um... JULY?!??! 1st ... weekly chat. - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[NewMumJoy]

I've been having the nipple argument w/DH this entire pregnancy.  My MIL is a huuuuuge BF'ing fan and self-proclaimed expert (having been a former LLL chapter head, wet nurse, milk donor, etc) and she and SIL were constantly reminding me to "rough up" my nipples and squeeze them, etc. to get them ready in advance.  DH knowing I've always had super sensitive boobs (and crazy anxiety about bf'ing) used this advice to antagonize me, and chase me around the house to tweak my nipples - pure torture!!!  I tried so hard to dispute my way out of it, but to no avail.  Finally, he got to hear it himself from our prenatal instructor that "roughing up" was not necessary and that nipple stimulation could actually bring on labor contractions - and he was told to save the tweaking for later.  I was SO grateful for that!!!

[Veritas Vitae]

Yay! Thanks, NewMum, just the thing I needed to tell B. No more nipple tweaking!

[eleuthia]

LeAnn (or anyone who knows), what about using breast shells or the hoffman technique during pregnancy for flat/inverted nipples? It's not too appealing since my nipples are pretty tender and one of the midwives I saw said not to bother... but if I can make latching easier by doing something NOW, it would be worth it. 

(I kind of wish I could... borrow a nursing infant to see how bad my nipples are. Or maybe I should uhhhhh... get my partner to try things out? ) 

[Veritas Vitae]

I bought supple cups for flat or inverted nipples and it worked temporarily.  I didn't continue to use them regularly since an hour or two later, my nipple would be flat again.  I figure if it does become an issue, I could use it before feeding the baby on that breast (I only have one flat nipple?!) with some lanolin, until the nipple starts to stay out from regular nursing.  My twin said she also had one flat nipple, but after her first baby, it was no longer an issue, and is now permanently out, I'm not sure how long it took to pop for good.  She said the football hold was really the only way to feed her daughter on that breast at first.

Funnily enough, when I was stressing the most about having a flat nipple, I kept dreaming I borrowed other people's babies in order to help bring my nipple out.

[eleuthia]

I should be able to use a breast pump to temporarily evert my nipple before feeding. I just wish I could know if it will actually work well enough to get my baby to latch! And I definitely have one nipple that sticks out more than the other. It's good to know that football hold helped, since I may need to do that anyway due to giant boobs. 

[Tizzy]

Before my first was born, I didn't do anything to "condition" my nipples, and the first couple days until my milk came in were pretty painful. But mostly because he was an enthusiastic nurser, and I was completely against soothers until my milk was established. 72hrs later and we were good to go, but those few days to start with, I had little blisters and everything. it was totally worth persevering!
The second baby was much more relaxed and a sleepy nurser, and so was his sister, I haven't had any problems since.

[Lizbiz]

I'll admit my nipples were pretty sore for the first two weeks of nursing my first baby :(.  I had sensitive nipples, and struggled to get the latch right, and my son was kind of a distracted eater (and still is!).  I know that's not everyone's experience, but it helped me when I was struggling through those first weeks to know that others had also struggled and persevered and had gone on to have great breastfeeding success.  Lansinoh was my best friend, and I also went around topless... a LOT.  It worked out though, my son and I settled in, we got his latch right (after a few visits from a wonderful friend who helped me figure a bunch of stuff out), and then by about 5 weeks on we were golden!  

And, the best part is that when my second baby came, I had no soreness whatsoever - it was like night and day from my first experience!  We just started breastfeeding and that was that.  I didn't have to use Lansinoh once, and I never even had to wear breast pads, because my boobs had apparently gotten smarter and stopped leaking at random, inappropriate times.  :) 

So... I'm hoping #3 is like that too!  

Also, I fixed my awful hair situation (I know you were all just waiting on pins and needles to see how that resolved :) - I ended up googling it and one website said to mix 2 TB of baking soda with shampoo and wash, wait 5 minutes then rinse.  I did that and then switched shampoos, and now my hair is magically back to its normal self!  No more oily residue - YAY!  

Just got my 'fit for flight' letter from my doc - I'm flying at 35 weeks 4 days back to the US.  I know I'm pushing it, and I'll admit I'm a bit nervous!   

[pennywhistle]

Hey LizBiz, I went on a cross-country flight and home again at 30 weeks and 32 weeks, and I'm flying again to/from Colorado at 34 weeks and 36 weeks.  I brought electrolyte packets with me and an empty water bottle, and just had the flight attendents fill it up as much as possible.  Lots of snacks (almonds, protein bars, and fresh fruit) helped, and I made sure to get up and walk the aisle every 30-45 minutes.  And I wore compression socks.  My flights were fine, no swelling, minimal discomfort.  I found the flight attendents to be mostly excited for me and willing to do whatever I needed to make me more comfortable.  It's not fun, but it can be done!  Good luck!

