BFing question...

Does it ever stop hurting?? If so, when? DD is 10 days old and at first, we were doing awesome. Relatively pain-free nursing!! Lately though, that had all changed. I want to cry when I have to BF!!

Is it painful only when your lo latches on, that goes away? Or is it consistant? And do you have signs of trauma like scabs, open wound etc. ?

If your nipples are actually damaged you would make your life a lot easier to see a lactation consultant because the latch is wrong.

<blockquote><b>Quoting eKnuckles:</b>" Is it painful only when your lo latches on, that goes away? Or is it consistant? And do you have signs ... [snip!] ... nipples are actually damaged you would make your life a lot easier to see a lactation consultant because the latch is wrong."</blockquote>



It's worse when she latches and then the pain fades some, but it's still there. I'm setting up an appt with a lactation consultant. I don't think she is opening her mouth wide enough!

<blockquote><b>Quoting Asher and Haddie's Mommy:</b>" <blockquote><b>Quoting eKnuckles:</b>" Is it painful only when your lo latches on, ... [snip!] ... but it's still there. I'm setting up an appt with a lactation consultant. I don't think she is opening her mouth wide enough!"</blockquote>




Aw, I know how that is! I never found a lactation consultant and learned how ro hf on my own. I don't suggest it, its much harder. I looked up youtube videos obsessively to see correct latching techniques and we finally figured out how to do it. (Funnily enough i got her latch correctly at the doctors office when i had no pillows but shoved her onto my boob fast to reduce boob exposure). I say after you see an lc it will probably be a week before things are looking a lot better. Keep in mind you might have to see her more than once. And are you using lanolin or anything similiar?

baby has a shallow latch. breastfeeding should not hurt at all if the baby is latched correctly. usually it's a "simple" as getting baby to take more of the arreola into the mouth. see a LC - you don't have to suffer, it's likely not going to be hard to fix

It sounds like a shallow latch. My daughter had one too and no mater what my doctor, the LC, or myself did, we couldn't correct it. She just hate being covers by my large breast. We would get her on so it was comfortable for me and she would let go immediately and scream, then when she would relatch again her way (really shallow) she would feed happily, i was just not happy. She would also only latch when laying on her right side. Nursing for the first few months was very painful and uncomfortable but she eventually grew into her latch, it took about 12 weeks. Until then every nursing session was painful and I bled during most feedings. She still only every nursed though, no formula. Hope you have better luck correcting it!!

For me the first month was pretty bad. I didn't have any latching issues or anything like that it was just the stress on the nipple from being used more than ever. I have very sensitive skin so it took my body a little while to get used to it. I breastfed my daughter until a month after she turned 2.

It was very painful for me for about 3 weeks then it was all gravy baby.

if she has a small mouth as she grows and her mouth gets bigger she should be able to take more breast. Does it feel like it could be like thrush or something? does it hurt inside your breasts? are your nipple red with sores at all?

Thanks ladies. It's gotta be her latch. My nipples look fine, no scabs or weird discoloration or anything. Like another mama said, I can get her latched right, but she doesn't like it, so she pulls away and latches really shallow. My aureolas are really big, so that doesn't help!!   I'm not giving up, so hopefully we should get this down in time! And Laura- I hope you're right about her mouth being small! That would be a super simple solution!

I just thought of this...But my little girl learned to latch correctly when I used a nipple shield for only a day...Maybe try that and see if it helps if not at least it won't hurt so much with the shield on