It hurts so bad!

GavinsMommy wrote: If it doesn't get better soon, I don't know how much more I can take!

My nipples didn't start hurting until two or three days ago. They hurt SO bad. They feel raw and you can see a little blood on them. Every time he is hungry I just want to die bc I know I have to feed him and I hate supplementing w/ formula...but the first minute is just agony and after that it's just so uncomfortable.

He is latched on correctly so I'm guessing this is just all a part of nursing. But I'm in so much pain I just don't know if I can stand this! I love nursing him bc I feel close to him and he likes to nurse rather than take a bottle, but it hurts!!!! I had to hold my hands over my breasts in the shower last night bc the water hitting them just felt sooooo horrible.

I know they say to get Lansinoh and all but honestly, how much can that really help? I just want to scream when he's hungry...and when I go to feed him I have to literally PULL the nursing pads off of my nipples...they stick to them bc of the blood/milk I suppose. It is so painful...like pulling a REALLY STICKY bandaid off of stitches

maestra replied: This happened to me too with Jaci. I know it is really painful. The Lansinoh will help with the pads sticking to your nipples- It helped me there too. If you put it on every time you finish nursing, it will help.

My nipples actually cracked down the middle, especially the left one. It healed, but I can still see the scar from the cracking on it. One thing that helped for me was that for two days I exclusively pumped and gave her the expressed breast milk. Everytime she ate I pumped, so we didn't have to give her any formula. It gave my nips some time to heal and not be quite so raw. At the end of the two days, I went back to nursing her, and it was soooo much less painful. But I think in order for that to work for you, you have to have access to a really good pump, like a medela (I have the original pump in style). They are expensive, but it was worth it for me as I knew I would pump when I went back to work.

You could also try calling a lactation consultant in your area- look them up in the yellow pages, or try La Leche League. I have one here in Phoenix that will answer questions over the phone for free- she only charges if she actually has to meet with you.

I hope that helped! And for the pain!

amynicole21 replied: The pain lasts for about a week or two. The lansinoh helps with the healing, but the actual pain it won't help much. It's like putting neosporin on a cut - doesn't make it feel any better but it helps, you know?

Also, it may be that he has a tight jaw. Before latching him on, let him gum your fingers for a bit in the back where his molars would be. It will loosen up his jaw so that he isn't clamping down so much. Massaging his jaw from the outside helps with that a bit, too.

I remember counting the seconds until 10min had passed and I could pull her off. I know you're supposed to let her go until she unlatches herself, but I couldn't stand it. I'm telling you though, by the end of 3 weeks it is like night and day. Hang in there... you won't regret it!

Jamison'smama replied: Oh my, I remember those days and am not looking forward to it again--hang in there--you've been given good advice (I didn't know about the tight latch--hmmm). Also, rub breastmilk on your nips as well--it is very healing and remember not to soap them up in the shower---you need those natural oils.

It will get better soon!!! Jamison had a bad latch and my nips would look flat as can be, had scabs on them and were horribly painful but once things are resolved, it gets better---sooner than you think!!

coasterqueen replied: Actually in all do honesty it should NOT hurt to breastfeed. How do you know for sure he has a good latch? Did you or are you currently working with a board certified lactation consultant on his latch? There could be so many little miniscule things that he could be doing that is causing the slightest bad latch which could be causing your pain. I strongly urge you to call a lactation consultant in your area or through the hospital so she can see if he is in fact latching on correctly.

It could be something as simple that the first few times he latched on he was latching on improperly and caused tiny cracks to form in your nipples. Please look through this link on healing cracked nipples: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplehealing.html This should help a lot, especially the information on saline rinses to your nipples to speed the healing process. Also walking around the house top-free can really help speed the healing process as well. The air will do wonders for your nipples, trust me. I know it sounds weird walking around the house without a top on but it's just you, your son and your husband....you all have seen them before .

Here's another article on sore nips that also includes detailed information on correct latching: http://www.kellymom.com/newman/sore_nipples_01-03.html

I hope all this help. Trust me..hang in there it will get better. You have to stick to the healing treatments and it WILL get better. Breastfeeding should not be painflu, but due to some circumstances it can be until they are treated.

mammag replied: Not a lot to add but as far as them hurting in the shower... I had the same problem and wearing a bikini top helped with that. I Just used a wet washcloth to clean them and wore the top while I was showering so the water wasn't pounding down on the bare breast.

It really will get better.... I promise!

jcc64 replied: ITA with Karen. Really good advice there. He may have some practically unnoticable bad latching habits, I would run, don't walk, to the nearest lactation specialist/LLL person. It will get better, it really well, but you need some support.

Josie83 replied: Sorry to hear this Lauren, I don't have any advice because I didn't breastfeed, but you've had some good advice so far. Let us know how it goes! xx

FroggyJK replied: Make sure he is getting a good latch, but IT CAN HURT!

People saying that it shouldn't hurt made it even more frustrating and got me even more discouraged than I should have been. I agree to get some help and to check that you are getting a good latch, but it can hurt and like someone else said, it took 2-3 weeks for it to completely go away, for me.

With my first, I couldn't take it. I would cry while feeding him. I started supplementing with formula which lead to my supply drying up. He was latching on just fine, he just sucked really hard.

With my daughter I had the same exact pain. I would cry while feeding her too. She was also latching on correctly. It took about 2 -3 weeks until it went away and I was so glad that I had stuck it out. It is so worth it to just get through those first couple of weeks. I soon came to enjoy it!!!

GavinsMommy replied: I had two lac consultants in the hospital and his pediatrician is also one...so that's three that said he was latched correctly and all. I dunno...it is getting better already though...doesn't hurt AS much.

coasterqueen replied:
I'm sorry that people saying that it shouldn't hurt made it even more frustrating for you..it made it more frustrating for me too BUT it IS the truth. ANY lactation consultant or OB who is knowledgeable in breastfeeding and lactation will tell you the very same thing.

