help, ideas, support needed

[kimkim]

bf'ing my 4 day old. on day one she latched painfully on to the point of some tissue damage to left breast. she seems to be not using her tounge. it's long enough. her bottom lip is flared but she won't open super wide. right nipple was chomped to the point now where part of the tissue has turned black (no external bleeding). it is extremely painful to nurse the right side and she has so much trouble latching on the right side (pops on an off the nipple). i still do it though but it's SO frustrating. the left side still hurts but not excruciatingly and seems to be healing. when i nurse the left side after a few minutes the right side lactates profusely. it's hard to manually express on the right side.

i'm just at wit's end. today she wants to nurse all day.
i've been putting lanolin on, a cold cloth with sitz herbs, warm sitz bath washcloths...i don't know what to do. i want to bf. i don't like being scared to.
her jaw is so strong it is so difficult to correct her latch...

thanks for any advice you can offer. i don't even want company over b/c it hurts to wear a shirt and the baby gets so frustrated if she's not latched on quickly she immediately starts bawling which ends the attempts at latching and makes it so hard.

[annettemarie]

I'm sorry. I'm going to move this out to the general forum where there's a little more traffic and where most "early days" problems are answered.

[kimkim]

my mw suggested craniosacral therapy...

[poorlittlefish]

I'm sorry you are having a rough time. I am not there so I cannot say for sure if something is wrong but what I will say is that in the begining, breastfeeding can hurt. Both my girls gave me scabs and bleeding sore nipples the first few weeks but as their mouth got larger, they were able to take more in and the pain went away.

People that that if you are doing it right, it won't hurt but I have found that it take mom and baby a few weeks to get the hang of things.

Does she have enough wets and dirties? If so, then she is getting enough milk. I would just work on getting her to open wider and ride it out. it gets better! Hang in there!

[somegirl99]

Have you seen a lactation consultant? We had a similar tongue issue at the beginning, the LC at the hospital had me start off every nursing session with an exercise of having DS suck on my finger first to make sure he would start using his tongue before putting him on the breast.

[Heba]

Biological Nurturing

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter! Have you tried "laid-back" nursing positions? These capitalise on baby's innate latching instincts and can help bring baby's tongue forward as well as open wider. Look at www.biologicalnurturing.com - if you click on the "For Mothers" link, there's a how-to "recipe" and a video.

Also, if you don't manage to get things sorted quickly, you might like to consider cranio-sacral therapy which may help with her jaw movement (if it's going to help, you should see improvement after one or two sessions).

Good luck, and I hope things get better very soon!

[Casha'sMommy]

s
This was me with all 5 of my children.
After the first I learned that all babies are different and none of them are born knowing how to nurse. They sometimes need a little encouragement and help along the way. I also learned that Mommies aren't born knowing how to nurse and sometimes we need a little encouragement and help along the way.
I think my poor battered boobs were better around the 2 week mark. Also, it was right around 5 days that it was at its worst and steadily the situation improved. IMO, it gets better when your milk comes in full force and they're getting what they want. Greedy little buggers
GL

[rhiOrion]

I had your exact same problem. I took DD to the chrio three times and it helped somewhat. But mostly what helped was time.

I also got a sheet from the LC about different exercises (like the pp mentioned) that you can do to help bring that tongue forward.

It does get better!

[kimkim]

thanks everyone. i watched a video-baby led breastfeeding which helps with the left breast. i just don't know how my breasts are going to heal with all this nursing! the right one i can't tell if it's getting worse or better. it looks horrible and is SO painful to nurse. i think her latch is improving, maybe it's just tissue damage pain at this point? we usually have to open her jaw once she's on but it's still a struggle. i keep hearing it gets better but i dread the feedings....i've been doing lots of lanolin...i go to the mw tomorrow for our one week so we'll see what they say about it.

[Addie]

I know you said her tongue is long enough, but it wouldn't hurt to have your MW check for a tongue tie. My ds had it, and the pain was excruciating. His nursing got better immediately after getting clipped, but it took a few weeks for my pain to go away, due to tissue damage. He also somehow got me good the very first time he nursed, moments after birth, and I had a spot of dark tissue like you described. I know how painful that can be. My LC gave me a prescription for APNO, which did seem to speed the healing and provide some pain relief. And I started taking ibuprofen around the clock, which I hated doing but it helped me face the next nursing session, and my LC assured me it's safe while BFing.

Can you see a LC, preferably a IBCLC? Perhaps your midwife can refer you?

For what it's worth, sticking with BFing is one of the best decisions I've made, though there were times in those first few week when I thought I wouldn't make it another day. I distinctly remember that feeling of anxiety and dread when DS stirred, thinking I'd have to nurse him soon, and the toe-curling pain when he latched... I know its hard to believe right now, but it does get better. I honestly didn't think there would ever be such a thing as pain free nursing, but honest, there is.

[ShanaV]

Medela Hydrogel pads are what my LC recommended for a cracked nipple. It healed up overnight, and I could continue nursing while using the pads. Should help your hurt boobies heal up too. They're pricey, but worth it. HTH!

[kimkim]

so we took her to the chiro yesterday for a little adjustment. and today she is refusing the damaged nipple. but the nipple has new tissue on it. it looks disgusting but i'm glad to see some healing happening but i'm wary of getting her on that nipple for further damage. but regardless she is not having it anyways. she'll pop on suck once pop off and do it until she gets so frustrated that she screams. then i put her on the left side and she latches right on and sucks until she passes out. her tongue has been checked and is okay. i've tried so many positions but she is not having the damaged nipple. but it leaks like a faucet when i nurse the other side. should i just keep offering it? should i be worried that she's not nursing that side?