My Poor Boobies!:(

Soreness SUCKS, but is completely normal, especially for first timers. Get her back on and latching. I think my soreness went away after about a week or so. But, unfortunately, you've gotta push through it. It does get easier!

Cooling gel packs are AMAZING. Lansinoh makes some. Buy them and wear them between every feeding.

I'm with them... when I started to breast feed I thought Holy Cow how do women do this?! I had to give him a bottle or 2 for a break. But it got easier and then it was completely comfortable. I also second lanolin. Good luck and good for you!!!!

Hi M. ~ I nursed both my kiddos for 12 months I have a 7 yr old & a 3 yr old. My 3 yr old was a challenge the football hold worked really well for us. Have you tried holding her in different positions? Do you have a nursing pillow like a boppy? It sounds like she may be just latching onto the nipple which will make them sore & painful she should be taking in your areola.
You can tell if she's latched on because her tongue is between the lower gum and your breast. If you pull down gently on baby's lower lip, you should be able to see it. With a good latch-on, baby's tongue extends over the lower gum, forming around the nipple and cushioning pressure from the jaw.
Her ears are wiggling. During active sucking and swallowing the muscles in front of baby's ears move, indicating a strong and efficient suck that uses the entire lower jaw.
Nursing can be a challenge don't give up. Try the football hold w/her. You can also buy a moisturizer called Lansinoh/lanolin at Target that you can put on your nipples to help sooth them & you don't have to wash it off before nursing it's safe for both you & baby. HTH

ETA: Bleeding cracked nipples is normal until she get the hang of latching on correctly & you'll know when she's latched on correctly by the way it feels. If she only latches onto your nipple when you get ready to nurse gently w/your finger break the suction w/her mouth & your nipple this was really painful for me w/my little guy it used to bring me to tears. But if you stay patient w/her teach her how to latch correctly she will get the hang of it. :) Hang in there. Use your lanolin every time before & after. It will get easier.

lanolin. get some, its safe for the baby. you dont have to wipe it off to bf. the saliva is whats drying your nipples out making them sore.

Great advice here. I just want to let you know that it is worth keeping it up. You will soon become a pro and will be able to nurse that baby in a lot of situations....you won't even have to think about it. I could nurse while walking around the house, on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney and on an airplane without batting an eye once I got the hang of it. I will bet the other moms here have the same kind of experiences. It does really hurt in the beginning and I do wish someone had told me that.

Just keep breastfeeding. It may hurt like hell the first few weeks, but you get used to it and your nipples do toughen up and heal. I use to cry when nursing the first week or so. A frozen bag of peas (or a frozen clean diaper) helps for the swollen breast, and there are other methods for helping with clogged ducts. As for the nipples, lots and lots of Lanolin, and let them air dry a while.

As for the latch, some children that are tongue tied can have a harder time breastfeeding and it can cause nipple pain. The Dr will do a little snip to help with that if it is an issue. So make sure that is not a cause. Info on it here:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tongue-tie/AN02069

Don't know how long you've been breastfeeding, but it takes awhile to get used to. Lansinoh after every nursing session! My first BF experience, I couldn't even bear water from the shower hitting my breasts for the first month. Once your body gets used to it, the pain does go away. When you first start, BF is painful, stressful, etc. But I promise it gets better! And then you will actually see it as the "beautiful experience" everyone leads you to expect. Hang in there!

This is normal, especially if you've never breastfed before. It actually will get better if you keep going, although that can be sooo hard to do. I'm sorry. I had this problem with my first child, and it really hurts.

What really helped me, is placing my nipple on the babies nose, slide it down, when the baby opens her mouth big, shove it in! Does that make sense? The baby's mouth should be wide open, if the corners of her mouth are touching, its not a good latch. Use lanolin cream EVERYTIME, after feeding or pumping and make sure your nipples get some air. You may have to pump for a little while until your breast heal a little bit, otherwise they are going to crack and bleed.

Good luck!

Yup, it hurts for two weeks both times. I applied the epi foam to them (after feeding) then put on the gel pads, but any numbing cream or ointment will work (with lidocaine). Before your baby latches, rub off the residue with a little draw to the nipple (ouch, but it does make the latch easier). Then latch, then count slowly to ten. The brute force of the pain largely subsides by ten.

