[namistenicole]

I'm on day three of nursing, and so far so good. My DD loves to nurse and seems to have a great latch. However... my nipples are getting red and tender. So far this has gone away between feedings. But last night she wanted to nurse non-stop, and today I'm very tender. It's like the outer skin is rubbed off and they are getting raw.

Is this normal? What helps? Should I just get through it? How long does it take for the skin to toughen up? Any thoughts, suggestions, or encouragement would be GREATLY appreciated. Oh, and the baby blues have begun so I'm feeling a little blue too. Thanks

 

[babysanchez614]

for me, it was normal. i was told it was a latch problem after seeing lactation consultants. they insisted if nipples were sore = improper latch. but his latch has been the same till this day. i think it was just because my skin was sensitive and having a baby suckle all.day.long was going to make them sore.

it took about 1 months for them to "toughen" up.

suggestions - air out nipples as much as possible, rub lansinoh or breastmilk onto nipples after each nursing session.

best advice i got - it does get better, take one day at a time, but hang in there because it's the best.

 

[lifeguard]

babysanchez has good advice. I too found that despite a good latch I had pain but it did improve.

I found being generous with the lanolin helpful.

 

[ewe+lamb]

Yes some mothers can have pain during nursing that's normal to them, but not to everyone, do check the position of the baby first of all so that nasty things like cracked nipples do not occur, this is important.
Baby lying into tummy to tummy, ear, shoulder and hip in a straight line, wait till you see the tongue (which should come over the gums for efficient nursing) you can open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out and bb will copy you, there's a link which I'll find for you which is great. Seek out LLL and see if you can go to a meeting which will give you lots of information and most importantly support.
I'm off to find the link ....

 

[ewe+lamb]

Here's the link

Also check out www.drjacknewman.com for looking at other babies nursing, click on the videos.

 

[namistenicole]

Thank you! Your support was so appreciated! Things are getting much better. I switched to the football hold which made it much easier to see what I was doing, and the Dr. Newman videos really helped too. I found out today she's already put her birth weight back on. Thanks everyone

 

[KD's Momma]

I called the first two weeks of nursing the barracuda stage! I would literaly cry when they wanted to nurse. I found lanolin to be a complete waste but I couldn't have lived without Soothies, they saved my life! I always made sure there was a good latch - cause all my babes could suck paint off the wall!

 

[beebalmmama]

What helped for me was lanolin, soothies, and airing the nipples out. A lactation consultant also suggested switching up different holds to change the babes position on the nipple. It REALLY helped and made things easier during the first few weeks. Good luck mama, it can sometimes be a little tough to get going, but so worth it!