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!!

It's not normal for it to hurt. If you're sore and your nipples are being damaged it's because the baby hasn't latched on properly. They should be feeding from the breast area around the nipple, they shouldn't be sucking on the nipple itself.

I tried it, hurt like hell so I quit! No regrets.

@Honaloulou Don’t be daft dear.

Oh dear.you’ve fallen for propaganda. Actual research shows there is no evidence of increased bond intelligence or health for breastfed babies.

unless you have access to peer reviewed research I’ve missed?

@User3568975431146

I'm still breastfeeding and we are 7 months down the line so I know how it works lol

Learnt all about latch and baby getting his mouth right around so the nipple is far further to the back of his mouth, taking him off straight away if it was a poor latch..etc etc went to the classes, applied the learning. DS always had a good latch and was checked many many times by midwives and health visitor.

I'm getting the feeling from this thread that if anyone is one of the really fortunate mothers that didn't have any pain...that you're under the impression that those who suffer..have baby latched on incorrectly and this is simply not the case..and this is** the attitude I'm trying eradicate because if I knew what I know now then I'd know on those first few weeks that it will get easier and the pain will subside.

If it wasn't for my fellow honest bf friends and sister I'd have given up on day 2 😂😂

if anyone is one of the really fortunate mothers that didn't have any pain...that you're under the impression that those who suffer..have baby latched on incorrectly and this is simply not the case..and this is the attitude I'm trying eradicate because if I knew what I know now then I'd know on those first few weeks that it will get easier and the pain will subside.

No, that's not what we're saying at all. It's great that the pain got better by itself for you, and it would be helpful to tell mothers that it will get better by itself if everyone had the experience that you had, but not everyone does. For many women, pain is a sign that something isn't quite right and just waiting for it to get better is not the right thing to do.

It's like saying if you have a painful ankle after falling, just wait because it will get better. It will if it's a twisted ankle. But if it's broken, that's terrible advice and waiting and using it as normal will make it worse. So you need an X-ray (experienced breastfeeding supporter, unfortunately hospital midwives not guaranteed to be one) to look at the ankle (latch) ASAP. It might be that it's fine and will get better. But if you do need more support, that needs to be identified ASAP before you get into horrendous difficulties as some have described here.

I think there's things like tongue tie that are often overlooked because many women do not have the correct support in place during the early days!

YES to everything in the OP!

It may not be the experience of some women but it’s a completely normal experience for others - tongue tie, latch all checked but like OP 2 weeks or so of toe curling pain on latching (it would be ok once the feed started), and I remember waking up to dc2 having spewed blood vomit from taking in blood with breast milk.

Silver cups really helped my nipples heal quickly.

After this initial period it was easy as pie and life became very easy compared to dealing with ff (dc1 was ff).

I don’t know about this, my ff dc1 touch wood never gets ill, is tall and well built, my bf dc2 has allergies of all sorts and is smaller but he is super smart 😇

But having ff my first and bf my second with all the attendant pain and struggle I would Bf everytime if I was able - ease, convenience, cost, environmental impact etc. This is just my opinion.

Sorry this was in reply to a post on the first page that pp’s dc are healthier better bonded smarter etc due to bf 👆🏼

I get what people are saying when they say breast feeding shouldn’t hurt but surely that is once it’s established. The first two weeks were extremely painful for the initial latch for me as presumably my body needed to toughen up to a tiny mouth constantly wanting my nipple in it, it’s not normal initially and my nipples would never have experienced it before.

The pain I would have for the initial latch was excruciating, it was like someone was hammering a nail through my nipple. I used to squeeze my husbands hands to compensate for the pain, it was over in a few seconds though and it was pretty painless after the first three weeks. I don’t know anyone who didn’t find breast feeding painful in those first few weeks though.

Sorry op but apart from an occasional nibble, its never been sore for me?
Can you try shields?

Some cracking posts on here 🤣. I am
fairly sickly (have got COVID twice already despite being triple jabbed and bracing myself for COVID the 3 time). Also in the last 3 months l have had norovirus, 2 colds and a chest infection. I have 2 degrees. My fiancé and brother have only had COVID once. They have 3 degrees and 2 degree respectively (1 is a PhD). They were bottle fed and l was breast fed so it’s not that cut and dried. Plus from what l hear breast feeding is a bit of a slog

I agree- even starting to feed well-latched babies can be painful at first. For babies 3 and 4, the pain lasted 10 days but was more bearable because I knew it wasn’t going to last for too long.

