think she needs it & so far so good... apart from the awful pain when she now latches on.

I put nipple cream on several times a day so they don't dry out or crack & wipe any excess off before she feeds, but in the last 24 hrs my milk has come in & when she latches on, for the first 10 - 15 seconds the pain is unbearable, almost to the point I want to stop breastfeeding 😔 I'm thinking about getting a breast pump to take some of the pressure off me, which I was going to do in about 6-8 weeks anyway, but this pain is making me wonder if I should start expressing now..

I guess I'm asking will this pain ease off? Will nipple shields help? Is there ANYTHING I can do to stop the pain?

Oh babe

Its the hardest thing to do!

I found making sure position was good, tummy to mummy,
If babies on right breast, your left arm going Up babies back with your hand supporting her shoulders, nose to nipple then a little shove on the shoulders.

I found hand expressing a little helped just into a breast pad, or the milk collection shells helped elongate the nipple so latching felt easier

I had a day off at about a week old and expressed every few hours just to give my nipps chance to heal

Don't give up yet unless you want to. This will pass

My baby is 1 tomorrow. And some how im still breast feeding

Firstly, congratulations @Helga55!

My DD is 6 days older than yours and I had this problem last week. Nipple shields were my friends. I used them for a few days and while it didn't make it pain free, it did make it bearable and allowed them to heal. It took a day or two to wean her off them again, which I timed with a midwife appointment so they could give me tips on techniques at the same time. I also use a cream that you can keep on while feeding, which helps.

I've just done two feeds at a friend's, without nipple shields and only needing to relay once on each side. I'm taking this as a massive win.

I'm not going to say it's easy yet. I sometimes get a second or two of pain, but it's much less painful than it was. I'm glad I persevered.

Good luck!