IF a baby is latching on correctly (which is around the areola, NOT even touching the nipple) the nipple should not hurt at all. If the nipple is hurting (cracked, bleeding, etc, etc) it's because the baby could be 'clicking', have a bad latch all around, need it's tongue clipped, not positioned properly, thrush (yeast) etc etc etc.

I've only breastfed one baby but with all the research I've done, LC's I've talked to and a very close friend of mine who is a CL of a breastfeeding board with TONS of experience and knowledge in this area I truly feel comfortable with my words of IT SHOULD NOT HURT. I could not feel comfortable telling a woman that if it was not true.

To Gavinsmommy....did these LC's consult with you on many occasions as far as Gavin's latch is concerned? I know he's only a week or two old so it's hard for me to think they've spent a LOT of time with you. A baby's latch can be good at first but they can get lazy. Also I remember the LC's in the hospital doing such a great job getting me positioned correctly but then when it was time for me to go home I had so much trouble getting pillows situated, etc, to get my DD latched on properly. I ended up having a LC come to my home and then I went in there several times over a few weeks. I spent several hours there so they could watch me latch her on, nurse, weigh her, wait a while, nurse her again, etc. It was well worth it. It really could be something just a simple as how you are positioning him. Gosh knows positioning was the worst thing for me to get the hang of.

I hope you try the tips I put in my earlier link to help speed the healing process. Also, have you or Gavin been on any antibiotics for any reason? There's always the possiblility of thrush that could cause pain while nursing.

GavinsMommy replied: Well...he DOES have thrush...so I'm guessing maybe that's the problem. LOL

I didn't really think about that

He has medicine for it and she said to put the medicine on my nipples. He has liquid for his mouth and cream for his butt. I'm guessing I should put the stuff that goes in his mouth on my nipples and not the butt cream

coasterqueen replied:
Okay letting us know he has thrush might have been a bit more helpful in the beginning .

If he has thrush and your nipples are hurting..you have thrush . Easily transmittable between mommy and baby. Both have to be treated. Are you sure your ped is a LC???? Certified one??? Because a LC would tell any woman they need to be treated as well .

Let me guess are they giving him nystatin liquid for his thrush? My guess is I'm right and if I am well...I really question your PED then because yeast (thrush) LOVES sugar...nystatin is sugar. There are better treatments IMO such as gentian violet, acidophilus, etc to treat the thrush in his mouth. Here's an excellent link on thrush treatments, etc: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/thrush...html#treatments

The link can give you more detail on treatments than I have time for at the moment, but let me know if you have any q's. I used gentian violet first with my DD . I had thrush many many times while BF and had it full time from 7 to 11 months...sigh..until I found the right treatment after gentian and others didn't work. .

I'm sure the cream the doc gave for his bum is ok and will help with the yeast diaper rash.

Since you more than likely have thrush on your nipples...lanolin (lansinoh) is not good at all on the nipples and just make it worse. Try the other treatments and nix the lanolin til the thrush goes away .

Also a few other quick tips.....don't use antibacterial soaps (it kills the good yeast needed to fight off the bad), wash/rinse all clothes in a vinegar rinse (1cup vinegar to wash), change your breast pads OFTEN, you can use a vinegar rinse on your nipples after nursing, boil all pacifiers or bottles/accessories after every use and rid of them and get new ones after a weeks use.

I think that's all I can think of at the moment. HTH!

FroggyJK replied:
I know that's what everybody says. That's the part that made it so frustrating for me. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I think I have read everything there is to read about breastfeeding. I went to a lactation consultant and she said I was doing everything perfectly. There was nothing wrong with my babies either. I just had sensitive nipples and they had to get used to it. My sister had the same problem.

I think may women have that problem and quit nursing because of the frustration of being told that "You are doing it wrong" when you are doing everything correctly. I know that for most it doesn't hurt if done correctly. But that doesn't mean that it won't hurt for some.

Yes, pain is a sign that something is wrong. If women are having pain they should definitely get to a lactation consultant and get help. And after everything has been checked out and been shown that there is nothing wrong then, what? Should a women quit nursing because of the pain? NO. But that's the way I felt because I couldn't take the pain and I didn't think it would ever end. The pain does go away after the nipples get used to it. I think if more women were told that, less people would give up. There would be a light at the end of the tunnel.

This will be the third baby I've nursed. I fully expect the first few weeks of nursing this new baby to be hell. But I know about that light at the end of the tunnel. I was able to stick it out once and I will again this time. I fully regret not being able to the first time. I think that if I would have been given more support and told that the pain would end that I would have been able to stick it out the first time too.

Anyway, This is from my experiences with breastfeeding. I know that all of the LC's and all the books and everything ever written on breastfeeding says that if it hurts there is something wrong or you are doing it wrong. But from my experience I have found that is not always true.

coasterqueen replied: Jen,

I understand your point of view even if I don't completely agree with it. I just think people are too quick sometimes to give the advice.."it will hurt til your nipples get used to it" without looking closely at all possibilities. In this case the more information I gave Gmommy, the more questions I asked it appears that we got to the heart of the problem..thrush causing the pain. If she was to believe that her nipples just needed to "toughen up" per se and kept dealing with the pain and it wasn't that..well then I feel like I would be doing her injustice by just telling her to hold out, it'll get better.

FroggyJK replied:
I completely agree that things should be checked out and to make sure there isn't something wrong. I'm glad you could help her.

GavinsMommy, I hope the thrush is were the problem lies and your pain goes away very soon!