On the plus side, it really only lasts two weeks, then you'll be set! There is nothing more convenient than having your baby's food with you where ever you go!!! Economical too! Melts maternity fat- I was back to prepreggers weight in 10 weeks!! And the sweet cuddling is a once in a lifetime opportunity that is just not to be missed.

Good luck!

Of course as everyone has said, Lanolin up baby! Like every single time after you feed. It really will help. Also I have heard that letting your nipples air dry helps as well. Never could get around to trying that one myself but I have heard it helps. The thing that helped me a lot the first time around was giving my breast a pretty good squeeze until I saw milk starting to come out. My MIL actually got me to do that and I think it helps the flow get going and the baby doesn't have to suck so hard right at first. Mainly, just know you will heal. Once you get good and sore or to the level of bleeding, you just have to heal up, and it will hurt even when you are doing everything right. As you continue on and do the things to help you heal, you will. With my first I was personally sore for the first couple months. Not sure why really, maybe he didn't latch right sometimes, but you know it was my first time and he was an aggressive little nurser! So give it time. For me after the baby latched and had started to suck for a few minutes it got better. The latch would bring tears to my eyes though! If pumping is less painful and you need to heal, take a few days and heal a bit and then try some more, but you can do and it does get easier!!

Repeated applications of lanolin all day long. A cool washcloth helps sometimes.

There are two things no one warned me about.
One was that on the third day, my boobs would be so huge that I didn't own a single article of clothing that would fit around them. I had to wear Dad's shirts.
The second thing was no one told me how sore you get in the beginning.
And it DOES hurt. I used to cry when my baby wanted to eat because it was so painful. But, it did get better with time.
10 years later, I had another baby and it was the same thing all over again. I tried nipple shields, but my babies didn't like them .
I stuck it out and nursed my son until he was 15 months.

It really does hurt at first, at least it did for me, but it got better after my boobies got toughened up a bit.
Do what makes you comfortable, but try to hang in there.
That initial pain is pretty terrible, but it's not like that the entire time. It gets much better.

I'm sending you and the baby a hug.
Hang in there.

Best wishes.

I was just about in tears for about 3-4 weeks at the beginning of breastfeeding. I talked and had numerous LC sessions and they kept saying stay with it and use the Lanolin and it will get better with time. And it did but I was determined to keep with it.
Even now when she whenever she gets new teeth it changes back to hurting for a while. I have to change her nursing position during that time and then go back after a week or so just to check to see if her latch is back to normal.
If you are wanting to really nurse keep with it! I was so glad I did I think that is what really allowed me to pump at work for the past 9 months!

Call the lactation consultant again and again. Keep going back until you work your way through this. You will, just keep at it, it's worth it!!!!!!

Warm wash clothes helped on my chest to let down which made the initial latch easier, use a boppy try setting up in different positions, the latch and gravity may be working against each other, and I was given a nursing shield from the lactation consultant that helped a lot (it was for an inverted nipple but it helped with the soreness with #2).

Keep working through this - you can do it and you will be so glad you did.

Bleeding is not normal - you need to see a lactation consultant ASAP! If the hospital where you delivered has one, that is where I would go first. And I mean like this morning - they are often closed on weekends. If that doesn't help or if you don't have a lactation department, then call a lactation consultant. They are often covered under health insurance but if not - sometimes they will see you for a sliding fee or even free the first time.

BLEEDING IS NOT NORMAL. I would guess you have one of a couple of things going on - your baby is not latched properly. Most pediatricians are NOT trained lactation counselors!!! OR - the shape of your baby's mouth is not compatible with the hold you are using. My son's mouth has a very high and narrow pallate. That made it hard for him to get a good latch in certain positions. I worked with a LC for about a week and we then nursed over a year! And yes, I was bleeding, and yes, it hurt something terrible.

The other possibility is that you have inverted nipples and your baby is having a hard time drawing them out. Again - a lactation consultant could look at you and advise options.

None of these things would mean that you can't nurse - you just need some professional help!

http://www.floridahospitalwomen.com/en/the-baby-place/bre...

http://orlandohealth.com/winniepalmerhospital/BirthingSer...

http://www.patlc.com/lactationvisits.htm

http://www.breastfeeding.com/directory/states/florida.html

Do not delay - get help today so that your breasts can heal, and you have a great breastfeeding experience. It is true that nursing might be a bit uncomfortable at first but never absolutely painful and not bleeding.

