Day 4 - should it REALLY not hurt at all?!

[ashleymarie]

I keep hearing that breastfeeding should be painless - but it isn't for me! Should I expect it to be?

This is WAY harder than I thought it would be. I actually like the breastfeeding itself - but HATE the sore nipples and huge, leaking boobs. I can't put anything against my nipples because they hurt when I do that. I think his latch may be wrong, but I'm always so happy that he's finally LATCHED that I can't bring myself to tear him away (it also hurts to do that!)

I don't know whether the pain will go away, or if I need to go see the lactation consultant. I'm only 4 days into this whole breastfeeding thing - I hope it gets easier!!

[Annie Mac]

I hurt for the first 2 weeks or so. My nipples became raw and cracked and, oh, ouch! I found lanolin helped a lot. An LC should help you figure out whether it's his latch or not. I wish they would let moms know it does hurt in the beginning. I remember a poster at the LD ward when I had my daughter, and it said breastfeeding should not hurt. I understand they were trying to alert people to improper latch, but still, it's not true. It does hurt, even with proper latch.

[stik]

With both my kids, the first few weeks of breastfeeding have been tricky and uncomfortable. It definitely wasn't painless for me. It got a LOT easier, and I went on to breastfeed for a long, long time with both my dds.

Soothies (the gel pads) are expensive, but they helped a lot. I liked to put mine in the refrigerator. I got them from a maternity store. Amazon has them: http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Sooth.../dp/B002KGHUL4 - I'm putting in the link because it has tons of reviews from women who report that the first few weeks of nursing were hard and painful in case you need proof that you aren't the only person ever to have this problem.

An LC might be able to help you figure out how to latch better and how to manage engorgement. An LC should also be able to spot any more serious problems that might be making nursing more uncomfortable. And, this might all be part of the completely normal, not-entirely-blissful process of adjusting to nursing

[adoremybabe]

Oh boy did it hurt with my first. You may want to see an LC just to double check latch. I never did. I was pretty confident that my little one's latch was just fine and just lived through the pain. I'll admit. It was utterly horrible. BUt it went away after 2 weeks or so.

I've had two more children and haven't had to go through that again.

[Purple Sage]

It hurt for a few weeks with my first baby, and the engorgement was pretty bad, too. It did get better, though, and now I've spent almost an entire decade nursing my babies. The first weeks with #1 were the worst, but I got lucky with the other three - no pain and very little engorgement or leaking.

For the pain when unlatching, try breaking the suction by putting your finger in the corner of his mouth and gently opening his mouth a little.

Hope things get better for you quickly! And congrats on your new baby!

[annettemarie]

Moving out to the main forum, as per the forum guidelines.

[BeanyMama]

Please see an LC! It hurt terribly with my first for the whole first week- bleeding nips, giant engorged breasts. We made an appt with an LC and it helped immeasurably. There's absolutely a learning curve, it will get way easier and what you're going through is normal. Hang in there!

[jdg]

It hurt SO MUCH at the beginning. After the first few days, it only hurt for the first 10-20 seconds of each nursing session, and then was fine. This was actually how I knew that she was latched correctly - if the pain went away after 20 seconds, she was latched well. If the pain did not go away after 20 seconds, then I had to try again.

Once you make it through the frist couple of weeks, it really is usually painless. But I'm VERY glad that an LC warned me about the first few weeks being painful or else I would have thought that something was very wrong.

[Ambystoma]

DS's latch was perfect from birth and it hurt so much on the 3-4th day that I cried anytime he needed to eat. I think it has to do with how often they eat at first (he was every hour or so for 5-10minutes on each breast). But by the time he was a week or so old it eased up to not really hurt. And by 2-3 weeks it didn't really feel like anything. No pain, no irritation (unless he's dreamfeeding for 30 minutes or something and then I just pop him off).

I remember being in your shoes and thinking that everyone who said it was painless was a liar or had callous nips or something! It totally does get better. Just keep slathering on lanolin and keep them out of the water if possible.

[ashleymarie]

Thanks, everyone! I feel a million times better knowing that there IS an end in sight.

I plan to see the LC from the hospital I gave birth at in the next week or so - she was fabulous and will hopefully be able to help me figure out whether this is normal, or if he is latching wrong, etc.

