Breast Feeding HELP!

[browneyedgirl9]

I'm usually a poster on "got pregnant", but my little guy arrived this weekend so I'm officially a Mom now! :-)

I need help, advise, words of wisdom! Breast feeding is going horrible. We have a bad latch problem, he has a strong but very shallow latch. My nipples are cracked, bloody, and sooooo painful. I feel like i literally can not nurse :-( I'm so upset, stressed, discouraged. I have ended up supplementing with formula.

I've her with nurses, and LC but I'm still in the same spot. I just can't seen to get this to work.

Has anyone had luck with a shield I'm helping with a bad latch, and really badly best up nipples. They won't allow then at this hospital, but i have read some encouraging stories online.

Im so upset, i have always wanted to bf...but feel like giving up. The pain is unbearable, i cry when feeding.

[Deleted]

A shield REALLY helped me through those early days. There are downsides, but it was so painful for me early on with both kids that it was really my only option. I had major nipple trauma with my son, and a shield helped me heal. I can't remember when I dropped it with him - 6 weeks I think. And we're still going strong at 6+ months.


Breastfeeding totally sucks at first, but it DOES get easier. At this point it is really easy for us.

[Deleted]

What do you mean they won't allow a shield at the hospital? That's weird. They gave them to me with my first. With my second I brought my own. Is there a Target near the hospital? Go have your spouse/partner buy one.

[londoncalling]

Has your son been evaluated for tongue/lip tie? I know my friend struggled for almost a week before a different doctor checked her baby and found it.

I used a shield with my DD1 from 10 days through 8-10 weeks (can't remember exactly). I was about to give up that day at the LC and she gave me the shield and we kept working on good,deep latching. That hospital policy is strange - I don't see how supplementing with formula is more conducive to long term breastfeeding than letting you try with a shield.

Do you know anyone who could recommend a different LC that you could get an appointment with?

[wavepool]

Congratulations!
Sounds like a frustrating situation in a time when you just want to be excited! I remember dreading every feeding for a similar reason.
My son used a shield for his first 2.5 months or so. He did a great job nursing with it and wouldn't nurse without it. We weaned from it slowly (started with day feedings, then on to night feedings) and now he does great in just about any nursing position!
I think the shield will also help with your pain. I know I was surprised to be in a little pain after getting rid of the shield because I was used to the protection of it.

Our "program" the LC gave me was exhausting, but it worked:
nurse for up to 30 minutes. After that, I pumped for ten, then fed him an ounce (sometimes two) in a bottle or had someone else feed him this while I pumped. This was because the shield can, but not necessarily will, lower your supply. I would occasionally skip a pump when I was especially tired. And I finally learned I could store the parts in the fridge between pumping for 24 hours, which made it FAR more bearable.

Also, I found that the My Brest Friend pillow was far better than the boppy for us. The boppy was so frustrating when he was little.
Have someone go out and grab you a shield and give it a try. If it works, buy a few of them so you can keep one in the pillow pocket, one on your nightstand, one in the diaper bag.

Good luck and congrats! The ladies here have been really helpful with all sorts of BF issues and are one of the main reasons we have made it this far!

[wavepool]

oh, and I went back to the lactation clinic all the time in those first few months so they could show me what to do!

[carolinagirl831]

I would make a apt with a new LC, I could not have continued without. I used a nipple shield and dd could not latch without it. Use it if it helps!
Use mother love nipple cream or earth angle
Hang in there!

[Deleted]

I don't know about shields but to help your nipple heal express a little BM around your nipple if you can (has your milk fully come in yet) and let it AIR DRY (can fan it) then apply lanolin- this helped my cracks heal pretty good (but I got them a few months in)

[potatopie]

Can't speak to shield experience, but my sister just had her little girl last week. She was having a nightmare of a time trying to feed in the hospital; all the nurses were telling her what was wrong, the baby was upset...it was a mess.

But as soon as they got home, things were much calmer and the baby started feeding perfectly.

I know that won't necessarily be the same with you, and the nipple pain is a whole other thing, but sometimes all the "help" can get in the way of things!

[dbsk8dance]

I was given a shield by both lactation consultants after both babies in the hospital. Try it!

