Omg my nipples are stinging!! My daughter is 13 days old and I've been pumping when I'm not feeding..I had to pit her on one boon exclusively yestrdy cuz it just hurt so bad when she would go to suck on it, woke up this am HAD to pump that one cuz it was strtng to hurt! I tried to put her bk on that one but it felt like I had put my nippe in the garnage disposal when she went to suckle = ( help!! I am not sure what to do..I am goin to cry as soon as she wakes up wanting "the tap"...
She is not latching on properly. I just went through this and my friend who is a breastfeeding consultant helped her to latch on. The moment she latched on, it was perfect. NO PAIN!!!
La Leche League for breastfeeding moms.
I went through the same thing with my son.
It sounds like she is not latching on correctly. Trying laying down while you nurse. Sometimes it is easier when they are that young. Do have any Lansinoh? They usually give you some at the hospital. Put that on your nipples constantly. It is okay to use even when you are nursing. You want to make sure you heal the cracks in your nipples. If bacteria gets in there you could get a breast infection.
Some babies nurse great from the very beginning. Others need a little coaching. My first latched on perfectly and I had no problems. But my second took about a month to figure it out. As mothers we just put up with the pain, in order to feed our baby. Look up some techniques online. Your baby shouldn't be sucking on your nipple, she should actually have a large amount of your areola. You will know when the latch is correct, because it won't hurt.
Does your doctor offer a lactation consultant that can come to your house and watch you nurse? That really helped me a lot. She was able to tell me exactly what to do.
Also, just an FYI. If it hurts even after she has nursed. Like a burning pain. Then it could be yeast.
I am sooooo sorry. I had the same problem breastfeeding my twins. The nurse helping me told me that my nipples needed air to heal. As a result, she had me take some old shirts/sweats and cut holes in them so my breasts/nipples would stick out. I walked around the house like this all day and only covered up for errands and eating. I'm not kidding. It was totally weird, but it worked. Good luck.
Sounds like she has a bad latch. My daughter would latch well then slip down to where she was getting just the nipple and not part of the areola. This habit of hers started to cause my nipples to blister. As soon as I corrected this, my nipple started to heal. See if you can get an appointment with a lactation consultant.
Poor thing, sore nipples are the worst!!! Hope you heal soon!
Does it feel like razor blades slicing through the inside out? Any kind of pulling feeling under your armpit? If so it could be a yeast infection on your nipples. Did baby have any thrush? I had yeast it took weeks to clear up. If not then maybe its the latch. Call your lactation consultant, At 2 weeks you shouldn't really be in pain anymore if ever. Do you use nipple cream? Lansinoh is THE BEST madela doesn't work at all. Go to breastfeeding.com its a great site for issues. Good luck
I have been there, the thought of the baby needed to nurse soon would make me sweat... Does she have most of the areola in her mouth, if you let her suck on just the nipple it will hurt really bad. Don't be afraid to break the latch and get her to re-latch until it feels better, sometimes it takes a few tries. Let your nipples get some air, and use some nipple cream (can't remember the name). I remember the first three weeks to be the hardest with my first but after we got over that hump it was so easy. WIth my second, nursing didn't hurt but my nipples were red and sore, so the lactation consultant had me pump in front of her (I was pumping while baby was in the nicu) and she realized that the cones were too small for me went and got me bigger ones and the difference was like night and day. Can you call the hospital and set up an appointment with the lactation consultant? They are really amazing at noticing things that others might not. Although most people say that if the baby is on correctly there should be no pain involved, I still found it to be painful the first couple of weeks( and yes my baby was on correctly) while my nipples toughened up. Good luck and congrats!
Get a nipple shield right away! It will alleviate the pain while still allowing your little one to get milk AND stimulate your milk production. After a few weeks, you'll just discover that your baby is better able to latch and it won't hurt to nurse without the shield.
Also, my lactation consultant told me to give myself a break(sort of) for a fe w days from getting chewed up. She told me to nuse 10 minutes on each side, then pump for 15 minutes. You and baby will still get the 1 on 1 practice AND your partner can help out by giving the pumped milk at the next feeding, giving you some relief. This really helped me heal while still building my supply.
Updated
I wanted to add - Hoag hospital has a breastfeeding clinic that offers a 1on1 lactation consultant session for $40. It is well worth it, completely private and helpful! You can search online for the "hoag hospital baby line" for their phone number.
I also used Lansinoh with my first baby, but was still having so much pain. A lactation consultant watched me nurse, and then told me that my baby wasn't latched on properly. She took her thumb and pulled down on baby's chin, which adjusted her latch, and the relief was immediate. Most hospitals offer free consulting, with many that will make house calls. Good luck!
You've gotten good advice so far but I thought I would add that I've successfully nursed two babies past a year and both hurt in the beginning. With my first I used a nipple shield (bought it at Target) and it was a life-saver! I didn't need it with my second but still had it available just in case :) Also, you should try to go see a lactation consultant- I am sure your local hospital has some kind of outpatient breastfeeding support program and it is worth the money. Good luck and hang in there...it does get better :)
It's probably the latch. We had the same issue with 1 of them and I saw a lactation consultant and it made a huge difference. She also noticed that he was little tongue tied, something the pediatrican didn't notice. I brought him back into the office and he said it wasn't bad enough to clip (sublingual frenulumectomy), but I told him that I begged to differ!!! He finally agreed and INSTANTLY it was way better, but it took me 5 weeks before I could get my husband to agree to have it checked out, so his nursing pattern was already established and it while it diminished like 80% instantly, it took a little while for it to all go away. Before that, I would cringe as he latched on and I would cry the entire time. My other 2, never had that problem.
If you want a local lacatation consultant or the peds name, let me know. Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP.
This is how I felt. I could take the pump better, so I pumped instead of nursing. I've been told it takes about two weeks to 'toughen' the nipples for nursing. If you can take it. I couldn't, so I didn't. My kids still got some milk, and I was in less pain. Don't feel bad if nursing doesn't work for you. It doesn't make you a bad mom.
It could be the latch...if it's really bad...I'd have somebody look at it...I got thrush with my last...and it was a nitemare! I have never experienced pain like that...I'd nursed my previous 3 just fine...a little pain in the beginning...one had a problem with improper latching...but not bad - nothing like having thrush!! It got to where even pumping was painful...I would cringe and tense up...it got unbearably painful. Look in your baby's mouth and see if you see any little white spots...particularly on the side/top (it's typical to have white spots on the tongue w/out having thrush). Nursing shouldn't be that painful :(. I did start supplementing a bit...if I gave my son a couple ounces before nursing (a couple times a day before his biggest feedings)...he didn't nurse quite so...vigorously :/. If it is thrush...my dr. gave me medicine to take by mouth as well as gentian violet and newman's nipple ointment to apply directly to my nipples...I also got an ointment to put in my son's mouth. I would VERY seriously consider having someone look at it...your ob/midwife could...they also have people at WIC...or if there's a local la leche league. A lot of time's hospitals will have lactation consultants. My son NEVER really looked like he had thrush...the dr. found a couple little white spots...but it was nothing like the pictures I'd seen online of babies w/ thrush - even if you're not finding white spots...you never know. You certainly aren't a bad mom if you choose not to breastfeed...but if you can get it taken care of - I personally think it's worth it - I loved breastfeeding. Best of luck to you!!!