For now, I'm just going to continue walking around topless all the time because I can't stand putting ANYTHING on my nipples. Except those Lansinoh soothie gels - those are AWESOME.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

My son had a very high palate and it hurt so much to nurse him for a couple of months. I was told that he had to basically grow a bigger palate before it would stop hurting. It was so hard to make it through those first few weeks, especially being told it might hurt for many more weeks. We did make it through though, and he is now 3.5 and still nursing! You can do it!!!!

[lifeguard]

I agree with pp that there can definitely be some pain in the first few weeks. But it is sooooo worth getting through it! I'm glad you're seeing the lc just in case.

[JudiAU]

I'd think of it this way. If you attached a weasel to your toe and he sucked on it all day and everyday by day four you'd be sore right? Your breasts are the same way. They never had the little bugger on them and they have to find there way. Even if you do everything correctly they are bound to be sore. Plissé you've got hormones up the wazoo and milk coming in. They are going to calm down soon. I promise. Have a good, knowledgeable person evaluate your latch every couple of days to keep you on track (lll or lc or really experienced mother).

It totally gets better. And the next baby will be much easier. Hang in there.

Cold fruit and cold packs on the boobs help.

Next time your nips won't be nearly as sore and the engorgement will likely be much milder too.

[crystal_buffaloe]

Just wanted to send good luck and happy nursing vibes your way. If you have pain, I'd consult with a LLL leader or and LC right away just to make sure there's nothing you should watch out for/correct, but the fact that it's a little painful at 4 days doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. Update in a week or two to let us know how it's going! I also was just pretty much naked all the time except for the hydrogel packs (which I loved, loved, loved).

[SilverFish]

pain can be a sign of something wrong, it can also be part of the normal process. for me, breastfeeding was not really comfortable until about 8 weeks in. we had some extra issues of course, but i think some pain and discomfort is par for the course.

if the latch is wrong but not terrible, i personally think it's best not to unlatch and relatch over and over. maybe once, but not multiple times. just try and get the latch better next time. and latch is a pretty individual thing too... not every baby's latch is going to look the same. i spent a lot of time watching videos of babies nursing and trying out different tricks until i found the one that seemed to click for us.

[Bettercare]

Breast Feeding

yes you heard it right..it's totally painless...and secondly its very important for baby nourishment.As the baby grows and his digestive system develops further, the breasts produce exactly the type of nutrition the baby needs. The breast milk even contains an enzyme that is exclusive to breast milk that protects developing teeth from decay. A baby can actually live and develop perfectly well on a diet of exclusive breast milk for about two years. As long as the child continues nursing, there are strong benefits his developing body will enjoy, even if he continues nursing to the worldwide average age of four and a half before weaning.

There are amazing benefits of newborn nursing to the mother as well. The obvious benefit is that there is no expensive formula to buy, mix, and store, no bottles to wash, and no reason to alter its temperature from the warm 98.6 degrees it comes in. There are major psychological benefits to the mother as well. She will bond more with her baby as she is forced to periodically take a break to nurse as frequently as the baby feeding schedule demands. Also, during the breastfeeding process, a hormone is released which naturally calms her down and gives her a sense of peace and contentment.

[RaeDyCo]

I really like this post from Phd in Parenting:

http://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/0...mething-wrong/

[neonalee]

Agreed, it does hurt at first. I had several LCs and my doula confirm the latch was correct, but it still hurt. I was topless for awhile I put lanolin on them religiously after every feeding, which helped a lot! Now at 4.5 weeks it only hurts as he latches. Hang in there!

[ShanaV]

Medela Hydrogels helped me immensely when I had a cracked nippy, they are similar to the soothies up above. Totally healed me up, and havent had pain since then. Expensive, but worth it. (Also, far less expensive than formula!)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0011E...4024318&sr=8-1

[HappyMommy2]

Yes - I had pain for the first ten days. Pain again at 18mo when my first PPAF decided to arrive, and again now that I am pregnant.

The "pain" question is so difficult! I knew it hurt. But I was also glad that it wasn't supposed to hurt constantly forever. Once I knew that she could relatch, I would pop her off and re-latch when it hurt.

I also got advice to flip her lips, so that they are like duck lips. (or Pringles lips) That helped a ton! For the bottom lip, you just kind of pull down on her chin. For the top lip, you lay your finger across the boobie and gentlyflip her lip up with the side of your finger. Does that make any sense? It is really hard to describe, but easy to do. I even do it now (at 3yo) sometimes!

I hope you had luck with the hosp LC. Sometimes they are great, and other times they are misinformed. There are individual LC's that can be expensive. But meeting other mom's is great too, like at a free LLL meeting.

Send us an update mama!!