[clynnr]

I am so tired of painful nipples.

Here is our long story...

Livi was born a little over 7 weeks ago, and had a strong suck right from the start that made my nipples tender. By the second day I had blisters, possibly because of a bad latch. We saw an LC, who checked our latch and positioning, and she said everything looked great, even though it still hurt at latch-on.

We went back to the LC three days later because my nipples hurt so bad! She gave us a nipple shield to use for a couple feedings just to let my nipples heal, and some hydrogels. I was very afraid of the nipple shield, and only used it a few times. I would rather have sore nipples than be stuck with a shield forever! Plus Livi couldn't drain the breast as effectively with it, and I got a plugged duct. The hydrogels helped a lot, and I used them for several days.

We went back to the LC a third time just to check in, and they said everything looked great. At that time, Livi was going on and off the breast several times during a feeding (but of couse not while we were there

: ). I discovered later that I have an overactive letdown, & I had an oversupply. The oversupply is pretty much corrected, but the letdown is giving us huge problems!

I tried putting her above the breast, which helps sometimes, but now she has discovered that she can break suction and slide down onto my nipple. She breaks suction several times during a feeding (sometimes after each suck) and if it's short enough it doesn't bother us, but if she completely breaks and then sucks the nipple back in--OUCH! I watch her very carefully and if she slides down at all I break suction and re-latch her, but sometimes she's too quick and sucks it back in anyway.

My right nipple is feeling pretty good now, but my left is horrible. I don't know what is wrong with our positioning on that side.

She does the best in the football hold, but that's not always possible if we're out and about. Oh, and she does this funny thing when she's trying to latch on where she opens her mouth wide, but tilts her head down instead of up. (That's on both sides, not just the left.)

If I didn't know better, I would have given up weeks ago.

I am committed to this! Hugs would be appreciated, especially if you made it this far.

On this positive side, she was 9 lbs 1.6 oz at birth, dropped to 8 lbs 8.3 oz, and at her 5 week weight check she was 11 lbs 9 oz! Go mama milk!

 

[wednesday]

I think it will still get better, mama. If you were like me you kept hearing that after 2 weeks it would be fine...and then when that turned out to not be true it was very discouraging. My DS was doing a kind of breaking suction and then sucking back in thing you describe that I found very painful at 8 weeks, oh lord I cringe just to remember it. I took some breaks from nursing and expressed bottles that DH fed him. I think that helped a lot. The main thing that helped IMO was my son's mouth grew bigger and he could take in more of my nipple and keep the whole thing in his mouth behind his gums where it was supposed to be. It was a million times better by 12 weeks. You are such a wonderful mama for toughing it out! My son is almost 15 months now and we are still nursing great even with 5 teeth! You will be saying the same thing before you know it!

 

[3girls1boy]

When Livi comes off the breast, do your nipples look white--like all the blood supply has been cut off?

If so, this may be Raynaud's syndrome of the nipples, which can be caused by poor latch initially (or even a really strong clamping down kind of latch).

If you can get a hold of Dr. Jack Newman's book "The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers" he discusses this. He has a lot of stuff that can be found on the internet also. A good site to look at is www.breastfeedingonline.com.

One thing that can help right away, is apply heat to your nipples right after feeding.

Another treatment that worked for me was to take large amounts of evening primrose oil for several weeks. I'm pretty sure if you do a search for "Raynaud's syndrome + nipple" you will find a paper published by some lactation consultants in New Zealand that discusses this treatment. Fish oil also works.

I had strong let down with my 1st baby and what seemed to work the best to help with that was to keep her on one side for several feedings. Also, I noticed that she nursed better in the evenings (I figured out later, because my supply was lower at that time, the let down was gentler too.) So, if your daughter seems to want to nurse through the evenings, rent some movies or find some good books and just settle in. My son, my 4th baby, did that popping on and off thing when he was little. I never did figure out why and it just got better after a while.

Good luck and you are doing a great job and it's great you are sticking with it. It will get better and you will be so happy you gave it your all.

Jeanne

 

[leafwood]

You are doing such a great job! And going by your baby's weight, he agrees! I also wanted to say that it took a long time for us to settle into a comfortable nursing relationship....about 3 months. I remember at six weeks when I was still dreading latch-on and becoming weary wondering if we would ever be able to get it together. My dd was also a strong sucker, they get more gentle as they get older. My letdown was/is also intense. It helps to break latch when it occurrs and let it drip (or squirt) into a cloth. Can you feel the letdown yet, I don't think I could at 7 weeks. Hopefully you can.

Also, varrying positions, especially on the side that is more sore, really helped us. My right side was a mess for so long, cracks that wouldn't heal despite a good latch. Go figure. I used the hydrogels on and off whenever I needed a little TLC and watcher her like a hawk when she was tired (which is usually when she would start doing the funky nipple suck). Also, and I know this probably isn't a great suggestion for everyone, but I used Motrin for pain when it got really bad, usually after a rough night of feeding.

I promise it will get better. Your baby is still learning how to nurse and will improve each week. I thought I'd never be one of the mom's who could stick my baby on my boob and not even assist with the feeding......now I am. You are doing a great job!

 

[thepeach80]

Hugs! I cried almost every time I nursed AJ till he was 9 wks old b/c it hurt so bad. It stopped then for some reason and he nursed for 13 mos!

 

[clynnr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3girls1boy When Livi comes off the breast, do your nipples look white--like all the blood supply has been cut off?

No, but parts of them turn white at other times, like when I'm cold. I do get white ridges occasionally when she comes off, but they aren't painful, and the LC didn't think they were a problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3girls1boy I had strong let down with my 1st baby and what seemed to work the best to help with that was to keep her on one side for several feedings. Also, I noticed that she nursed better in the evenings (I figured out later, because my supply was lower at that time, the let down was gentler too.)

I did try that initially to help with the oversupply. Livi usually only nurses every 2-3 hours during the day, and 4-5 at night, and she only takes one side at a feeding--that does seem to be helping, but she still gets mad at the let down once in awhile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3girls1boy Good luck and you are doing a great job and it's great you are sticking with it. It will get better and you will be so happy you gave it your all.

Thanks for all the advice and support!

Thanks also to the other mamas who posted. I really needed the kind words. The pain is getting better, but still iffy on the left side. I have a blister there that needs to heal before it will be totally pain-free (fingers crossed!)!