[mindykit]

Have you ever had your sore nipples while breasting, if yes how would you rate the pain?
0 - no problem
1 - brought a whimmper
2 - said "Ow"
3 - brought a tear
4 - started to cry
5 - cried
6 - really cried
7 - almost had to stop
8 - had to stop
no

 

[SEEPAE]

at first i had them to the point i cringed but by 2weeks post partum they were fine... its just that as a newborn they still have to learn to nurse correctly

now hes 17months with lots of teeth and sometimes the get "tickled" to the point I have to ask him to stop so I can take a breather, LOL
(tickled as in he is using a lazy latch and just brushing the nipple)

ok I changed my vote to a 1, LOL, as a newborn it hurt but its hard to remember back then and I cant remember any pain but I remember having a scab and using lanolin once or twice

 

[dharmama]

So far (dd is 6 mos) I've never experienced any pain nursing.

Oh and

welcome to MDC.

 

[binxsmom]

i would say 5. i had never-ending thrush with my son. ouch!!!! it was bad. gotta love that gentian violet though! other than that, nothing major.

 

[Jaspersmommy]

I would say 5 too. I had a huge crater in my nipple at the start from latch problems. It didn't heal until almost 3 months. The pain was definately a 5 for the first few weeks though.

I have to say that it was totally worth it! I want to nurse my ds forever!

Well, ya know

 

[mezzaluna]

i would say 6.5 at the worst, but we're now down to a steady 2 as of about 10 days pp.

i was cracked and bleeding on both sides, with what looks like a chunk missing out of the right hand side. i considered pumping & feeding to give my boobs a break, but then the left side started to heal, and an LC gave me a nipple shield for the right side. after a week of that, my right nipple is looking much better (minus the missing bit) and i'm about ready to start weaning him from the nipple shield (we already nurse w/out it on the left). now it pretty much just hurts at latch on when he draws my nipples out... or if his latch on wasn't too expert...

i was bawling at pretty much every feed until i got the nipple shield... now not once since. he's starting gaining weight at a better rate and nursings are much more calm and pleasant for us and we get more sleep at night.

 

[chocomoto]

6
I had thrush when ds2 was a month old. OUCH! I remember thinking that if it had been my first, I would have been really discouraged and considered stopping. It was horrible. I nursed ds1 until he weaned himself and never had any pain.

 

[LoveMyLil'B]

5. We had thrush also, and it was right at the beginning when my DS was 3weeks old. The LC told me my nipple soreness was due to a bad latch. His latch was fine. A few weeks later, I was still dealing with the pain, and I saw another LC who diagnosed us with thrush. After 3 different medications, the gentian violet cleared it up, and it's been pain-free ever since! I am so glad I was so determined to feed my son my breastmilk and stuck with it.

 

[chocomoto]

I am surprised how often thrush goes undiagnosed.
I went to LLL and they told me ds2 had a bad latch, even though I had been nursing ds1 for 3 years and through my pregnancy. The baby had no signs of thrush, except for a diaper rash, and I had never heard of painful nipples due to thrush.
My midwife took one look and recognized it right away. Gentian violet worked for us too.
Anyone who has pain should suspect thrush!!!! even if baby has no signs.

 

[bluekittydoc99]

I would say 8. We had thrush 3-4 times and I used a nipple shield for 3 months. Transitioning without was incredibly painful to the point that it felt like labor again. Also had mastititis 3 times due to stress and I think the nipple shield. We have overcome some difficulties and now she feeds like a champ. It was all worth it but I can see how others would give up if not so determined.

 

[sept04mama]

I would have to say 6 or 7ish. I am glad I kept going, I just thought it was normal, because everyone told me it would hurt really bad for the first 8 weeks or so. Turns out they meant slight discomfort, but I had unbearable pain from thrush, lacerations on my nipples, and a bad latch all at once. I would say Mastitis hurts more when not nursing, though, than nursing. I also have gotten that several times. I would say that normal nursing for me is still at about a 2.