I'm done

[beatgenxer]

It's been six weeks of constant pain. When we latch on. The whole feeding (tho not as bad as the initial latch on). When we're not feeding. I've talked to two LC plus my MWs. It's not thrush - most likely a latching issue that I've been trying to resolve with little luck. He slips down to just the nipple all the time. Plus I think my nipples are just very sensitive. I can't ride out this pain until he gets bigger and can latch better. I hate not being able to cuddle him to my chest or use any of the slings I have to wear him

So who here has supplemented and how do I do it? I'd at least like to BF a couple of times a day because I'd like to have that (painfree) bonding experience with him, plus not to mention the health benefits.

[isabellamirac]

Would you be open to pumping, and then bottlefeeding your milk? All the women I've known who supplemented with formula lost their supply, although there may be women here who've been succesful doing that too. If you keep pumping, then hopefully baby's latch might improve enough for him to return to the tap later.

Also, keep wearing your babe, even if you're not BFing - great bonding.

Best of luck to you.

[Materfamilias]

Have you checked out your local LLL? I was totally unimpressed with the only LC I spoke to, but both La Leche chapters in my area were awesome.
Best of luck and

[beatgenxer]

I can't pump - even that hurts too much.

And I'd love to wear my LO but like I said I can't now bc of the pain. That's one of the reasons I'm thinking of supplementing - so I can wear him.

The one LC was a LLL leader who became a private LC and doula. So yep, I've tried all kinds of professionals and nothing has seemed to help.

[evening start]

I'm sorry to hear you are in such pain. Have you tried a nipple shield? It definitely helped my son to latch on before his tongue tie was cut, and it protected my nipples from pain and damage. Once the shield is on it is much easier to latch the baby on and off. If you want to continue breastfeeding, even just occasionally, I recommend trying one. Good luck.

[womenswisdom]

I just wanted to suggest that you might try chiropractic, as some palate issues can be resolved with chiropractic or cranial sacral therapy. A high palate can cause latch issues and is something many LCs don't know to check for. Also, I assume they did check for tongue tie? That's a very common reason for a poor latch. I'm sorry you're dealing with this - pain during nursing is so difficult. I know that even after my son's latch issue was corrected, it still took a while before it was not painful anymore, just because my nipples had been so damaged.

[K.Patrick's Mom]

I have to tell you- I had the worst time with my LO latching on - and the lactation consultant literally had me SHOVE my LO on. ( it was nothing I would have done on my own) Everytime he slips- take him off- and just shove your whole nipple in there- don't mean to be graphic- but maybe it will work- the pain your experiencing sounds exactly like mine... and hold his little head there.. I think us mommies are to gentle- all the lactation consultants in the hospital were rough- and it made me angry- but maybe that's why. has anyone watched him latch on? B/c I talked to tons of people- and didn't get help until somebody watched the whole process. maybe if there's a Lll group in your area- or a breastfeeding class at a local hospital- they can take a look. And once he's been latching on wrong for a while- it may take a few feedings for your nipples to feel better. But they will! I'll tell you having a LC come to my house was the best money I've ever spent. I don't mean to push the breasfeeding on you- I've just been there- and hopefully it helps. You really have to shove your whole nipple in his little mouth.

[RiverSky]

I do understand that beginning pain, as I had it with my DS but you know what? It just went away one day. One of my friends swears I had thrush, even though it didn't present with the symptoms that they say it does (ds did not have white spots in his mouth, etc.) so perhaps your doctor is just wrong. Perhaps you can try taking one of those anti-fungal medicines anyway. (nyactin or something?)

Please try everything you can (nipple shields, lanolin, chiropractic, etc.) because you will be SSOOOO happy if you can ride this period through. Your baby will be healthier, get sick less, probably not have ear infections, and every time your baby cries, you will have this easy way of soothing your baby. Without nursing, it's so so so so hard to soothe a baby when they fall and bump their knee, accidentally encounter an elbow or a table corner, etc. If you start supplementing with formula, chances are your baby will get immediately backed up, start throwing up, the diapers will suddenly start stinking horribly, clothes will stain way more with little spit ups or spills, etc. It's a pain to have to wash and sterilize bottles all the time, get formula ready, warm it, pack it up when you go places, it sucks if you miscalculate how much you need and if you don't bring enough, or if your plans change. It's awful if you have to do a middle of the night run to buy more, because you accidentally ran out.

I swear, I TOTALLY feel your pain, I remember it well, but it will end, it will.

Venting can help though, so vent away!

[Magical_Mama]

MilkShare

Sorry you're having such a tough time. I'm not sure what you're planning on supplementing with but I thought I'd mention MilkShare if you didn't know about it. It's a group that matches up mamas with extra milk with those who need it, via a yahoo group. The milk is basically free (other than shipping costs and such if mothers don't find local donors). Here's info on the group: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2...-milk-to-spare

There are LOTS of generous mothers on there all over the U.S. and perhaps Canada. Some even offer specific types of milk (for instance, dairy free milk if their own babies are allergic to dairy). Just thought I'd mention it.

Good luck with whatever route you choose. I had mastitis and thrush with my last baby and I remember the pain was like razor blades when my baby latched on. Luckily I was able to fix it all, but I know how awful it is to have to steel yourself to that kind of pain when you're doing something that's supposed to be wonderful. I wish I had a magic answer to help!

~Alicia

[April Dawn]

Hugs to you, that's really hard.