[ithappened]

Hey LizBiz, I went on a cross-country flight and home again at 30 weeks and 32 weeks, and I'm flying again to/from Colorado at 34 weeks and 36 weeks.  I brought electrolyte packets with me and an empty water bottle, and just had the flight attendents fill it up as much as possible.  Lots of snacks (almonds, protein bars, and fresh fruit) helped, and I made sure to get up and walk the aisle every 30-45 minutes.  And I wore compression socks.  My flights were fine, no swelling, minimal discomfort.  I found the flight attendents to be mostly excited for me and willing to do whatever I needed to make me more comfortable.  It's not fun, but it can be done!  Good luck!

Yeap- I did the same with DS1-- recommend all this stuff..
 

[LilyTiger]

Just wanted to let people know that I called my insurance today and they cover 80% of the cost of breast pumps.   You have to get them from a durable medical equipment supply company and the claim goes straight through there, so they wouldn't reimburse if you bought it off Amazon or something.  She was pretty adamant about that point.  Soooooo, definitely check your insurance company before you buy anything.  I'm cross posting this from the To-Do thread just in case some people don't see it hidden over there.  Some insurance covers breast pump rental too, so that might be an option.  I'm going to be really excited if I can get the Medela that costs 2 billion dollars and empties your boobs in like five seconds flat.  Awesomeness.

[Tizzy]

This baby just feels ready to come out any time so I'm nervous going to the grocery store never mind flying anywhere!

[poppylove]

Originally Posted by Tizzy 

This baby just feels ready to come out any time so I'm nervous going to the grocery store never mind flying anywhere!

Tizzy! Are you kidding?? How do you know? I mean literally. I feel no feelings of baby coming any time soon 

Good luck with the flight Liz! Oh my! (And the Colorado one Penny)

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Originally Posted by eleuthia 

LeAnn (or anyone who knows), what about using breast shells or the hoffman technique during pregnancy for flat/inverted nipples? It's not too appealing since my nipples are pretty tender and one of the midwives I saw said not to bother... but if I can make latching easier by doing something NOW, it would be worth it. 

(I kind of wish I could... borrow a nursing infant to see how bad my nipples are. Or maybe I should uhhhhh... get my partner to try things out? ) 

I had pretty severely flat nipples and DD had a pretty severe tongue tie, so we had a really rough start to our nursing relationship.  I bought a number of things to help and stressed like crazy during my pregnancy.  The two things that made a big difference to me:

1. I LOVED the nipplette - seen here http://www.amazon.com/Philips-AVENT-Twin-Pack-Nipplette/dp/B001JHSTS8  It was effective and not uncomfortable or unwieldy, and I could use it immediately before feeding.  Nothing I did during pregnancy had any effect.

2. Unless you absolutely cannot latch your baby (very unlikely) do NOT let anyone talk you into using a nipple shield.  Those things create serious nipple confusion and can be difficult to wean off of once you start. If your child won't latch at all and you have to make the choice to start supplementing with formula, then by all means use the nipple shield, but until then, avoid it at all costs.  This is what they look likehttp://www.amazon.com/Medela-Contact-Nipple-Shield-Standard/dp/B000067PQ0 - they are little silicone nipples that resemble a bottle nipple that goes on top of the natural nipple. It can and does create nipple confusion and in my humble opinion, is WAY WAY overused.  There is definitely a time and a place, but save this for a last resort.  Babies can DEFINITELY latch onto a flat nipple.  Hell, they can latch onto an arm...

Also, it's a temporary problem.  It lasted a few weeks and after that my nipples have been permanently out - not hard and erect, just out the way a nipple is supposed to be.  Don't stress to much over it, it's a common issue and usually doesn't have any serious consequences.  Good luck!

[sarahdb]

This feels like a dumb question, but how do you know if you have flat or inverted nipples? Are they flat all the time, no matter what? Or are they just sometimes flat?

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Originally Posted by sarahdb 

This feels like a dumb question, but how do you know if you have flat or inverted nipples? Are they flat all the time, no matter what? Or are they just sometimes flat?

For me, they would stick out ONLY when they had a lot of stimulation and/or I rubbed ice on them. Other than that, they pretty much just were not raised off the areola. Not inverted, just kind of not there lol.

