O-the-pain!

[carriek]

I've heard the first few weeks can be painful....but seriously- someone tell me please when does it go away?? I started feeling a bit better a few days ago I thought, but now I'm back to gritting my teeth when Emmery first latches on :(

[Corrie]

Are you sure you have a proper latch? Thats the biggest cause for painful nursing. A proper latch means your babies mouth is not on the nipple alone, but on your areola as well. 2 weeks is still new though, so it may be your nipples havnt calloused up yet.

[PurplePasion]

I'm so not looking forward to this again. DS#1 has nipple confusion because they gave hima bottleinthe hosp and it seemed like it took forever to get his to nurse w/o pain. DS#2 it was a couple of weeks or so but the pain is still very real.

[maine06]

It lasted a good 3 weeks with us :hugs:

even if your LOs latch is correct, you could still be getting some pain. Make sure you're supporting your breast, so that it's 'in line' with your LO, and not "pulling down", if that makes sense.

it gets better, i promise!

[Mallory]

Yes. I had to hold my breast with one hand and support baby with the other for a long time before I could go hands free comfortably.

Are you using a nursing pillow? I had My Brest Friend which helped a lot. I took it everywhere with me.

Are you using Lansinoh after feedings?

Try and get as much air to your nipples as possible. Sometimes, I swear that was my only saving grace. If I put my bra back on or even just a shirt sometimes, it was brutal. The worst was trying to peel off my bra/nursing pad/shirt when my nipple had dried onto it.

The other thing that really helped me was after baby nursed, rinsing my nipples with a little bit of water, then expressing a few drops of breastmilk and (gently, of course) rubbing it on them, followed by the air drying.

Always check your latch, and keep in mind any babys latch will get lazy if they're falling asleep on the breast. Either wake them up to keep eating, or else pop your finger in their cheek to break the suction and give the booby a break. :laugh:

Good luck! You're two weeks in, it should get better soon!

[macksmom]

Yeah it is painful! I thought I remember the first month being pretty bad. Or 6 weeks....you at almost there! Try some lanolin on a nursing pad. That always soothed me and I never had cracking or bleeding. Even better was some lanolin on a nursing pad in the fridge! Aahhhhh....

[01buckler15]

My pain this time around was for 3 weeks. It was the same kind you are explaining and we had a good latch. Just a powerful one. LOL Your almost over that first hump! Hold on tight and good Luck.

[Linzo]

I was in serious pain the first two weeks or so too! I am feeling so much better (aside from the clogged duct I think I may have). I expressed milk and rubbed it on there after feedings which really helped when I had an actual crack on the side of my nipple! Her latch is great, BUT, when she is falling asleep I did notice that she is pulling my nipple and especially when I thought I could be hands free when she nursed. I really do have to support her head and hold my breast with the other hand to really get a good latch without hurting my nipples. I use the My Breast Friend pillow and I absolutely love it! I used to get really sharp twinges of pain all day long too, are you experiencing this? I think it finally might have gone away.

[Anna Begins]

About 4-6 weeks :hugs: Get some lanolin. Hydrogel pads help and so do breastpads. Even if you arent leaking (and you will soon anyway) they help stop the friction with your shirts which really adds to it. You can also put a lil breastmilk on your nipples after feeding and let them air dry.

[djackson123]

Definitely put some EBM on them and let them air dry and breath! :hugs: It was a few weeks with me too. I actually got blisters until we got a better latch going. Hang in there mama!

[ColtsFan1912]

(((hugs))))

[moosh34]

It gets better and before you know it you'll forget how long it hurt at first cuz I can't exactly remember two years later! Hugs for now though!

[caligirl07]

It lasted about 3-4 weeks for us, I got pretty good at singing opera during that time to avoid screaming! Hope it gets better soon. Lanolin was a lifesaver too!

[bellaboop]

Yes. I had to hold my breast with one hand and support baby with the other for a long time before I could go hands free comfortably.

Are you using a nursing pillow? I had My Brest Friend which helped a lot. I took it everywhere with me.

Are you using Lansinoh after feedings?

Try and get as much air to your nipples as possible. Sometimes, I swear that was my only saving grace. If I put my bra back on or even just a shirt sometimes, it was brutal. The worst was trying to peel off my bra/nursing pad/shirt when my nipple had dried onto it.

The other thing that really helped me was after baby nursed, rinsing my nipples with a little bit of water, then expressing a few drops of breastmilk and (gently, of course) rubbing it on them, followed by the air drying.

Always check your latch, and keep in mind any babys latch will get lazy if they're falling asleep on the breast. Either wake them up to keep eating, or else pop your finger in their cheek to break the suction and give the booby a break. :laugh:

Good luck! You're two weeks in, it should get better soon!

ITA with everything Mallory said! It will get better soon if you take care of your nips and keep a good latch.

[ld616]

I felt better after 4 weeks. I didn't think it would ever feel comfortable, but all of a sudden it did, and it's been so worth it! Hang in there!!!

[alikatgrrl]

everyone else gave good advice and I am NO example of what **good** nursing should be, but I remember the initial latch being very painful for a long time. I started pumping at a week or so, but would constantly try to nurse beyond that... every try was sooo painful. I still had pain at 4 months when he started nursing. JUST as it got better... he started teething :) Now... he practices chomping with his 8 teeth :)

Hang in there, it gets better :)

[cc26]

It's still painful for me when she first latches on. Afterward it's fine -- I hope this will go away sooner rather than later.