If you decide to stop nursing, pumping may stop being painful once you heal up from your current soreness. I struggled with similar issues, and at three months I decided to exclusively pump and bottle feed the pumped milk. Within a week of not nursing, I had healed from the blisters and soreness, and now pumping is not painful (just annoying!). I am sad about not getting the nursing relationship, but my son gets 100% breastmilk, which I'm thrilled about. So going that route may be something to consider if your circumstances will allow it.

Best of luck!

[HappyHappyMommy]

Congratulations Rebecca on the birth of your son! And . It sounds like you've had six really hard weeks. And you've tried so many things!

In reading your posts something stood out to me:

Originally Posted by beatgenxer

It's been six weeks of constant pain. When we latch on. The whole feeding (tho not as bad as the initial latch on). When we're not feeding. I've talked to two LC plus my MWs. It's not thrush - most likely a latching issue that I've been trying to resolve with little luck.

Originally Posted by beatgenxer

I can't pump - even that hurts too much.

If it's hurting both when your son is directly breastfeeding and when you're pumping, that sounds to me like there's more going on then just a latching issue (since a latching issue wouldn't happen when you pump).

I know you've seen several people about this, so I really empathize with feeling like you've seen all kinds of professionals and nothing has seemed to help. My experience wasn't the same as you describe, but I did see 4 LCs, 2 pediatricians, 1 pediatric specialists, and my OB and midwife; ultimately, there were multiple issues happening in my and my DD's case and it was a combination of the 4th LC, the 2nd pediatrician (and the specialist she referred us to) and my OB that were able to determine what was going on. Perhaps if you post in your tribal area, some MDC mamas might have some suggestions of professionals that might be helpful?

All that said, remember that you know YOU best and you know best what's right for you. A lot of people were quick to say to me "Oh, you should just do XXX," but well-meaning as that advice was, the people giving it weren't in my shoes and didn't necessarily know everything I had already tried. It can be very helpful to get suggestions, but take any suggestions (mine included) with a grain of salt.

I'll be thinking of you and hoping that you feel better soon.

[HappyHappyMommy]

Originally Posted by April Dawn

I am sad about not getting the nursing relationship, but my son gets 100% breastmilk, which I'm thrilled about. So going that route may be something to consider if your circumstances will allow it.

[beatgenxer]

Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions. I'm so miserable and b!thcy all the time it's impacting my bonding with LO and my relationship with DH - he can't stand to see me in pain, cursing and flinching at every nursing. I cry every day over the pain and even considering using formula once or twice a day - and I'm tired of crying over it every day. I just want to have a cuddle with either one of them (or both) where it doesn't hurt

[tessa_s212]

You should see my thread about exclusively pumping.

Because of DS's hating the breast, eating less often and basically starving himself (combined with a bad bout of mastitis), I did start to see a drop in my milk supply. I got a pump, started pumping every two hours (I did have to supplement with 1 formula feeding once a day for a few days though). I'm taking supplements (Fenugreek), and now I have more than plenty milk now. I'm pumping 7 oz at one time in the morning.

Switching to exclusively pumping was the BEST thing I could have done for DS. You can cuddle him ANY time, not just when nursing. You can still give him the best nutrition. He'll be happier, you'll be happier.

[TanyaS]

I would have to second the chiropractic recommendation. For babies who have persistant latch issues and everything else has been ruled out, this can be very helpful.

[GoldmanBaby09]

Originally Posted by RiverSky

I do understand that beginning pain, as I had it with my DS but you know what? It just went away one day.

This! Mama, I have to tell you, my ds and I had it easy from the beginning. Latched on great, plenty of supply, and a baby that loved to nurse. And even though there was nothing "wrong" it still hurt!! But looking back, I can see clear points in which bf got easier. The first few days after birth, excruciating. The first two weeks, miserable. But by about 7 weeks, it was like a switch came on, my nipples were totally toughened up, and it stopped hurting. You are so close to that point! So I totally understand being frustrated and tired of the pain, especially if you have a baby that wants to nurse constantly. But it gets easier, it really does. Soon your babe will be bigger and won't need to nurse so much and so often and your nipples will get a chance to heal. Are you still wearing nursing pads? I still can't stand to have my nipples rub directly on any thing, so I need a little buffer. But I would encourage you not to give up nursing at the breast in exchange for being able to wear your baby. This is such a short time, and I would be willing to bet you are just about over that hump.

Good luck, Mama!

[ariatrance]

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...blanching.html
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVJulAug94p53.html
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/a-when_latching.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/bas...sing-chin.html
http://www.health-e-learning.com/art...s_RMclutch.pdf



Read through some of these links and see if anything gets your attention. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Raynaud's yet.

I did have a painful latch in the beginning and that effected my let-down, the feeding and nipple sensitivity (although my husband liked me shirtless all the time! ). For me, it was trying to force E to latch in a very particular way - what the LC taught me to do in the hospital. Understanding how muscles/reflexes work allowed me to relax enough to make it through another few feedings until E latched on her own way (perfect) without my interference.

I'm sure there is an answer to your problems! Just keep looking for solutions until something works (even if that's pumping or formula). For several weeks I had a can of formula available but I would tell myself "Just this time, I'll breastfeed and the next one, I'll give E a bottle." I never did open the can.

[Pepper44]

The first 2 months of breastfeeding were horrible for me also. A lot of pain, so much that my toes curled and I sweated. One thing, which I know isn't highly recommended by midwives and crunchy LC's, that saved our breastfeeding relationship were the nipple shields. There was no pain!! They were super annoying to put on, but once you get them suctioned on correctly your babe can nurse without hurting you. You can buy nipple shields at Babies R Us, just be sure to get the correct size.

I hope things turn the corner for you soon!