Breastfeeding moms please help!!?

Question

1st time breastfeeding mom I have a 2 week old girl. I have 2 questions. In the hospital they had me using a nipple shield to try to pull out my nipples- but they arent flat anyway so I dont know why they insisted on it. So now I guess baby is used to not having to open up wide to latch=she IS KILLING MY NIPPLES! the latch is terribly painful since its not wide enough once she gets going its okay though. my nipples are very sore hurts to let water hit them in the shower i have begun 2 use lanolin in btwn feedings. can i retrain her to latch well? what do i do?
Also Im noticing one breast slightly larger than the other...maybe im favoring the one that is less sore? must i use to other one a bit more will it even out? I enjoy the breastfeeding i dont want to give up although sometimes i could cry at latch on time!! Thanks 4 the help!

Answer 1

Switch breast often, so that one won't get fuller and slather that lanolin on when not feeding so your nipples wont' hurt. It takes time and some pain, but yes you can train baby to latch on right and without nipple sheild, I had to do the same thing, see a lactation consultant if you can or have someone help you to make sure baby is latching on right. Don't give up, look for support,

Answer 2

It's tough. Try to contact La Leche League, if you can. It sounds like you are in pain because of incorrect latch. Her mouth needs to be wide when you put her on the breast, any other latch will eventually cause a TON of pain. Correct that ASAP and I'm certain a lot of your problems will go away. It's very important that you get her latched properly or your nipples will suffer. Mine even started bleeding once it was so bad. Don't give up, it can be fixed. do some research online, contact LLL, or a lactation consultant at the hospital or somewhere else.

You could also be experiencing thrush, which is also extremely painful. It's a yeast infection that gets passed from mothers nipple to baby's mouth and then back again. The only way for it to go away is for both of you to be treated. Make an appt with your dr or her dr and ask about it. You should both be treated or it will only get worse.

And work on that latch!!!

Answer 3

It's painful at first! I used a lanolin cream after EVERYtime I nursed for the first five weeks. Now I don't ever need to use it. If the latch is painful, it's not correct. To detach her, slide your index finger between her lips and your nipple before you detach. That will help save your nipple. And it might seem counterintuitive to making your nipples feel better, but nurse as often as you can. Forget about "every three hours" or whatever. Let the baby decide when she's hungry.

Switch which of the breasts you use first at each feeding. It's still so early, and you and your baby are learning together. I strongly recommend checking out Dr. Jack Newman's videos and articles. (the link is below) They were so helpful! Keep with it! It is tough sometimes, but it's worth it.

I also suggest contacting La Leche League in your area. It was helpful for me through email and through meetings. Some leaders will do housecalls, some will help over the phone. And it's FREE, no lactation consultant fee. If you want to join, and you don't have to, it's only $40 a year.

Good luck!!

Answer 4

Before you latch her, her mouth should be so open that she should look like she is yawning. Put more of the bottom of your areola into her mouth than the top of the areola. Continue to use lanolin until your nipples are healed. To even out your breasts, make sure you are feeding for roughly the same amount of time on both breasts during a 24 hour period. So if your daughter only takes one breast, start with the other next time. If she takes a little but not much of the second breast, still start her on the second breast. But she's only 2 weeks old. Your milk supply hasn't regulated yet, so that could be some of the reason you are lopsided.

I understand where you are coming from if you are favoring the less painful breast! I fed my son from my left breast for 5 straight feedings once day because my right one hurt way too much. But then I became engorged and it hurt anyway.

Answer 5

I feel your frustration! I wonder sometimes where these hospitals get their training, I've had some crazy lactation advice from nurses. Yes, you can teach her to latch on correctly still, although it will be a week or so before the soreness is gone. When she is about to latch on, use your finger on her lower gums to gently open her mouth wider as you guide her on, and use the other hand to position the nipple so it goes in easier. I know it's a bit tricky to use both hands while supporting a newborn, but throw pillows are definately your friend as a breastfeeding mother. If she latches on incorrectly, put your finger inbetween her gums toward the back of her mouth to break the latch and gently try again. Make sure you are relaxed and that you are talking soothingly to her to reduce any frustration either of you may feel. It shouldn't take long to have her retrained in latching on.
As far as the two sizes, well, I think we all go through that, and for you to favor the side that hurts less makes perfect sense! As long as you are using both, you will have milk in both... and when the soreness goes away and you are using them equally again, the size will balance out again too.
How awesome that you are sticking with it!!! Good luck!