Both my kids had terrible latches. The shield saved us all. Especially with #2, I really had bad nipple trauma, even with the shield. I wound up needed to pump on that one side and let it heal (this was at 6 weeks, though. Don't start pumping now or you may get an oversupply.) If you are supplementing, though, and wish to continue to BF, you should pump any session you miss.

Does your area have a Le Leche League? The may be able to help you.

[pugz]

it's pretty ass backwards that the hospital won't "allow" a nipple shield.

when are you being discharged? Is your milk fully in yet?

I would schedule a private appt with an LC (make sure it's an IBCLC) to discuss the latch issues and get things going in the right direction. I met with one a couple of days after we were discharged when it was clear we were having issues.

[Velar Fricative]

Congratulations!

One of the nurses at the hospital was a little too eager to give me the shield. It definitely helped, but I was unable to wean DD off of it until about 6 weeks later. Is there an IBCLC on staff at the hospital devoted exclusively to assist with breastfeeding? My experience was such that the nurses were all well-meaning but because breastfeeding was not their primary focus, I got so much conflicting information and not a whole lot of help even though I delivered at a hospital that champions itself as a BF-friendly hospital. It was the IBCLC who does rounds at the hospital and sought me out thanks to her friendship with my doula that was a lifesaver, but I still had to use the shield for a while.

[countthestars]

I was also going to ask about lip/tongue tie.

Big hugs mama! Breastfeeding is really hard and you are trying to adjust to a brand new baby. See if you can meet with a different LC. Some people meet with multiple before finding one that works well with their baby.

[cilantro]

Get the shield! I had to use it for five weeks, and while not ideal, it saved our BFing relationship.

[mrshandy]

I would see a certified board lactaction consultant as soon as possible. Find one that can make house calls.

Talk to your pedi about a prescription for some decent nipple cream.

You need as much support as possible so don't stay silent in pain. Find a good LC. Ask your friends for recommendations. Or maybe someone on this board can help you if they are in your area.

Congrats by the way.

[popple]

I don't think BF got enjoyable until after 12 weeks or so. Hang in there, and don't beat yourself up too much if it doesn't work out.

[water*drop]

I didn't use a shield, but I did have nipple trauma and cried and dreaded feedings for the first few weeks. DD is almost 20 months old, and I'm still happily nursing her, so it really does get better!

I wouldn't have made it past 2 weeks without an amazing LC and a breastfeeding support group, so definitely get in contact with another LC, and see if you can find a support group, too. It helped so much to be able to talk to moms who had been through the same thing (or worse) and made it through it. I didn't have a lot of local or family support at the time, so finding people to be there for me helped so much.

[djc315]

Ditto the advice to schedule a private consultation with an LC. That saved our BF relationship!

I used a shield to let my nips heal. We used it for 4-5 weeks, and then weaned off over the course of 2 weeks.

Best of luck! The first few months are hard. It does get easier!

[litasail]

I would bring in additional help - an IBCLC lactation consultant - as soon as you get home. They will be able to really take their time with you, in your own home, and help you find a solution that works. They can also check for tongue/lip tie.

[bazinga]

DD had a hard time latching and it was a nightmare for both of us. We saw a LC after a couple days and she gave me a shield. It instantly made a difference. She started nursing right away like crazy. She did suggest that we have DD checked for tongue tie. She was not. We are still using the shield at 7 weeks because i havent been able to wean her yet. Also i do have a low supply but I dont know if that is related. We are now supplementing with formula. We would not be nursuing at all without the shield though.

[Jalapeñomel]

My baby uses a shield on the right but not on the left (anymore), and he's 12 weeks today.

[blueberry10]

Try the shield! It was a lifesaver for me with DD's shallow latch, and...we still use it. I never had success with weaning from it (though maybe I should have tried harder) and it never interfered with my supply, so here we still are.

Huge hugs - it's so, so hard. Hang in there. (And congratulations!!)

[dulcemariamar]

Congrats on your new LO!

Ditto with the other posters about seeing your own LC. I never got the chance but I also remember how horrible the first 4-6 weeks were. I also had bleeding and I would cry during feedings and have get really nervous and upset just thinking about the next feedings. Seeing an LC would have made a world of a difference. I just remember reading about that BF shouldnt hurt and that if it does then the latch is wrong. Well, for me it did hurt really bad the first few weeks.

