My wife is breast feeding our first son but she's experiencing a lot of pain. How can she reduce the pain?

Question

She is experincing a lot of pain on her nipples, is there any natural way or some sort of remedy that she can use to reduce the pain?

Answer 1

My daughter had a similar problem last week. Our grandson is just two weeks old. If she is experiencing pain something is not right. Here is some information that may help.

First of all, can she talk to a lactation specialist or a midwife? They will be able to help and give her support. She may need to talk to your family doctor.

It may hurt because her positioning is wrong or because the baby is not opening his mouth wide enough and not taking in enough nipple. The baby's tummy should be against hers while she is nursing. If the baby has to turn his head, this will cause pain for your wife. Make sure your wife is very comfortable for nursing - prop the baby up with pillows if necessary. If your wife is leaning in, and then having to pull back, this is another cause of pain. Your wife could try warm compresses on her breasts just before nursing and also try pumping or manually expressing just prior to nursing to help with let down.

These links may help. Our daughter is doing just fine with breastfeeding now. Best of luck with it.

Answer 2

The nursing coach says it shouldn't be painful & if it's painful then it's being done incorrectly. However, when I nursed my 1st it was incredibly painful. To top it off I had inverted nipples, so I had to use a nipple sheild in order for my baby to latch. It was the same with my 2nd as well. Maybe your wife can try some numbing meds like Numbs it, you know some type of teething meds. There are different types & that may alleviate some of the pain. I myself couldn't bear the pain so I did it only for a week, just so my baby could get the colstrum with the antibodies to keep the baby from gettin sick. You don't make milk until a few days after you've had the baby. The breast pump even hurt. It also takes awhile for the baby to learn to latch on correctly. I admire women who breastfeed their children & I think it's a beautiful thing. Hopefully the teething med applied to your wife's nipple area may help until she & the baby can get it down pat. Good luck with your family, sounds like your wife & you are excellent parents.

Answer 3

Contact your midwife or health visitor for advice on this ;

There are various soothing creams, that will not hurt the baby , and will heal and strengthen the nipples .

it takes a while, for the nipples to 'settle down' and become painless
The big danger is in cracking the nipple tissue
. this can be is very sore
and can also become infected , leading to an abscess.

i had 4 children and used oil of Ulay , several times per day ,
and that helped me .
This was a few years ago

Check with your midwife or Doctor, if this is OK,
to use while Breast feeling .
they may well, recommend something else .

I hope this will help,

breast feeding should be a joy---- NOT an ordeal

>^,,^<

Answer 4

first off, make sure that the baby is latching on correctly, the whole nipple should be in the babys mouth (the whole pink portion) this is the most common reason for nipple pain... it somtimes takes a little help to do this. I would have her speak to either her midwife/Dr. or call the hospital, they usually have a lactaion specialist on hand. if the baby is latched on correctly, you can buy ointment that is safe for the baby to ingest, I think you can get it at walmart. I liked the ones that came in a stick (like a glue stick) and when she is washing her breasts in the shower, tell her not to use soap on her nipples, it can dry them out, rinsing with warm water is all she needs.... Good Luck!

Answer 5

a little of her own breastmilk on her nipples soothes them. Allow then to air dry as well. The air is good for them. There are also lanolin creams for your nipples. I experienced severe nipple soreness as well. It really sucked for maybe the first 2 or 3 wks of trying it. After that my nipples adjusted and they hurt at first but they went away. If you learn to latch on right it shouldn't hurt severley. I had to learn the right breastfeeding technique for me. The football hold did really well for me while in the hospital. Switching it up works good too. I'm sure your lactation consultant told you the different feeding techniques. Try running them under some cool water too & let them airdry. Or icepacks in your bra helps too. Don't keep them too long. Warm water will cause you to lactate.

Answer 6

There could be an improper latch or the position she is using could be causing pain. Usually some soreness is expected during breastfeeding until you get used to it, but if the pain is that severe she might want to reconsider positioning the baby and if he is latched correctly. Lanolin(sold under the name Lansinoh in the baby section of stores) is great for dry, cracked nipples. Good luck, and congrats on choosing breastfeeding for your baby.

Answer 7

that's some issues. it should be that he's not latching on right, that's really major. if you're having worry with this locate out the thanks to get help is to be certain your baby wellness nurse, who can handbook you through it step through step. is the newborn coming up a rash is his mouth, if so it should be that both of you've thrush. even if it really is stepped ahead then he will have nappy rash that would not look to flow away. also communicate with you baby wellness nurse or medical specialist, because there's a particular oral gel you are able to positioned on your nipples and interior the newborn's mouth and it really is totally probability-free. With both my boys I were given it round this time. One baby wellness nurse suggested to be that interior the starting up the newborn should be sooo desirous to feed that the sucking action is really severe till they get used to what they're meant to be doing. i'm no longer particular about this, yet hi....

Answer 8

Ahhh - first time breast feeding....not fun. Tell her to stick to it, it will get better and good for her for her choice. Lansinoh cream for her nipples will help. When finished a session of feeding tell her to express a little milk if she can and rub it into her nipples and then air dry for a good ten to 15 minutes - there's a lot healing properties in breast milk.

Answer 9

When was your baby born????
I had alot of pain when I first started breastfeeding, it took about 2 weeks for my nipples to get used to being used like they are.....
They are being strained and pulled and well... sucked on! You can put a warm cloth on them to take some of the pain away....
But it will go away... I promise!
Make sure that the baby is latched correctly.....

http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_images_latchon.html

Hope this helps!

Answer 10

I don't know if this will help, but my wife said that the breast pump hurt less than having the child on the nipple. You might concider getting her a pump.