omg - It hurts!!!

[lifeguard]

My baby is a day & a half old & I am overwelmed with how much my nipples hurt. Everyone at the hospital said his latch was good & he just has a really strong suck.

It feels as though the tips are ver bruised & I even had clear blisters (again on the very tip) on them after the first coupe of feeds. Every suck gives me shooting pains.

PLEASE tell me it gets better!

[irony_optional]

It gets better! My nipples were hamburger for the first few weeks, and yes, they hurt every time she latched on. But it did get better.

Do you have access to a lactation consultant or a La Leche League meeting?

[thepeach80]

Hugs, you're dealt w/ so much to get here, I KNOW you can do it! I would find some help, don't wait till later, it's easier the earlier you get help. LLL is a good idea, you can just talk to them on the phone and you might be able to get a leader to come see you if you don't feel like going out. Are you fair skinned? I was told fair skinned women often have more pain associated w/ bfing than those who aren't. I don't know if it's necessarily true, but it was true for me. Some of mine was positional, I found using more pillows to make sure baby was up super high and even w/ my nipples helped, but some of it was just I had never bf before, it's a big change in the life of your boobs. I had almost no pain the next time (5 mos from weaning AJ to Evan's birth) and some w/ Ilana, but not as much so it gets each time as well. Not what you want to hear right now though. I'm also one to give pacifiers if I need to, not necessarily reccomended either, but my last 2, especially Ilana, had a huge sucking need and my nipples just couldn't stand her on there for more than feeding those first days so she got a binky. In most kids, I don't think it causes a problem, Ilana still has her binky at 2 b/c of her high sucking need. Lots and hugs and try and gets lots of rest!

[smanore]

If you're getting blister, and it hurts that bad, strong suck or not, the latch or position isn't good. Ask to see the hospital LC. The nipple should look well rounded when the feed is done. Does it come to a peak (Like a brand new tube of lipstick)? If so, your baby isn't on far enough. Have someone check the baby's mouth for a high palate or tight frenulum (Tongue tie). I hope you feel better soon.

[LianneM]

It will get better! I 2nd seeing a LC to make sure the latch is good, or call LLL and see when their next meeting is to have a leader check it out soon, if possible.

The best advice I ever got, though, was that it WILL get better. The first couple of weeks can be so hard.

[2xshy]

It takes a while but it will get better. I remember thinking if it hurt this much no one would be doing this. Every time dd cried i started to cry because I knew how much it was going to hurt. it was that bad. Now I'm NAK and nursing is so easy.
hang in there

[happyhippimama]

Originally Posted by smanore

If you're getting blister, and it hurts that bad, strong suck or not, the latch or position isn't good. Ask to see the hospital LC. The nipple should look well rounded when the feed is done. Does it come to a peak (Like a brand new tube of lipstick)? If so, your baby isn't on far enough. Have someone check the baby's mouth for a high palate or tight frenulum (Tongue tie). I hope you feel better soon.

Absolutely!!

[lifeguard]

Thank you for the encouragement. The hospital here doesn't have LC's - also I think 'cause the nurses were all spanish (& I am not) I did not get as much help as I might have otherwise.

I am going to try calling the english LLL chapter today. I had called them halfway through my pregnancy but the group was basically defunct at that point - hopefully things have changed since then.

DH has been doing lots of research for me as well (on top of what I had already done) & we are pretty sure he is not taking enough in - my nipples are not mishapen after nursing but this certainly cannot be right.

Any other suggestions I would be relieved to try. We relatched about 20 times in a row this morning trying to get it right.

How would I know if he has a high palate?

[leerypolyp]

Yes, do see an LC or LLL leader as soon as possible. Some pain can be normal, but blisters are not. That sounds like a latch issue.

Can you get hydrogel pads in CR? They can feel awfully nice on traumatized nipples.

[alegna]

I identified dd's high palate just by feeling... hard to explain though. It wasn't at all flat on the roof of her mouth it was a DEEP U (upside down, of course... )

dd turned me to hamburger at first- strong suck, high palate, small mouth.

hang in there! It DOES get better.

-Angela

[rivkah]

It gets better! I had pretty bad pain for a while with dd. I think she started out maybe without a good latch, and then my nipples got torn up and they had to heal.

Some of us are just more sensitive too. But what I can assure you is that is gets better!

[AutumnMama]

Originally Posted by rivkah

It gets better! I had pretty bad pain for a while with dd. I think she started out maybe without a good latch, and then my nipples got torn up and they had to heal.

Some of us are just more sensitive too. But what I can assure you is that is gets better!

:
That first week (or several) can be really tough. I remember being nearly in tears every time they latched on. IT WILL get better though!
Pretty soon you'll be nursing like it's no big deal

[daceysmomma]

s mama! No advice on the high palate, but I will say even with an LC confirming a good latch in both of my girls, I was always SO SORE that first week. (Actually with DD1, I think the nipple pain lasted more like 10 days.) HANG IN THERE! It gets so, so, SO much easier. I can also remember crying at the start of nursing sessions with my newborns. More s

[DashsMama]

Congratulations on your new baby!

