BREASTFEEDING destroyed my nips

[FIZZYTEDDY]

Breastfeeding hurts. And it's normal for it to hurt. Let's start normalising this!!

I have a DS 7 months old and I'm still b/f. When I started b/f day 1-2 my nipples were literally DESTROYED. DS latch was good from the start and he had an incredibly strong suck!

All I ever got from midwives was "he mustn't be latched on properly" "it shouldn't hurt" blah blah blah...turns out 90% of the mums I spoke to had the toe curling raw nipples for about 2 weeks and then it gradually got easier!!

My baby spewed up bright red blood in those early days because he was sucking on cracked nipples!!

Please can we normalise and let new mothers know that your nips will be RAW. But to keep going!!! It gets a LOT easier! And it's just because your nipples are going through severe trauma/work/sucking which they're not used to...it's a bit like having a blister on your heel but rather than resting it/not wearing those shoes...you just keep destroying it 😂

Lol is this like a secret that midwives keep to themselves to stop new mums from being put off b/f?!

And to anyone starting off....

Lanolin ointment
Silver cups
Heat pads

Repeat

P.s I'm aware there is a percentage of women who don't experience this at all...lucky bi**hes!!

Alright.... Bottle feeding it is for me then 😂

@Lijay I thought exactly the same 😂

That’s not normal. DM DD and I had no trouble, nor did our friends. The midwives are telling you it’s not normal.

You seem very keen to make it seem normal but it’s a small percentage.
Same as having a blister on your heel is not normal when your shoes fit properly, even first shoes.

Babies don't just destroy your nips. They destroy your whole breast and stomach. I wish people had prepared me and normalised how much our bodies change once we have kids. Instead we're shown how incredible X celeb looks post baby and how quickly they bounced back. During my last pregnancy I cousin stand to look at perfect pregnant celebs and would feel so angry knowing I was left with a scarred saggy body. I went through a period where I genuinely felt so bad for my friends who we're getting pregnant with their first. They had no idea what was coming. Ugh...

But yes, bottle feeding all the way for me. The pain and tears with breast feeding simply aren't worth it for me. 2 years on and no one is ever going to question whether or not your child was breast or bottle fed. There's far too much pressure out on breast feeding these days with too little support

I'm keen to make it seem normal because I felt like I was doing something wrong which was so frustrating and draining...when I wasn't doing anything wrong!! the vast majority (and I honestly mean like 9 out of 10) of bf mothers I spoke to said their nipples were red raw/bleeding for the first couple of weeks too! Both my sisters, my mum, all my friends bar 1 or 2, all found it incredibly sore at the very start then it subsided by week 2.

I persevered and my nipples kind of toughened up, everyone is so different and there are the fortunate bf mothers who felt no pain. But the sore, cracked nipples need to be talked about!!

Yes it hurts, but it's best for your baby. I chose temporary pain for knowing that, on average, my baby would be cleverer, healthier and better bonded because of it.

Oh fuck off

Wow. What a ridiculous thing to say.

Best go break the horrible news to my bottle fed child 🤣

Comments like this is why mothers these days are ashamed to say they bottle feed.

Damn, I'm bottle fed, guess I must be a bit dumb. That's probably why I'm also sick all the time and have a terrible relationship with my mother. /sarcasm

*clearly I mean I was bottle fed as a baby.

Sorry this thread wasn't supposed to spark the bottle vs. Bf debate.

I just want new bf mothers to know that the temporary pain doesn't last and if you're confident you've got a good latch (only you not an onlooking observer really know) then the pain really is very common, short-lived and normal.

Nipple shields are also a life saver to heal those poor shredded nipples and draw out any pesky strange looking nipple that baby doesn't like.

Is bf generally less painful the more children you have? Does it get easier with baby number 2 or 3 as you've gotten used to it?

One of mine was agony to feed for 6 weeks and I saw lactation consultants and midwives. They did not normalise it as being something that happens to everyone because it doesn't.

The other baby arrived, latched on, and apart from one round of thrush, all was fine painwise.

You're def right.. It does hurt at the beginning..I'm a mum of 4.. I remember having to grit my teeth every time my kids latched on.. it felt like razor blades to me.. I persevered because I felt it was the best thing for them.. After 2 to 3 weeks tho my nipples seemed to have toughened up and there was no problems.but I can definitely relate to the pain, the cracked nipples, soreness, creams etc. It doesn't mean your doing it wrong. Just make sure the whole areola is in baby's mouth and if it's too painful buy a breast pump and express your milk to give your nipples a chance to recover.

Agree the first part is physically brutal… I used nipple shields which gave me the most horrible nipple thrush! A warning to anyone that has antibiotics around the time of labour- if you have antibiotics and then use nipple shields you are at increased risk of thrush after birth so be vigilant with the sterilisation! I also used lanisoh and this made it worse as it’s essentially’water proof’ so nipples don’t dry out!

im still bf now and it’s hard mentally. Tricky latcher and now at 16 weeks I still feel a novice!!! Baby is combi fed.

