Breast Feeding?

Question

I am 6 months pregnant and determined to breast my baby once he/she arrives. I have read (and heard) lots of horror stories from women who have had bad experiences with sore nipples etc and wanted to see if anyone had any advise as to how to prepare or toughen up ready for when I start feeding.

Answer 1

Be Prepared! Go into this armed with all of the information you can get your hands on.

Take a class and make your partner go, too. You'll need his support as breastfeeding, while wonderful, is also extremely time consuming for a few months int he beginning. You'll need his help.

Once piece of advice: When your baby is born, breastfeed her as soon as you get your hands on her. And even if
the nursery at the hospital offers to let you sleep through the night, tell then NO BOTTLES, bring my baby to me when she is hungry. Get her on the boob early and often. no bottles.

Good luck-it's really a wonderful thing...my nipples were sore for a couple weeks there, and I had 3 plugged milk ducts in a year, but overall, it was easy, cheap, and incredible bonding.

best-
DN

Answer 2

I'm sorry that you've heard horror stories, but I'm sure that for every horror story, I can give you 1/2 dozen comforting and wonderful stories.

It is wonderful that you want to breastfeed and you will be so happy with all the benefits. You shouldn't need to "toughen" up your nipples or anything else for that matter. One of the best things to do to promote a great breastfeeding relationship is to let your baby nurse right after birth. My son was nursing within 10 minutes of being born! Also, find a good support group now because you'll need it. Situations may arise that you're unsure of what to do, and if you ask those same women who told you the horror stories, they'll talk you right out of breastfeeding when usually there is a simple fix to the problem.

Breastfeeding should not hurt, and if it does that means your baby isn't latching on correctly and you should seek help to fix the problem. Some babies come out knowing just what to do and others need to learn. Don't get discouraged and if you feel like giving up - ask us more questions! :)

Also, don't buy or use any bottles or pacifiers for the first 4-6 weeks. This could confuse your baby and make breastfeeding more difficult for both of you.

GOOD LUCK - and ask questions anytime!

Answer 3

To be honest, there is no way to toughen up your nipple. some say to twist or pull on them, this as a myth. The baby sucks on them and it is a dufferent friction all together, so you are still going to have soreness. I was so sore and my nipples bled for about two weeks.. Make sure you have a lactation consultant view you feeding, so they can tell you if the baby is latched on properly. You would think this should be easy, but it is about the most stressful thing to learn. Hang in there though by about six weeks you will wonder what you where so stressed out over, because you both will have learned. Also, it helps to put the baby on your breast immediatly following the birth, or at least within the first hour. Good luck.
Also Lanishol breast cream It is pure Lanolin and it helps keep them soft. Let the nipple are dry , and dont use soap on them.

Answer 4

I would take any breastfeeding classes you can, find a La Leche League support group, read books about it (I recommend The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers by Jack Newman and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League), feed the baby as soon as possible after birth- do not let them formula feed at the hospital (this caused many problems for a friend of mine), see a lactation consultant after you have the baby. If you have problems after you have the baby do not be afraid to ask for help - many people do. And you can also visit these websites for information:
www.lalecheleague.org
www.kellymom.com
www.drjaygordon.com
www.mothering.com
www.askdrsears.com

And I have had no major problems breastfeeding my son. I took birth prep and breastfeeding classes ahead of time, read the books I mentioned, delivered at a birthing center in a hospital with a midwife and one of the nurses at the birth happened to be a internationally certified lactation consultant and my mother nursed her 4 children so I had her for support. I did have a plugged duct twice in the first year but the both resolved the same day with the help of dr newman's book and the websites above. You may have somewhat sore nipples at first when the baby first latches on even if the latch is right (if the pain continues through the feeding and/or after the feeding it may be related to the latch - which is the most common reason for sore nipples from what I've read) but my midwife suggested putting ice or a cold pack on them just briefly before feeding to help. The soreness only lasted a few days. Medical grade lanolin also helps (this was actually the most helpful to me).

The best thing is find out as much as you can ahead of time and have support afterward. Good luck!

Answer 5

Actually breastfeeding is not hard. the problem is most people don't have the right people around them to show them how. If your nipples ever get sore, it's because the baby did not latch on right and is sucking on the nipple instead of the areola. You see not only are you going to learning how to nurse, but so is your baby. My friend and my mom were the best help. My mom noticed that nothing was coming out because I had developed a scab while in the hospital trying to nurse, so for one week I rubbed olive oil over my nipple to help remove the scab and soften them up again. After that nursing didn't hurt. I just had to learn how to get in a comfortable position so my back wouldn't get tired. Remember the baby comes to the food, not the food to the baby. In other words if you are sitting down, don't lean forward, while your baby is almost in your lap, bring the baby to the breast, not the other way around. You will notice the difference. But the best advice anyone can give you is to stop listening to 'war stories'.

