Nursing Still Hurts After 5 Weeks

You should see a lactation consultant with the initials IBCLC after her name. In the meantime, try to attend a La Leche League meeting and see if the leader can see the problem. Sometimes viewing the nursing from different angle (not mommy's angle!) can shed light on the problem.

It sounds like a tongue-tie or tongue thrust to me. My second daughter had a tongue thrust and she would put her tongue out to suck and it made it incredibly painful, but with the help of an LC and a lot of patience latching and re-latching, we finally got it right (and she is still nursing at almost 3 years old. Yay!)

Lansinoh can make it worse if you are allergic to wool, by the way.

Try undressing the both of you for some skin-to-skin contact first. Babies nurse better that way since they are more relaxed. Don't wait to nurse until he is STARVING, and just sit in a comfy spot with a big glass of water and snack for you, any pillows, etc and tell yourself you are going to "practice" for half an hour, an hour, etc. and try to get him in a position that isn't painful.

I would do all of the steps you see online where there are great photos of how to nurse in the correct positions (or any books you have.) This won't replace an LC's advice, which is totally invaluable!! but it might help you in the meantime. Do those things you think you "know" how to do already, like making sure the mouth is wide open and tongue is down, bringing the baby to YOU instead of leaning in toward the baby, trying a football hold, pointing the chin at the nipple when you bring him in to nurse, etc. If you last nursed a toddler, you could be expecting too much too. That was one of my problems- I wasn't guiding the baby like I should have been.

If he still latches on hurts and you don't think it's a tongue issue, try this:
Let him latch and then, with your finger, go around his entire mouth and gently rub his lips outward so they are very pooched out around your nipple- it could be that he is sucking in some of his lip too and causing friction. Usually it is the bottom lip that causes and issue, but some babies do both/either. It won't give you a PERFECT latch, but it may help make it more comfy.

Latch, latch, and re-latch different ways, trying different things. And pay the $100 or so for an certified LC. I know a great one named Peggy Healy, if you want to Google her. She is amazing and will travel to your home and weigh the baby before and after nursing, etc.

Hope this helps!
M.

Check to see if you have a mild fungal infection on your nipples (all that moisture...). My daughter had thrush (fungal infection in her mouth) and I had no idea until her pediatrician noticed it. She went on an antifungal medication and her little mouth cleared up. Becuaes of the thrush, my nipples were so very sore - since she was my first I didn't realize that it shouldn't hurt! So I had to clean them off after each nursing and use fresh pads. It cleared right up and no more problems.

You could meet w/a lactation consultant. Some insurances will cover it. Check w/the hospital where you delivered.

Don't give up, mama! You are doing GREAT! I'm not going to lie. ... I thought I knew it all about breastfeeding after I had my son 5 years ago. It was so "Easy" with him. I breastfed him for 15 months and it was amazing. It hurt a little in the beginning (ok, it hurt a lot and then we got our groove!) but after about a month, we were great.

Now I have a 6 month old daughter and she is TOTALLY different. Breastfeeding kind of sucks (no pun intended!) with her. She doesn't like to latch correctly and only wants a little bit of the nipple in her mouth. She is distractable and pulls off all the time. I get so frustrated with it! If this had been how it was with my son, I doubt we would have made it to over a year! I find myself pumping and bottle feeding quite a bit more with her. Sometimes I just want to give my poor nipples a break!

Don't give up. You are doing so well, even making it past one month! I see that you have breastfed your other children before so perhaps you and I are in the same boat! I agree with a previous poster about checking with a lactation consultant... check with the hospital you gave birth at to see if they have someone on staff! They are usually so overzealous about keeping mamas breastfeeding, they will be happy to help!

Good luck. Check his latch and just keep at it. Maybe every kid's personality has something to do with it? My daughter is driving me crazy! After 6 months, the left side is uncomfortable (or just plain hurts!) every time still. Just different, I guess. *hugs*

I had the same thing with my daughter (now 6mo) It did get better, I still will get sore sometimes, but nothing like it was at first. I did have my dr check to make sure I didn't have an infection, my dr just recommemded lathering on the lanolin and letting your breast have some air time (go w/o bra or shirt for a little each day at home) this was hard for me because I wasn't comfortable doing this in front of my son, so I don't know how well it works.
Good luck!!