[eveningstarmom]

Originally Posted by 1stTimeMama4-4-10 


2. Unless you absolutely cannot latch your baby (very unlikely) do NOT let anyone talk you into using a nipple shield.  Those things create serious nipple confusion and can be difficult to wean off of once you start. If your child won't latch at all and you have to make the choice to start supplementing with formula, then by all means use the nipple shield, but until then, avoid it at all costs.  This is what they look likehttp://www.amazon.com/Medela-Contact-Nipple-Shield-Standard/dp/B000067PQ0
 - they are little silicone nipples that resemble a bottle nipple that goes on top of the natural nipple. It can and does create nipple confusion and in my humble opinion, is WAY WAY overused.  There is definitely a time and a place, but save this for a last resort.  Babies can DEFINITELY latch onto a flat nipple.  Hell, they can latch onto an arm...

So I haven't been posting a lot here due to a crazy school year, but I have been lurking all along. I wanted to respond to 1stTimeMama though because I had a really different experience with nipple shields and wanted to reassure others in case they need a nipple shield that they can be a useful tool. Colin was born with a severe tongue tie as well and didn't get anything to eat for his first 24 hours because we just could not get him to latch. I had my mom there who had nursed 3 babies, and helped many more get started, as well as the midwives and the lactation consultants and none of us could get him to latch and suck. For us it did come down to nipple shields, starving baby, or formula, and I am soooo glad that the lactation consultant in the hospital suggested one. We were able to get the tongue tie clipped by 10 days old, and I was able to go on nursing for almost three years without needing the shield past the first month. Colin never had any reall nipple confusion (in fact the occasional times we did try to get him to take a bottle he was never interested), and I never had any issues with my milk supply while on the shield which I hear is a problem for some. Anyway, for me, the shield was a miracle that saved breast feeding for us, and I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on a breast feeding relationship because they were afraid to try using a nipple shield. I get that everyone is a little different and they may not be the solution to every problem, but they are definitely worth trying if you can't get the baby to latch.

Anyway, thank you for letting me add my .02$.

[RedTree]

This feels like a dumb question, but how do you know if you have flat or inverted nipples? Are they flat all the time, no matter what? Or are they just sometimes flat?

I had inverted nipples that in their normal state the nipple would dip inwards.  Stimulation would cause them to retract even further causing a deeper crease, the only way to get my nipple to pop would be to literally grab just the nipple, squeeze it and yank it out ... hard. However after about a month of nursing they resembled text-book normal nipples.  Slightly raised from the surface and easy "pop" with light stimulation.

Unless you absolutely cannot latch your baby (very unlikely) do NOT let anyone talk you into using a nipple shield.  Those things create serious nipple confusion and can be difficult to wean off of once you start. If your child won't latch at all and you have to make the choice to start supplementing with formula, then by all means use the nipple shield, but until then, avoid it at all costs.

I agree with 1stTimeMama4-4-10 that you shouldn't jump to using a nipple shield as a solution immediately just because things are going rough in the beginning.  You should always check various positions, holds, talk to experts etc ... but if nothing else is working and it will save a nursing relationship then use them and don't beat yourself up about it.  Just be aware you may need to use them the entire nursing relationship and there is nothing wrong with that. I used them every feeding from day four until 8+ months when my son decided to wean off of it (the nipple shield).  It saved my nursing relationship and I think that is an often unrepeated and overlooked side of the nipple shield love/hate debate.

Lol, looks like eveningstarmom posted while I was writing my reply.  I'm so slow at this.  But yeah, I second what she says.

~RedTree

[Tizzy]

Originally Posted by poppylove 

Tizzy! Are you kidding?? How do you know? I mean literally. I feel no feelings of baby coming any time soon 

Oh I guess I am slightly kidding, just when I get one of my super strong BH ctx that I have to stop and breathe through (while trying not to attract the attention of anyone around me so panic doesn't ensue!),  it makes me think I could have one of those grocery store water breaking/gushing everywhere/embarrassing situations.

In the past I haven't dialated much, or lost a mucous plug or anything before labour kicking in. But I am totally over-doing everything this time around, not slowing down when I should and so on, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if baby arrived at a totally random time!   Having said all of this....irony says I'll have a 43 week'er LOL

[iixivboots]

You guys, I had a dream last night that i was in an elevator that was in freefall. I kept getting into more elevators and they'd all do the same thing, with the last one being the fastest. Metaphor much?

It's going too fast, it's going too slow! It's so crazy. As an aside, I haven't really had any baby dreams for awhile, and when I did I knew they were not about Honey Badger, it was a girl baby and she was more there to reassure me, once she left a note that she'd be back, hehe.

[NewMumJoy]

Boots - wow, I'd say there's definitely some meaning behind those dreams!!

I just got back from my doctor's checkup and all is good.  Baby has moved down and is currently as zero station!  We're getting close!!