Good luck anyone reading this who is breastfeeding- it’s seriously hard and takes a level of perseverance I’ve literally never had to apply in my life before 😂…. I just assumed it would work & be easy!! xox

Also Kamilosan is a great nipple cream if you’re not keen on the greasiness of Lanisoh! X

Honaloulou

🤣

Assuming you’re not on a wind up, and actually genuinely posted this, you seriously need to educate yourself on how to read and interpret research studies. Then go and read the actual research first hand.

A bit of empathy and reading the room wouldn’t go amiss, either.

OP, I agree with you. There are the lucky ones who don’t experience much pain, but many many others do, even with a good latch. Unless one’s nipples are used to being wet and chafed for hours a day, it’s going to be inevitable, really, isn’t it.

I was really worried bf wasn’t working for us, as I kept getting told ‘it shouldn’t hurt if you’re doing it right’. I’d have been spared a lot of needless worry in those early days if the midwives had just been honest.

I expect they don’t want to put women off, but it’s a pretty patronising attitude.

I don't think the poster is trying to diss anyone who has bottle fed. We all know there are perfectly good reasons why some choose to bottle feed. Even tho I breast fed, I switched to bottle feeding one of my dc because he had difficulty latching on and breastfeeding seemed to take too long.

I breastfeed two babies no problem. My third baby ripped my nipples to shreds! One nipple is still inverted due to the damage 8 years later.

Oh that is good to know sj for further babies! Because I am prone to thrush and get antibiotics for UTIs often!

Yes it bloody hurts at first, but for me it was worth it for the practicality of it.

Formula is easier at first but a pain in the arse longterm with sterilisation, cost etc. Can't leave the house and forget to bring your boobs eh?!

Oh that old line "if you're doing it right it shouldn't hurt" used to drive me wild!!!

Another good tip my sister gave me in those first few weeks was count back from 30 (out loud!) on initial latch. It takes your mind off the pain and you can also track good progress as the pain subsides quicker as the weeks go on!

I pumped very early on too on like week 3 and gave DS the pumped goods at night which practically knocked him out which made for a very very good sleeper! And rested the nips

I think there is a lot we don't know to expect, especially ftm. On that subject, is anybody else who is breastfeeding experiencing itchy breasts (not just nipples)? It is worse later in the day, and coconut oil seems to help a bit. I seem to be getting stretch marks, so it might just be irritatedb stretching skin. I don't think it's thrush or mastitis. Baby is 4 weeks, ebf.

I think you are right that it should be normalised that breastfeeding might hurt in the beginning and damage to nipples is common. But if your nipples are actually bleeding it does point to there being something off with attachment between you and the baby surely?
But maybe the message needs to be that this doesn't mean you can't overcome it and that your baby won't get enough milk- and how to heal nipples in the meantime.
I agree it's not helpful if midwifes just tell you it shouldn't hurt when most of them don't have the training (and probably not the time) to solve the issue.

OP, I understand what you mean, but pain is not normal when breastfeeding. While I understand that "Oh something must be wrong" with absolutely no further support is supremely unhelpful, it is usually useful for someone experiencing pain or cracked nipples to go and get proper support with latch. It's not about judging whether you're getting it right or not, it's about making things more comfortable for you and helping prevent further problems.

NB, "proper" support is not a midwife who says "the latch must be wrong" and doesn't actually offer any help with improving it. (Or conversely offers an opinion on whether or not the latch is "fine" from across the room!) A peer support group, breastfeeding counsellor (ABM/NCT), la leche league leader or IBCLC will generally have more focused experience with this - these are all terms you can google plus your town plus breastfeeding to see what free/low cost resources are available. You don't need to be a member of the NCT to access their breastfeeding support. Often just tiny tweaks are helpful and can make you more comfortable immediately.

But if it's just for comfort, why bother? What's wrong with the message to "just push through" and pain is normal?

It's quite common (as you have found) to get a painful latch with a brand new baby and for this to improve by itself over a few weeks as you get more confident and your baby gets bigger/stronger. That's because a baby with a small mouth may latch shallowly if you are not careful. And for many women this won't matter because their supply is abundant or it's just a small adjustment which corrects itself once the baby is slightly bigger (esp before 4 weeks). But it's also common for pain on latching to be indicative of a problem that won't get better by itself, and for someone with this issue, gritting your teeth through the pain, pushing on, or using nipple shields to make it bearable can all cause the problems to get worse rather than better, or may cause other issues if the problems with latch are causing reduced milk transfer as well. You only have about four weeks in which your body is trying to work out how much milk to produce long term and how many of the unnecessary milk producing cells to "switch off". It's possible to increase supply after 4 weeks by making the cells you do have work harder, but it's much easier if you put in the right order in the first place - so new mums should not delay seeking help with painful nipples.