I think tongue tie can be a common cause of pain. I realised one of my twins had had it, from what I read afterwards, so was on high alert with following babies! I got baby 4’s tongue tie snipped after some persistence on my part.

i also recommend nipple shields for some feeds if very painful. Mam compression pads are great. Reusable, washable breast pads are comfier.

I didn't have much pain with my first, a bit sore for a couple of weeks but nothing like the pain I felt with my second...I would cry and cringe every time I had to feed her , I think she chewed a chunk out of my nipple. She didn't have a great latch, though I tried to.imprive it, and she had a posterior tongue tie that was only picked up at 7 weeks. I can remember the soreness and bleeding now, sorry! I don't think that kind of pain is normal though. If I'd had better breastfeeding support in hospital it may not have got to the stage it did. A bit of discomfort is normal for a week or 2, but intense pain for weeks is not and we shouldn't feel like we just have to grin and bear it when it's that bad. I had so much guilt over stopping too because I felt like I should just put up with it or go through endless hoops to try and improve it. That's not okay.

Before I had my DD I spent a fortune on nipple cream and pads. Ive never ever had cracked/sore nipples and never leaked. DD is 5 months now and we're still going strong. Yes it is common but PPs please don't be discouraged. BF is amazing!

I agree with this wholeheartedly OP! I had the exact situation you describe, including the baby vomiting blood. Everything was being done correctly and I saw several breastfeeding experts. It was just my very sensitive skin and the neverending blisters that wouldn't heal. I only persevered through sheer bloody-mindedness and a very lovely adviser who suggested I mix fed for a while. This worked for us and I went on to breastfeed successfully and completely pain free after about six weeks. Second time round the pain wasn't quite as bad because I knew it would end. I totally get why mums give up because of the pain, I was very close myself, but if there's any way you can keep going, by mix feeding or more painkillers (!) then it's worth it, not for the nutrition/making your babies cleverer 🤔 or healthier or any of that bollocks but if you're lazy like me then it means not getting up early in the mornings, never having to remember to take bottles out and crucially never having to wait with a crying baby for a bottle to cool down.

But yes it should be talked about more!

🙄🙄 I mean I breast fed my dc yet they are still dyslexic. Not sure that would have web worse if bottle fed 😆

I largely agree with you OP, but for me the pain didn't go away, it did get better for sure but I bf my first for a year and it never felt comfortable. I was assured latch etc was fine but multiple people but permanent damage was done to one of my nips!
Couldn't bf my second due to medical reasons but did exclusively pump for 6 months.
And @Honaloulou absolutely do one. I'm perhaps more bonded with my bottle fed baby since I was in toe curling pain and crying every time I fed my bf one. Plus I was bf and I have 2 degrees and a PhD!

It does hurt a fair few women for at least a short amount of time. You are going from zero to constant sucking!

I had 4 solid weeks where my nipples were chafed and bleeding. It was like daily torture, but every 45 minutes. DD had a perfect latch (as well as she could anyway). The ongoing pain was because I had flat nipples. I don't have flat nipples anymore, she broke the 'adhesions' in the nipple so that they are now sticky out nipples. I love my post breastfeeding boobs genuinely! I used to be so self conscious of having super flat nipples!

I’ve been breastfeeding for 6 months and my left boob is still sore 🥲

I was totally prepared for it to hurt but it didn't at all. I was even reluctant to try breastfeeding at all because I'd heard so much about cracked painful nipples. I bought 3 different brands of nipple cream, none of which got used beyond the first day when I realised it was unnecessary.

I don't know how common it is to find it painful but I realise I'm on the lucky side of things. I did have a particularly long, shit labour though so I'm glad I got an easy run with the breastfeeding at least!

Oh my god yes!! It hurt so bloody much at the beginning with both babies, by a few weeks in the pain subsided and didn’t exist after a month but I was definitely not prepared for that much pain! Lots of people I know had the same issue, it’s not just a bad latch, that’s why lanolin is a best seller!