[Gothknits]

It took us a while before the toe curling pain went away. Part of it was that I had thrush and didn't realize it. That could be your problem too. Trust me, it does get better and it's so worth toughing it out. (or it was for me)

[goodkarma]

Dude, I am right there with you, I am in so much pain when he first latches on. Now my right nipple looks like hamburger meat and is bleeding! YIKES! I have tried a few different latch/positions but for some reason the right side is the worst!

[futuresoccermom]

I can still remember the pain!! Don't worry, it will fade fast! I remember crying when she first clamped on....
Your nipples will toughen up soon!

[Ilah's Mamma]

I wish I could help, but I have been using a shield since day one. She dont want anything to do with the boob if I don't have it on. I have tried weaning her off of it, but if she is latching on with it, im cool. So I don't get the dried cracked nipples, or anything like that, I guess I am lucky. But I do wish she would wean off of the shield

[cheeksy]

Around 2 months for me. Air dried, applied olive oil, applied vit E. Finally lanolin was the best solution to it. It doesn't need to be washed off before feeding and you can even apply teeny bit right before feeding. :hugs:

[Gothknits]

Around 2 months for me. Air dried, applied olive oil, applied vit E. Finally lanolin was the best solution to it. It doesn't need to be washed off before feeding and you can even apply teeny bit right before feeding. :hugs:

I use it right before pumping because that was causing chafing too.

[carriek]

Thanks for all the support & recommendations ladies :kiss:It's still hurting just as bad, but I have hope that relief is coming soon.

So instead of just once a day I've been putting on lanolin after every feeding (after rubbing in some breast milk and letting it air dry). And even though I don't leak I've taken to wearing nursing pads because of the lanolin and also to just give my nips some extra padding so they're not getting chaffed/bumped. I've caved a couple times and taken some ibuprofen- it seems to just barely take the edge off.

I think the issue is partly how often she's nursing- I kept track yesterday and she easily nurses more than 20 times a day, mostly in 15-30 minute sessions. Whoever said infants should nurse every 2-3 hours sure as heck wasn't talking about my kid! :P I'm putting her to breast at least every hour, and I might get two 3-5 hour breaks each day when she's sleeping.


Karma- use lanolin after every feeding if you're not already...I can see that if cracking/bleeding was my problem it would totally help :hugs:

[Irish-Eyes]

Carrie, I often wondered who the heck came up with the 8-10 times a day thing too. That first month, Lilly was feeding hourly.

[Andimodo]

i am so relieved to know it's not just me who is having pain when my boy latches on. once he gets on it seems fine, but man it hurts that first few seconds!

thanks for posting all the tips. i will continue to try all these things until my nipples get used to this.

[jessievinson]

OMG my nipples hurt so bad! I started using a nipple shield when DS was only 2 days old because of latch issues but decided to wean him off of the shield last week. I went to a lactation consultant and he latched on like a champ without the shield and fed great and didn't tear my nipple up but after a day and a half of no shield, I was crying everytime he latched on. I just could take the pain so I'm back to the shield. My nips are still on fire though, I'm starting to think it might be thrush...

[Gothknits]

My nips are still on fire though, I'm starting to think it might be thrush...

If it hurts all the time, not just during the latch, then yes, most likely it's thrush. It got so much better for me once I got that cleared up.

I now do regular vinegar washes. I keep a bottle of 50/50 white vinegar/water in the shower for that reason. It's also great for itchy scalp which is often caused by yeast as well.

[haydensmom]

Make sure that latch is 100% correct every time. if not, insert a finger at the side of her latch to break it and try again. Don't just pull your nipple out. For me, it was easiest to latch Ava on in the football hold. My nipples were torn up for a good three weeks and then finally started healing and felt good by 6 weeks. I didn't even put a shirt on. :lol:

[kerri]

it does get better!!! as for the feeding schedules, whoever came up with those are completely wacky! gavin is 10.5 months old and still nurses A LOT!! Some days every 2 hours. But mostly every 3 hours.

Good luck and GREAT JOB!!!!!

[Anna Begins]

I think the issue is partly how often she's nursing- I kept track yesterday and she easily nurses more than 20 times a day, mostly in 15-30 minute sessions. Whoever said infants should nurse every 2-3 hours sure as heck wasn't talking about my kid! :P I'm putting her to breast at least every hour, and I might get two 3-5 hour breaks each day when she's sleeping.

Ya that sound pretty normal for where youre at now. Once they hit 3 mos, it gets SO easy! For you both... she will get more efficiant and it will just be old hat. Peri nurses in about 5 mins now (max 7) and is totally satisfied- altho we still nurse every 2-4 hours. It is nothing now for me to feed her. You just have to get over the hump.

[babyjoy414]

It lasted a good 3 weeks with us :hugs:

even if your LOs latch is correct, you could still be getting some pain. Make sure you're supporting your breast, so that it's 'in line' with your LO, and not "pulling down", if that makes sense.

it gets better, i promise!
Me too...3 weeks. Try changing her position from like cross cradle to football. It helps to have the pressure on a different part. Just be sure to take care of your nips...rub breast milk on them after feeding, air dry then lanolin. Keep it up!! :hooray:

[cheeksy]

I don't know why they say that bf causes *mild discomfort* and if hurts, only for a little while! IT DOES HURT! C'mon, this is one of the most sensitive parts of the body, our nipples, and they are being munched, sucked, kept in moist for the first time in our life for more than 5-10mins a day! To all who want to BF - BREASTFEEDING DOES HURT AT THE BEGINNING, BUT IT GETS BETTER WHEN YOU FOLLOW NECESSARY STEPS (unless there is some pathology or wrong latching and so on). And once you get used to it... it is in fact THE MOST amazing time you spend with your baby. :)