In the end, I end up using a bottle for some feedings the first few weeks but then switch to just BF after six weeks or so when things got better.

[Stingyshark]

Jan 13, 2014 11:42:48 GMT -5 tulips said:

Has he been checked for a tongue or lip tie?

THIS... The LC literally JUST left my house. Paisley has a lip tie, and no one in the hospital told us anything about it. 

[Stingyshark]

Jan 13, 2014 11:52:46 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

I would see a certified board lactaction consultant as soon as possible. Find one that can make house calls.

Talk to your pedi about a prescription for some decent nipple cream.

You need as much support as possible so don't stay silent in pain. Find a good LC. Ask your friends for recommendations. Or maybe someone on this board can help you if they are in your area.

Congrats by the way.

I can't like this enough. 
It took me 3 weeks to find someone to come to my house, but she just left and I feel a huge relief. 

I've cried & cried & cried over breastfeeding because it hurt so bad. Everyone told me it shouldn't hurt - well, it did. There was a reason for it - I just created a post about P having lip tie. 

I'm sorry you are struggling. 

She recommended coconut oil for nipples. 

[browneyedgirl9]

Thanks everyone! he has been checked for tongue tie, he doesn't have that luckily.

The LC here was no help, she just seemed to get frustrated with me. I just sat and cried. They refuse to give Shiels unless it is a medical reason (flat nipple ect) and point blank told me she wouldn't give it to me "just for pain/ nipple trauma".

My husband is going to run to Target to get some to try out on our own.

Glad to know I'm not alone in having issues in the beginning. I wanted this to work soooo bad, took class, read books, ect. It's hard not to feel like I'm failing at my first "Mom task"

Thanks for the encouragement!! everyone!

[Stingyshark]

Jan 13, 2014 13:57:57 GMT -5 browneyedgirl9 said:

Thanks everyone! he has been checked for tongue tie, he doesn't have that luckily.

The LC here was no help, she just seemed to get frustrated with me. I just sat and cried. They refuse to give Shiels unless it is a medical reason (flat nipple ect) and point blank told me she wouldn't give it to me "just for pain/ nipple trauma".

My husband is going to run to Target to get some to try out on our own.

Glad to know I'm not alone in having issues in the beginning. I wanted this to work soooo bad, took class, read books, ect. It's hard not to feel like I'm failing at my first "Mom task"

Thanks for the encouragement!! everyone!

 What about lip tie? Do you know if they checked for that?  The LC that we saw said that often times the lip tie/tongue tie are seen together, but in our case P only has the lip tie. 

Can you google around and see if you can find someone to come to your home? 

I was really anxious about meeting with someone but honestly it was the best thing. We paid $40 for her to come to our home, but her service was invaluable. 

Again, i'm really sorry you are struggling. I hope you can find an LC that can help. 

[londoncalling]

Jan 13, 2014 13:57:57 GMT -5 browneyedgirl9 said:

Thanks everyone! he has been checked for tongue tie, he doesn't have that luckily.

The LC here was no help, she just seemed to get frustrated with me. I just sat and cried. They refuse to give Shiels unless it is a medical reason (flat nipple ect) and point blank told me she wouldn't give it to me "just for pain/ nipple trauma".

My husband is going to run to Target to get some to try out on our own.

Glad to know I'm not alone in having issues in the beginning. I wanted this to work soooo bad, took class, read books, ect. It's hard not to feel like I'm failing at my first "Mom task"

Thanks for the encouragement!! everyone!

Good luck with the shield.  You aren't a failing and you are doing a great job.

It really sounds like you need to find an IBCLC outside of the hospital to meet with.  The money that I spent on those visits were priceless because they saved my breastfeeding relationships and a IBCLC will help you work with the shield and then with the transition off of the shield.

[oswin]

DD is 11 weeks and we've used a nipple shield since a few days after birth. The LC gave it to me after I sustained some nipple damage and DD still wasn't latching correctly. My nipples healed quickly but she still needs to shield to latch properly, otherwise she just gets frustrated because she's not getting much if any milk. For me it seems to be more a problem with my nipples being small and flat - only after a full pumping session do they seem like they'd be big enough for her to latch properly. I'm hoping that when I go back to work next week, the extra pumping might help permanently draw them out. Best of luck to you!