Breastfeeding Question for experienced mothers.......?

Question

I have a 12 day old daughter and have been breastfeeding,
I have been to 3 "breastfeeding clinics" and the nurses said that she is latched on correctly.
There are some opinions that it shouldnt hurt if she is latched on correctly and some that say it hurts anyway,
In the experience of the mothers out there who breastfed, does it hurt either way?

Recently her appetite increased and it really hurts,... when is this pain going to end??????

from what the nurses said the growth spurt happens between 2-3 weeks of age, she must be starting a little early,...

There are no medical problems right now, I am pumping and giving it to her in the bottle off and on the last couple days and I can pump up to 3.5 oz so there is also no milk shortage,.... just hurts!!!

Answer 1

The nurses who tell you it never hurts at all are nurses who have never breastfed, have forgotten or in denial. Yes, there is some soreness getting used to breastfeeding your first baby, you are both learning and there are things that can go wrong to make it worse.

Redheaded, blond and fair freckled women with pink tender nipples tend to get the most sore. If your nipples are inverted, flat or short you may get more sore as well. You may do better with a nipple shield and pump to bring the nipple out. The first baby you breastfeed you will be sore, your nipples toughen up and for the next baby you may get sore but it will never be as bad as that first time. You can vary the position when feeding so baby compressed a different part of the breast each time.

If it's a viselike soreness that goes away after baby initially latches on and starts feeding (meaning after a few minutes it doesn't hurt) then it's probably more normal soreness. They have wonderful gel pads to stick on your nipples called "Soothies" look for them at the store. Lanolin is ok but usually doesn't help once you are sore, plus don't use the lanolin and soothies together as they won't work together. There are a few other things. Is it a stinging burning feeling? Does the baby have a yeast diaper rash or have you had a yeast infection? It may be a yeast infection of the nipple. Is the pain more like a shap stag like someone is poking you with a hot needle? That might be a crack or blister. Both of these conditions need treatment by a lactation consultant and/or MD.

Yes, her latching correctly helps a lot. I correct baby's latches all night long at work. Often the mom doesn't have the baby's mouth open enough, the baby is not smashed on to the nipples enough or the baby's head starts tilting to the side, which yanks on the nipple. Sometimes baby can be a tongue thruster which creates a crease on the nipple, or a biter which will get you VERY sore, or have a short frenulum (baby might "click" when nursing or have a dimple in the cheek when sucking. You say nurses have assessed you, are they lactation consultants?

Some links for you:

http://www.townandcountrypeds.com/tips_bfCommon.htm
http://experts.about.com/q/Breastfeeding-1764/blisters-nipples.htm
http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVOctNov99p99.html
http://www.medela.com/newfiles/faq/sorenips.html

Answer 2

I don't care what the nurses say, if it hurts after you've been breastfeeding for about a month -- she's not latching on correctly. But....your breasts need to toughen up some -- they're not used to this yet. If it hurts so bad you want to cry and you don't have cracked nipples (if you do, use lamisol -- she's definitely not latching on correctly. Keep pushing and adjusting until the two of you find a 'rhythm.' You will need to help her for a while -- she's new at this too. (This is after 3 children who all nursed for 6 months or longer.)

**And oh yeah -- wear a good supportive bra (or if you're very sensitve a jogging bra) all the time if you don't want to end up with saggy breasts. Mine are still 'perfect' after nursing 3. I wore a bra almost continuously for nearly a year except for REALLY bad days. It wasn't always comfortable but my breasts look just like they did at 20 and better than my friends who have no kids. Trust me. A friend told me about it and i'm passing it on.

Answer 3

I nursed two children. The first time, during pregnancy I used a rough washcloth to toughen the nipples like the books said. After the baby was born, I was a little sore for a while, but it got better in time, and then no problem. With my second child, I thought it would be a cinch, and forgot the washcloth idea. But she was a more aggressive feeder, and I very soon I had an inflammed, cracked nipple. The doctor told me to put lanolin on it when "not in use." I had to continue to let the baby nurse, because the build up of milk was also intolerable, and there for a while it was excructiating. One time she grabbed on hard, and I jerked and yelped. That startled her, and I don't know how she got it that it hurt, but she seemed gentler after that. Anyway, in time I toughened up, and again no problem. That was twenty years ago, and I can't remember how long it took, but I would guess you have about a week of decreasing soreness left. If not allergic, you might try the lanolin cream recommended for that purpose.

Answer 4

My son and I struggled with breastfeeding for the first several weeks. We didn't really get into the swing of things until 3-4 months. That is not to say it hurt that whole time- it didn't! But I had to watch carefully to make sure he had the right latch, was positioned correctly, etc. It didn't feel natural until around 4 months, and we still have challenges.

We started with an improper latch, but we also had thrush and then later I found out we had nipple vasospasm. Thrush is VERY common, and painful. If your nipples are pink and itchy or irritated and sore when nursing, and/or the baby has a pearlescent white tint to the inside of the lips or patches of white that don't come off when you rub, it could be thrush. Follow the Candida Protocal here:http://www.kellymom.com/newman/c-candida_protocol.html and use gentian voilet (messy, but works!) and grapefruit seed extract, and have your doctor or midwife prescribe some All Purpose Nipple Ointment (the 'recipe' is on the link above, you might have to bring it to the doc or pharmacist to now what it is). The ointment is great and really helps alleviate the pain.

