Circumcision.. and also breastfeeding problems!

I have a few questions that I was wondering about from you experienced mommies!
My husband and I got our little boy circumcised, and so we have to put that ointment on and everything.. but, it looks like there is a flap of skin peeling off the head of his penis. Is that normal? It's kind of long and.. I dunno. It kind of worries me. I'm going to ask about it at his first appointment, but just wondering if it's normal or if I should be concerned.

Also, I'm breastfeeding and my baby didn't latch on correctly at first, and then once he did learn to latch he fed CONSTANTLY for the first couple of days in the hospital. His suck is so strong, that now my nipples are cracked and sore, and one of them is sometimes bloody. Is it okay for him to feed off of that one? I try and clean it as good as I can before feeding, but sometimes it starts bleeding during feeding. I don't want that breast to get too engorged, but I'm not sure if I should be letting him feed off it or not.

Thanks!!
-Raen

I had my son circumcised because of the same sorta deal.. i don't know a whole lot about penises since I don't have one.. LOL.. and his dad wasn't sure since he was curcumcised.. before my son was done though it kinda almost looked like the head was drying out..it was weird.. I talked to the doctor and he said so long as it wasn't red or sore looking then he was fine.. I don't know if that's much help! Sorry.

As for your nipples, there's this cream you can buy it's okay for the baby to ingest some of it but it REALLY helps sore nipples out (you can get it at wal-mart or a drug store.. it's usually by like breast pads and such in the baby section.. I don't remember what it's called though...) Mine cracked and bled while my son was still in the hospital and the nurses said it was normal and fine and just to use the cream. Good luck!

Ashley

I used pure lanolin with my son... it really moisturizes and it's fine for the baby, you don't have to wash it off... It's in a yellow tube. Any pure lanolin is fine because it'a a natural product

Thanks guys! I have some of that pure lanolin stuff and I think it's helping them out! I hope so anyways, my nipples are going through torture for this little man!

As for the circumcision.. I just hope we're taking care of it okay. My husband keeps saying the same thing. He's so worried we're going to mess up our sons penis. lol! I figure if it were that easy to "mess up", then there'd be a lot more messed up penises in the world! lol We're not doing that bad!

Anyways, thanks guys for the advice!  

Take care,
Raen

Lansinoh is the lanolin stuff I used - excellent for the sore nipples.
Also try "Soothies". You can put the Soothies pads in the fridge and use the same one for a couple of days. They feel soooooo good.

My 4 month old chewed them up so bad it looked like my nipples were about to be sliced off at the tip (OUCH).

The other more important thing is making sure you've got that latch-on correctly, otherwise he'll just maul you again. I ended up seeing a lactation consultant, and my problem was position and latch on. Once I perfected that, the nipples healed almost immediately.

Finally, keep the boobies out in the open (exposed to air), and rub some expressed breastmilk on them after each feeding.

Good luck!

Don't use soap when cleaning those nipples! I found cloth nursing pads where better than disposables. You don't always notice a disposable is a little wet and that can irritate you plus they don't breath as well. I washed mine with my cloth diapers, but if you use disposables I know people who washed them with their white clothes. I used Lansinoh next to my breast with Avent next to my bra. The lace from the Avent holds the pads in place and it has a nylon lining to prevent leaks, but doesn't hold much. The Lansinohs are really absorbent and sometimes I would use two of those ones and at night (I had a large milk production) I would use two Lansinoh and a disposable Lansinoh (they are larger around thinner and more absorbent than most other disposables) in place of the Avent cloth one. When we would go on trips I would just use disposables and my nipples would be sore for days! You need to keep nursing on both sides or it is going to make the problem worse! Also I found the breast feeding book by William Sears very helpful. My daughter and I enjoyed a wonderful experience of breast feeding up until just a few days ago when she decided she no longer wanted "mommy milk". She is 18 months old. It was the night before her 18 month "birthday" that she said "NO!" to my breast. I know that if you want to do the same you can!