Answer 6

well, i said the same thing, i never wanted my baby to even taste a drop of formula, and he didnt until this past week, but i have alot of medical stuff thats been thrown on me, and not enough time to prepare as much milk as needed...
anyways, yes i had sore nipples, actually at one point they bleed, and were bruised, but it comes with the territory. I just delt with it, i would pump because he was a baracuda feeder (very strong fast suck) so i would put it in the bottle. I actually went agaisnt what my dr said of not introducing a bottle until breastfeeding was WELL established, but i felt as though it was, and he has been having the bottle of breastmilk and my breast since a week old, and absolutly no problems.
They say you can use Lansolin to "toughen" up your nipples, but it did jack for mine. The best thing i can say is if you do happen to get sore nipples (which i didnt until he was three weeks old) just keep feeding him, i would cry sometimes it hurt so bad, but if you keep feeding him it wont (which sometiems is associated with incorrect latching) and always try to start on the oppisite breast that you feed off of last. because if you just try to feed him on the one nipple that doesnt hurt, you'll end up with my problem (i started breastfeeding with both breast being an "E" cup, and now the one that didnt hurt nearly as much is still an "E" and the one that really hurt is a "C", so you can generally see what a difference that is :( ] but thats the best advice i can give

Answer 7

Some people say that you should rub your nipples with a towel before you give birth... I did not do that. I had a very difficult time with my first child, but enjoyed the experience tremendously the second time! Here is what helped:

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Breastfeeding (specifically latching on properly) can be difficult at first! Ask for help and guidance as much as you need before you leave the hospital. They will most likely have a "Lactation Specialist" who's job it is to make sure you have the best experience and most success possible.

2. Use Lansinoh Brand Lanolin, you can buy it in any drug store. You can put it on your nipples and it helps immensly, especially because you DO NOT have to wash it off before you feed the baby. It also helps to express a bit of milk after feeding and rub it in to the nipple/areola area.

3. Find something, I used a Boppy, to prop the baby in a comfortable position. This made a huge difference for me and I still use it when I am rocking my daughter to sleep!

4. Relax, relax, relax! Your milk won't come down if you aren't relaxed. Sit in a comfortable chair and put your feet up. You will come to find that this is your time, and neither your nor anyone else can expect you to do anything but relax and feed your baby at this time! Don't think about things that need to be done - unless you have a piece of paper and a pen handy to write stuff down (so you can forget about it until later).

5. Keep hydrated! I felt like I was in a desert as soon as my daughter latched on, so this was easy for me... I just had to ask my husband to get me a glass of water and we were all set!

6. Enjoy it! I can't say this enough... With both my children, even though I wasn't successful with my son, the first time they latched on, the feeling was amazing! I can't describe how joyful and at peace I felt. Women may complain that men don't have to experience childbirth, but they also will never be able to experience how close they feel to a child they are breastfeeding!

7. If you are absolutely miserable, stop. Your baby can sense your mood, and it will make him/her miserable too! Then no one will be happy! With my son (he was 10 lbs. 8 oz. and would have been happy to have steak and potatoes!), my husband finally asked me to consider stopping breast feeding because neither our son nor I was happy. I made a real effort and it just didn't work out - the effort was something I could be proud of, though! Our lives were much happier and more relaxed after I stopped. With my daughter, it was success from the start, and that was something I could really be proud of, too!

I wish you the best of luck! Enjoy your pregnancy and your new little one. You've probably heard it a million times already, but they grow up so quickly!

Answer 8

First of all it's great that you are going to breastfeed! You really don't need to toughen up your nipples. You should see a lactation consultant. Most hospitals have them. They will teach you how to latch your baby on properly. It should never hurt when breast feeding as long as you have a good latch! Also if they do get sore lanolin helps. It is kinda like petroleum jelly that you put on your nipples. It works wonders. I hope it works out for you!

Answer 9

My first was tough as he was a preemie, but it was the pumping that hurt. Plus parentings tough, just gets you used to it all together. Not sure theres much you can do ahead of time, just have some lanolin on hand, and those ice soothies helped too.

With my second, it actually was pretty easy, no bad experiences.

You could start going to Le Leche league meetings in your area now, they probably have great ideas.

Good luck - some babies are easier than others to nurse, so dont be suprised if it doesnt come naturally. It gets easier. And your worst experience will probalby be more that giant pad!

Answer 10

Your nipples should be fine. The best thing you can do is talk to a lactation consultant. I despirately wanted to nurse my son but could'nt because of really inverted nipples. I used a nipple shield and everything. He would'nt latch on. Some people just can't do it. I was really depressed for about 2 months but eventually got over it. My baby is a very healthy 4 month old. I pumped for him until my supply dried up. In the hospital I tried to nurse him before I talked to the lactation consultant. I figured I would be able to do it because its the most natural thing to do. We were made for it right? Wrong. If you don't know what you're doing you can really hurt your self. I had hickeys all over my nipples! They hurt for weeks. It made everything harder. I used lanolin ointment and it helped some. If youre worried about anything I would recommend talking to the lactation consultant