I'm so sorry you're having trouble, mama. I had exactly the same thing happen to me after my first was born. The problem most likely is the latch. It was with me. Here are a couple suggestions. Btw, try these before your baby is crying from hunger. A crying and/or frantic baby is much harder to latch on. Just watch your baby. Your baby will start to make little mouth movements when he starts to get hungry. This is the time to feed him. Don't wait until he cries.

Remove or open your shirt completely. You don't want anything getting in the way of your nipple.

Have a couple pillows in your lap to help you support your baby at breast height.

Your baby's body should be horizontal to yours, like a + shape. The position is very important.

I found this hold very helpful. Use your right arm to support your baby's head and body. His head will be in your hand. His body will be against your forearm. His bottom will be at your inner elbow, and his legs will go on either side of your arm. Use your left hand to hold your left breast. (Switch the hands to nurse on the other side).

Tickle your baby's lower lip with your nipple. Your baby should open his mouth when it is tickled.

Wait until he opens his mouth wide, (it may take a couple tries) then quickly pull your baby into your breast. This is important! Put your baby to the breast, don't bring your breast to the baby!

Try to get as much of the breast as you can in his mouthl. Some of your areola should be in his mouth as well as your nipple.

Pull him in close, tightly tummy to tummy. Don't worry, you won't smother him. He will still be able to breathe because he has a little flat nose right now. Keep your baby in close, don't let his tummy sag, or his hips turn out, as this alone can cause a bad latch and strain your nipple.

Once you get the latch right you know it. The pain greatly diminishes, and the blisters go away within a few days. Good luck! I hope this helps. As others have said, it will get better!

[7libramama]

After having fabulous luck bfing both my older children I was shocked and sad that after two weeks I was cringing at the thought of my beautiful baby girl latching on the pain was so exquisite. I had had the midwife check her latch because everything looked normal to me! Still two weeks later major ouch! My nipples were purple on the ends they were so bruised. I decided it didn't matter I would keep nursing her I could tough it out. Then at three weeks her first visit to our chiropractor, he asked me if my nipples were sore after "checking" her for subluxations. I said dear god yes! He even knew which side was more sore! My lovely one had a subluxation of the atlas(in her neck)and it caused what he called a "short gag". My nipple was gagging her (I had actually witnessed this) so she had taken to somewhat "spitting" the nipple out just enough to not cause her to gag but not far enough for me or the midwife to see a difference in her latch but it was also just enough to torture my nipples! Needless to say she got her adjustment now everything is grand. Dr. R said it was very likely she subluxed because she born so fast (2hrs 40 min and 4 pushes =2hrs 45 min).Just something to keep in mind. Chiropractic isn't just for adults! I found our chiro almost 7 years ago when son #2 was just 6 months old he had double ear infections 5 weeks apart. I was not going to do antibiotics! the chiro adjusted him we have been going regularly and he never had a recurrence. Find a baby loving chiro like I did and just get your baby checked.

[lifeguard]

This is all so reassuring. I'm pretty confident that our "set-up" is right. I keep taking deep breaths & staying calm & doing multiple latches each feed. I am fortunate he doesn't seem to get too irate about it & I can calm him between tries when he does get upset.

Will my milk coming in make it any easier?

[DashsMama]

Now that you mention it, I think my milk coming in did make it easier for me. My babies didn't have to work so hard and relaxed their grip a bit. I don't think this is necessarily true for everyone, but I hope it is for you.

[TefferTWH]

The peach had great advice. I have fair/sensitive skin and it just seemed harder for me, even before I had thrush. Also, a hard sucking baby will hurt more no matter what anyone else says.

Ask your midwife about taking ibuprofen for the pain. My dr. said it was fine and didn't enter the milk, and the anti-inflammatory properties are great.

[HappyMommy2]

It does get better! God, it hurt so bad the first 10 days, and then a miracle occured! I was ready to give up. My mw came by and her calm soothing manner really helped us. It helps to have a woman there with you, giving you confidence and helping with the latch. So I agree with an LC, or maybe a post-partum doula.

The website info and written descriptions just aren't the same. But - What was encouraging to me was that I read that if you get the latch right, the pain goes away instantly. And keep trying (take baby off and relatch) until that latch is right. Duck lips are important, I had to fix them every time, and still tweak them now sometimes.

There is also a website that the mamas here might know, I forget the name, but it is a male doctor and it has videos. Way easier to see what is happening on a video, better than words or a picture.

Hang in there mama, you can do it.

[HappyMommy2]

Oh one more thing ... slather on the lanolin before BFing. It really helps. I followed my friend's advice and put a ton on... not just a tiny bit like the directions say.