first timer needing some help

[TX Mama]

Hi there! I have a 10 day old little man and I am a first timer. He is pretty mellow and I am thankful for that. I made the mistake of not correcting poor latch early on and my nipples took quite a beating. I am slowly healing and we are working on the latch. He will get a good one but then let go and it takes us a few minutes to get going. It is still very painful because my nipples have not healed. Once he gets going it's better but the initial start brings me to tears. Any ideas for healing? I use the milk and let them air dry after feedings, feed him often, and just breathe deep. I will be going to my towns LLL meeting as soon as that happens but it won't be for a couple of weeks and I would like relief before then.

I also think he has developed thrush. I see some tiny white dots on his back gums. It doesn't seem to bother him, no fever. What should I be doing to help it clear up?Thanks for any info!

[Annie Mac]

Lanolin helped me quite a bit, until I "toughened up."

Not sure what to do about thrush.

[trumpcard]

DD is 12 days old and I had a similar problem. I have gotten some relief and better healing with a saline rinse after each nursing session followed by a small amount of Lansinoh. My cracks are healing up much better than with Lansinoh alone.

[PatioGardener]

i third the lanolin/lansinoh.

hang in there - it took about 2 weeks to get better for me.

As for thrush, are you sure baby has thrush? Often the white is on the tongue. They can also have diaper rash thrush. Do you have any symptoms?

[TX Mama]

I'm not sure what symptoms are for the mom. I have cracked nipples, some areas (small) are bleeding. There is pain (not constant) when I am not feeding. I have a rice bag that i heat up and apply and that helps. I will be getting some of the cream you suggested tomorrow. I have my 2 week wellness check this Thurs so I should know more then. Cold also affects the pain a great deal. I suffered from nipple vasospasm even before giving birth. I am very determined to stay with it as my baby is worth it. I just want it to be enjoyable as I know it can be.
I am only seeing the white spots on his gums and not his tongue. I also begin with hand massaging to get the milk going so he doesn't have to work so hard to get to let down. I feel like I have a good supply. He feeds for quite awhile and I'm not sure what is "normal". The initial feeding goes for about 45+ minutes before I switch him to the other side which goes anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
I am contacting LLL tomorrow to see if I can meet with a leader to get some relief.

[patronus]

tx mama,
i feel your pain. my lo had a bad latch that did quite a number on my nipples the first couple weeks or so. in addition to the lanolin, i used gel pads. the version lansinoh are called soothies. you can put them in the refrigerator so that they're cool when you put them on. the only hassle is that you need to rinse them and your breast when you take them off (before nursing the next time). they really worked to speed my healing (the entire surface of my nipples were scabs -ouch!)
good luck and hang in there, it gets better soon!

[LorenaAZ]

earth mama baby angel makes a really good nipple butter. It`s much better than lansinoh and completely natural (I think it`s organic). That`s the only thing that helped me and I cried during the inital latch for about 2 months.