latching on...

i know several of you have had problems with sore nipples due to a bad latch on...so I was wondering how you corrected the problem, if you learned some tricks or anything.
I'm STILL having the latching on problem. I pull her in when the mouth's open the widest but it still hurts, and when she comes off you can see the indents where her gums were biting the nipple.
So...maybe some tips or something to try? please.  

i see you just had your baby a few weeks ago. its normal for your nipples to be sore for a little while. my best advice would be to visit with a lactation consultant. they usually have those at the breastfeeding clinics at your local hospital. they can help you learn a better latch. when my nipples were sore, i would apply either lansinoh lanolin on it or dr. newman's ointment. good luck and have patience!

I breastfed for a year and my nipples were only sore a few weeks. I didnt find anything uncomfortable about it except for the first few seconds where the milk starts letting down. If it is painful the entire time then the latch isnt correct. The best advice I can give is trying to find different holds that are more comfortable. As your baby gets bigger you will need to hold them differently to latch on.... Are you using a boppy pillow to help with positioning? I found using the pillow a great help bcuz then i had both hands free to help guide my nipple to her mouth. Also, your hospital should have a lactation consultant that can come and help you try to work on the latch. Get some cream for your nipples. That really helps them "toughen" up. Good luck and don't give up. Breastfeeding is a learned art.

Quoting Kolter's Mommy:“ i see you just had your baby a few weeks ago. its normal for your nipples to be sore for a little while. ... [snip!] ... when my nipples were sore, i would apply either lansinoh lanolin on it or dr. newman's ointment. good luck and have patience!”

that's the thing!i went and saw a LC at the hospital...everything went perfect while i was there...then i got home and i don't know what happened. i don't know if it was because at the hospital that time she wasn't really hunry and not doing as normal...or if she was just putting on a show for the nurse?...but i couldn't believe how it didn't hurt at all...and now...back to the soreness and the baby's just getting the nipple.

Quoting war pony:“ that's the thing!i went and saw a LC at the hospital...everything went perfect while i was there...then ... [snip!] ... i couldn't believe how it didn't hurt at all...and now...back to the soreness and the baby's just getting the nipple.”

Awww poor mommy! They always latch on when someones there to help lol its the middle of the night and no one is around when they wanna be a lil turd!

Contact the LC at the hospital again....it is possible that they will do a house visit. It sounds like she is not opening her mouth wide enough....

Try opening her mouth a little by gently pushing down on her chin when she is about to latch on. this will open her mouth a little wider. And secondly....use could also use your other hand a compress your nipple a little to get more in her mouth.

Here is good site for breastfeeding info....if you have questions thaty have tons of answers to help you out.

www.kellymom.com

Latching info: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/latch-resources.html

Have you had your public health nurse home visit yet?

I lived in Washington when I gave birth to my son and I know it's something the state provides for free. She came to my house and watched me breastfeed and gave me pointers and tips. It was awesome!

Quoting sunnyloomis:“ Contact the LC at the hospital again....it is possible that they will do a house visit. It sounds like ... [snip!] ... of answers to help you out. www.kellymom.com Latching info: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/latch-resources.html”

with one breast she does alright...it doesn't hurt too much, but my nipple is still shaped like lipstick... : /
but with the other, the slightly larger breast/areola...i latch her on when her mouth is pretty wide and she kind of gags and pulls off until she just gets the nipple.

but yes, i'm going to try the LC consultant.

and I'll try the chin thing and see if that works.

My main reason for worry is not the fact that it's hurting me, cause I'm going to go through hell to get this to work...but I'm just hoping she can get as much milk as she can, cause I know if she just sucks on the nipple it could be problematic and she won't get as much as she can.

Quoting amyc19:“ Have you had your public health nurse home visit yet? I lived in Washington when I gave birth to my ... [snip!] ... the state provides for free. She came to my house and watched me breastfeed and gave me pointers and tips. It was awesome!”

i had an appt..but then i thought i was doing good and i cancelled!  
i wonder if there is a certain amount of time before they don't offer it to you anymore?

One of my nipples is a little weird (some of the ducts are kinda of more on the side pointing out) so when my son would nurse the milk would spray into his mouth at an angle and kind of pool in his cheek. Then there would be to much in there and he would choke on it. The odd shape also caused a lot of pain when he latched on. My MIRCLE was the nipple shields. They kind of look like a little silicon summer hat lol! But they worked great!! No pain, and because the nipple kind of gets pulled into a point they made it easy for him to latch on. The breasts sometimes don't fully drain though, so you have to watch for that.