Answer 6

Keep at it! I had the same trouble. I thought I was going to die, it hurt so bad the first two-four weeks. I experienced the same thing you are right now. Once he got going it was fine, but getting him going was murder. I thought, "How in the world do you get his whole mouth over my areola -- his mouth is so small!!" And often he would lose his latch and gulp down air. I just kept at it and had him latch and relatch until I felt like he had a good one. I'm sure your all ready doing this, but they had to teach to do it at the hospital, so I'll relay the info. If you need to pull your baby off make sure you use your pinky finger to break the suction.Use lots of the lanolin, I think the best is by Lanosh. You can get it at target. I ended up nursing him on one side and then the next time nursing him on the other side. That gave each boob a 3-4 hour break. He was still peeing enough wet diapers, so I knew he was getting enough. I also had one boob that was more sore than the other. Put the lanolin cream on before you shower, it really helps. I promise that within one to two weeks it will stop hurting!!!!!

Answer 7

regardless of how large small or the shape of your nipples the baby should be opening wide to get latched on properly.
If you feel confident that she's latching properly then all I can say is it will get better. I feel this is the case, since you said that once she gets going it doesn't hurt anymore.

Having two different size breast isn't unusual while breastfeeding. If you tend to favor one over the other then stop. I remember the bringing the tears to the eyes at latch time. or the holding of the breath for the first few seconds, or the gritting of the teeth and the intake of breath. Hang in there it gets much better, so long as the pain subsides once the baby is suckling.

Answer 8

you can always re train to latch better. the first two weeks or sometimes 3 kill the nipples. i used to have to psych myself up to begin the nursing session, it hurt soooo bad.
you need to keep breaking the suction and re position until it is a good one. you need all the nipple and as much of areola in there as possible. obviously if you have larger nipples, there will apear to be less in her mouth than there is. i got a breastfeeding book from the book store and it was helpful. i had low milk supply, she is a continuous comfort nurser and i thought she had a weak latch.
you just need to be patient and keep working at it. people dont usually say how hard and painful it is in the beginning.
as for the lop sided breast. favoring will do this. use the other side more. like twice in a row, then when the start looking equal start going back and forth again. if you keep favoring, severe lopsidedness will happen and stay that way after breastfeeding ends. ive seen pics and its not cute, lol. do not give up!!!!! if i did it, any one can(my daughter lily is now 4 1/2 months old and i am just now feelikg like we are doing well. i was determined because i failed with my first born. it is a great bond and i dont want to give it up. every day is a great accomplishment. it hurts, but will get better, work on the latch, get a book. lay down on your side. it is usually less stress on the both of you like that. i put her in the crook of my arm and lay on my side and it works well. don't give up, take it a day at a time, you are doing great.

Answer 9

I know exactly how you feel. My daughter was sucking weird too and it caused blisters that sometimes bled. Once she figured out how to latch properly, I occasionally used a shield to protect myself until I could heal. It took about a month and a half before I was completely pain-free at feedings.

See if your hospital offers breastfeeding classes. They may be able to help you and your daughter. If that's not an option, one thing I did on my own to get my daughter to latch on correctly was to get her to open her mouth by tickling her lip with my nipple. Once she opened her mouth, I gently pressed my finger on her chin to get her to open REALLY wide. Then, before she had a chance to close her mouth again, I'd quickly put my whole nipple in her mouth. She struggled a lot at first because I don't think she liked having a mouth full of nipple, but that's how it has to work to get the milk flow stimulated and relieve Mom's pain. It was hard when she struggled because I thought I was hurting her (which I wasn't), but after a few seconds of squirming around, she'd clamp down and start eating.

Try also using the crossover hold when you feed her. With your arm running the length of her body and your hand on the back of her neck/head, you can direct her towards your breast more easily.

Good luck!

Answer 10

It's hard but it can be done.
Do not let her nurse unless she opens wide for the latch on. She will get pissed and cry, but she'll learn.
As soon as she opens her mouth wide enough, put all of your breast - the whole nipple and the dark circle in her mouth.
If she doesn't get the latch on right, break suction and try again. It is very frustrating trying to get the hang of breastfeeding. But STICK WITH IT!!!
It is SO rewarding and beneficial to both you and your baby.
If you need help, you can always call a lacatation consultant, or La Leche League. www.kellymom.com is also a good source. www.breastfeeding.com
They're all good websites.
Good luck, keep trying and don't give up!!!