I wish you all the best. C.

Yep, happened to me too. It gets better, I promise. You have to try and push through. Once you get passed that it is such a bonding and relaxing time with your baby. I used a TON of lanolin, and just suffered through until I got used to it. I want to say it took about a week. I really enjoyed the experience as a whole. Good luck!! I commend you for trying, it's not easy.

i felt the same...then after the pain went away they were so desensitized and numb it really freaked me out. did not enjoy that.

two things helped me - soothies - little gel filled pads for over the nipples - you put them in the fridge and cool your nipples before nursing, and then after, my midwife prescribed APNO ointment (stands for All Purpose Nipple Oointment) - it was specially made up for me at the compounding pharmacy. the lanolin didn't do a thing for me, but that APNO ointment saved my nursing experience.

I too was sore, cracked and bleeding, and then I was so sore that even tho we were doing it correctly, it just HURT so much! As all the other ladies have said, after a week or two it will get SO MUCH BETTER!! If you can hang in there it really does become so much easier and better and the beautiful thing you read so much about. I remember when my daughter was about one or two months old, I had to look and see if she was latched on because I didn't feel anything! (she was!).

Good luck, and get someone to prescribe that APNO ointment - that really saved me!

Lanolin

La Leche League -- (you can find them at http://www.llli.org/webus.html-- call the on call leader for help ASAP, and then go to a meeting!)

And nurse in different positions! It'll change up which spots on your nipples get abused.....

Has YOUR doctor checked for thrush? Did you have antibiotics before/during/after your birth? If so you DEFINITELY want to get checked for thrush (and if you have it be sure baby gets treated too-- even if they don't have any symptoms, otherwise they'll just give it back to you! This is where a GOOD family practice doctor who can treat you both in one visit is WONDERFUL!) Nursing went from being pleasant and relaxing the first week and a half to "OMG! This HURTS!" the second week and we had thrush (but my son had NO symptoms)

Yep. Bleeding is normal the first week or so until they toughen up.

Nippleshields are a gift from god.

I was/am allergic to lanolin... so I had to avoid that stuff like the plauge. I'm not allergic to wool, or to lamb/mutton (many people who are allergic to lanolin are allergic to one or the other or both). Even without someone sucking on me 10 hours a day... the lanolin would be oweeeee. Which is exactly the opposite of what it's supposed to do.

Seriously, though, imagine your husband for 10 hours a day? Ouch. It just takes 1-2 weeks for the nipples to toughen. Or about 2 months with shields.

Personally... I prefer no pain and shields for a month or two than a week of Aieeeee!

When my son (first born) & I were first learning how to get him to latch on properly, yes, I bled, too. I know it hurts, but you can get through it. For me, it lasted maybe 2 weeks & then I figured out the right position for us & it never happened again. When I had my daughter 17 months after my son, she & I never went through this at all.

I'm not one to EVER push someone into going through something they're not comfortable with, I just know this one from personal experience.

try a nipple sheild, they sell them at babies r us and i am sure lots of other places. puts a thin barrier between your nipple and baby. I had this same problem with my son for the first few weeks after he was born.

these are the ones i used but they come in different sizes so make sure you get the right ones for a good fit.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2901997

More LC help. BFing is natural but not easy. Get help - it will get better. I had a horrible few months due to shingles right after giving birth, but with an LC's help, I was able to get back on track and I BF'd till my son was 2.5 yrs old.

totally normal, it's unbearable at first, but it gets better, I PROMISE! Hang in there.

I had a visit from the lactation consultant at the hospital, and again when the baby was 3 days old and too jaundice...I contacted 2 different local people listed online with La Leche and nobody called me back. I was going CRAZY, with pain, so much so that I would sit in my bed and bang my head on the headboard when the baby was latching on. I didn't find any help, except that I used "Lamisil" (?), and a heating pad, and ice packs, one day it just stopped hurting and it was smooth sailing from there on out. I almost quit several times but am glad that I stuck it out. Maybe you could use a little neosporin + at bedtime and just wash it off before nursing.. The + will help with the pain and the antibiotic cream will help you heal faster. My niece was going crazy calling me in tears when she first started nursing, I told her the same thing....just tough it out, one day suddenly it will turn and it will become easy peasy. good luck!