If the pain comes after nursing and you have blanched white or purple nipples, it could be nipple vasospasm or raynauds syndrome caused by when your let down is too strong for the baby so he clamps down extra hard to control the flow and it cuts off circulation to the nipple. Here is more info : http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipple-blanching.html

I would highly suggest hiring a lactation consultant (LC) and attending a La Leche League meeting if possible. I know you have been to several clinics, but when you have your own LC working for you, she will come to your home, work one on one with you and baby, and be available for you to follow up with. Here is a link to various states and their LLL meetings: http://www.lalecheleague.org/WebUS.html and here is a link to find a lactation consultant in your area. http://gotwww.net/ilca/

Don't give up! We also had to pump a few times a day and finger feed (using a tiny tube from the bottle to your finger) just to get my nipples to heal (they were cracked and bleeding). I highly recommend when you do this using a finger, spoon, or cup to feed your baby and not introducing a bottle yet until breastfeeding is well established. Good luck, rest assured it does get better, enjoyable even! And it's really worth it.

Answer 5

B reastfeeding does hurt for the first few weeks and it is best if you change feeding positions routinesly. It is very easy to get comfortable in a favorite position but since the baby is eating so much your milk duct need a break now and then. Changing the position will give some a vacation while putting others to work. Doing this can also prevent blocked ducts and mastitis.
You are also pumping too soon. Wait a while longer for your milk supply to be established (generally after the third month). Also, the pump could be irritating your nipples even more.
I've been there and I feel for you but trust me, the pain WILL end.

Answer 6

I just want to say congratulations of a beautiful miracle of life, and it is wonderful that you are breastfeeding.
I have 4 kids, 15 months apart, I was breastfeeding through 3 of my pregnancies. And yes, it can still hurt, when the baby is latched on correctly. Has your milk let down yet? Generally after you milk lets down the pain eases up alot, you may be feeding the baby too often. I know that for me I popped my breast in the baby's mouth everytime the baby cried thinking the baby was hungry ,eventually I got a pacifier, and by 6 months they did not use it any longer. Also my breast were alot more tender with my 1st baby, they had to "toughen up", but to give you comfort, just hang on, the pain will pass, and you will be soooo glad you held on. It is beneficial for you and the baby. Good luck and God Bless.

Answer 7

Usually it does not hurt, however, when the nipple (the whole nipple) is actually more than what the baby will allow in his/her mouth it will hurt.

There are also babies that have quite a suction and will make them sore too, one way to alleviate the pain is to use a breast pump for half the feedings (if possible) and feed the extracted milk with a bottle.

Wash, dry, and apply lanolin after each feeding will help heal soreness.

Then there is always the option to stop breast feeding and put the child on formula. The most important milk is the colostrum, which is the yellow milk that comes out for the first two to three weeks- it is what has all the antibodies the baby needed for the immune system.

After which it is perfectly fine not to breastfeed.

Babies usually breast feed for six to eight months, but have been known to breast feed up to eighteen months (my opinion they should not be breast feed after a year.)

I have had six children and there have been twice that it did hurt, excruciatingly! I breast feed for the first month (all I could stand anyway) and then switched them to formula.

Answer 8

I breastfed my daughter for 14 months until she self-weaned and I am currently breastfeeding my son who is 7 months old. I started him on Stage 1 baby food (just veggies) when he was 6 months old and he has recently started eating stage 1 fruits as well. He eats a fruit for lunch following by my milk and then a veggie at dinner followed by nursing at bedtime. The rest of the day he gets expressed milk in a bottle at daycare. He doesn't drink any other liquids (water or juice) other than my milk. I have tried giving him oatmeal and cereal mixed with breastmilk but he won't eat it - so I don't try to force him.

Answer 9

Sounds like if you have seen lactation consultants, then your latch is probably okay...I know for me, it hurt when I was swaddling my daughter because being swaddled was pulling her off the nipple...once I fixed that, the pain got better. But, if she is nursing all the time, than it could be making your issues worse. Keep in mind, that as she nurses more, your supply will increase and she wont have to nurse as frequently and she will go back to normal. There are still sometimes when I get sore - but it isn't like cracked, bleeding, nipples. Soreness sometimes is definitely normal...but, cracked bleeding nipples are not (If you feel like you want to yell because it hurts so bad when she latches, than something isn't right)...I am sure you have tried other things, but you could try a different nursing position...the football hold was a lot less painful for me than the regular cross cradle hold. It DOES get better either way...Even if you dont figure out what the issue is exactly with the latch, as she gets older she will nurse more effectively and she will correct it herself (I virtually never even get sore anymore)...I was sore MUCH more often at the begining. once you get through about 6 weeks to 8 weeks, the baby gets so much better at it...and every week it gets better. hang in there! It is worth it!

Answer 10

Just keep at it, your nipples will toughen. I remember oh so well, I would brace myself for the pain. Give it another week and you won't feel it, in fact you will truly enjoy it. I should ask, does the pain go away after a few moments when she's latched on? If not I'm not sure what to say but nursing the first few weeks is painful but only when she's not latched on correctly for just for the first few moments. Even with cracked bleeding nipples, the pain was bad at first but went away as she got her rythtm.
Congrats on being a Mom!