I had the same issue with my second baby. It was not a matter of improper latching, so talking to a lactation consultant wasn't the answer. My baby was just a more "enthusiastic" feeder than the first and sucked really hard. The pain was unbelievable. I didn't wear a bra at home and could only bear the softest of cotton t-shirts. I'd call your OB/GYN for All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO). You need something stronger than lanolin. I think the APNO has a 3 medications, including some type of steroid (not harmful to the baby). I read plenty of stuff about it on the web when my doctor prescribed it. It really worked, although it takes some time since your baby is still feeding on the sore area. Hope your pain stops soon.

Ooooo...I remember those days! My first baby did the same thing to me and I remember being in so much pain I cried everytime she latched on. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it now.

I think you should IMMEDIATELY go to visit the lactation consultant at the nearest hospital. It was the best thing that I ever did! They have so much knowledge and I bet they can tell you exactly what the problem is and give advice, supplies to solve it (i.e., positioning, nipple shields).

Good luck to you and let us know how your doing!

-Leanne

My bf mother in law is a renowned lactation consultant and she typicallys says that it has to do with the latching. Maybe look up your local la leche group? Sometimes the leaders will come out to your home or your hospital will have someone come to your home. My guy was 8lbs 15 0zs and he was the same in the beginning and he's a biter! It kinda cracks me up but its painful! Im not looking forward to when he gets teeth! I take him away every time he bites, they say that when they do that they are no longer hungry anymore.

I ditto what Amanda R said about making sure you see an IBCLC. I would not see a LC from the hospital though unless they have this accreditation. Peg Healy is a great resource and so is Juli Walter. Google them for their info. You've gotten good response here but I'd see a LC before the problem gets worse. Good luck.

Sometimes babies sucks are the reason things don't get better and if you think you've trouble shot all the other possibilities, you could look into infant chiropractic or cranial sacral work. It is super gentle and helps check and guide babies into their perfect alignment. Many little ones have issues with suck, reflux, ear infections and it's usually due to minor misalignments caused from the birth process. I am a birth & postpartum doula and massage therapist, I don't do this work myself but refer many clients to practitioners I trust. Please let me know if you'd like any names. (mamassagedoula.com) Take care and good luck!

With my 3rd, I had very painful nursing-not the same as yours, but extreme pain with let down. I was checked for thrush etc and was all clear. It lasted a good 2-3 months but eventually passed. I had the cracked bleeding nipples with first-forget for how long, but it eventually passed. Kudos to you for continuing-check for thrush and hang in there! Good luck!

i was in pain for 6 months with nursing...saw many lactation consultants and talked to my doc and it never got better....crying and severe pain. i continued to do it because i knew it was the best for my daughter...hang in there!

I've nursed four and it's always painful for me for the first few months, but if that hasn't been your past experience I would see a lactation consultant, hang in there!!!

Congratulations on your fourth baby and choosing to nurse him. :) There is something called All Purpose Nipple Ointment sold at Ballins Pharmacy on Lincoln (other places too, I think) and it works like a charm for many different nursing issues. I was told that lansinoh can actually trap moisture contributing to thrush. Good luck. :)

I had this problem too, my little guy just was too hard on me....I have been pumping only for almost 5 months. I just couldn't stand the latch...he was so hungry and very strong!! I am sorry you are having such a problem...medela makes a patch you can put on your nipples and it's a moist treatment...when I was at my worse I used those and they were wonderful!! I hope this helps!!!

I would see a LC my daughter did that too and she was latched well but she wasn't sucking right, she was chewing. Positioning change helped everything.

In the meantime, get some Soothies. They are gel patches and they helped a lot.

Kellymom.com also has great resources and LC's on their boards that can provide advice/help.

My son was 8lb 14 oz and I had a very similar situation. He had a very strong and competent suck. He latched correctly and EVERYTHING! The lactation consultant I saw quite a bit during that time said she couldn't explain it...I did stop "washing" my breasts. I allowed water during my showers to run over them but no soap was used...and it got better fast.

I only used the lansinoh lanolin and "toughed it out" for 8 weeks. Then for some odd reason, all was well.

I also had a lot of pain/scabs/bleeding with my first daughter -- probably for about three months. I drove myself crazy trying to figure out what I was doing wrong -- but her latch was fine. I think it was just like some of the other moms have said -- she just sucked so hard! I was putting gobs of lansinoh on too and then a lactation consultant suggested that might just be making it worse so I stopped. It was right around then that I started healing -- so now I'm not sure if it was the lansinoh or if it just took some time. Hang in there. I know it's miserable. But it should get better.