Save my nips!! BOOB UPDATE in OP.

[ssmjlm]

Are you putting cream on every time? Also sort of squish your boob horizontally so that you can get more boob in his mouth. Like you would hold a hamburger.

[Brie]

Use one finger to pull his chin down as you smash him on your boob.

[Brie]

Also, express some milk and rub it in before and after every session. It will help heal your nipples.

[karinothing]

Can you try pulling down on his chin once he is latched on. It should force him to open his mouth wider.

[AmyRI]

I agree with Brie to put pressure on his chin to get him to open wider and keep it open when he's latched.

But... lipstick nipple is classic tongue tie symptom. Has he been evaluated for a tie by a reputable person? (I was told DS had a minor tie in the hospital, when we finally saw the pediatric ENT 5 days later, he said it was the most severe he'd seen in years! So look yourself and ask others who know what ties look like.)

[Deleted]

Do you have cuts? Did your nips in salt water. Let them dry. Then do the milk thing. Also earth mama nipple butter helped me. Way better than that other crap. Do you have an LC to call? I have a good one in NNJ if you need one. They are very helpful by phone but you probably need to see someone.

[undecidedowl]

Squeeze your boob as flat as possible, and shove as much into his mouth as you can. Make sure you are waiting until he opens his mouth very wide, and if he isn't you might have to use your finger to pull his chin down a bit. (This makes latching a multi person job.) Once he is latched, make sure both lips are flipped outward. Sometimes, I could even deepen DS's latch by pulling down on his chin after latching, but some babies do better with a light pressure under their chin so you might have to experiment. After nursing, I would express a few drops and rub it on the nipple, let it air dry for awhile, then apply EMAB or other cream. Letting them air out as much as possible and be religious about the milk and EMAB really helped while I was struggling with a bad latch.

[zarapipe]

Are you still in the hospital? Can you call a nurse? it's easier with someone there to help.

[undecidedowl]

Also, try to make sure you are switching up positions frequently so the same spot doesn't get damaged over and over.

[AmyRI]

Mar 31, 2015 19:24:01 GMT -5 @pnkybrwstr said:

Mar 31, 2015 19:16:11 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

I agree with Brie to put pressure on his chin to get him to open wider and keep it open when he's latched.

But... lipstick nipple is classic tongue tie symptom. Has he been evaluated for a tie by a reputable person? (I was told DS had a minor tie in the hospital, when we finally saw the pediatric ENT 5 days later, he said it was the most severe he'd seen in years! So look yourself and ask others who know what ties look like.)

Not yet.  I see the hospital LC tomorrow, but my expectations are low.  Maybe I can ask my pedi for a rec?

Yes, your pedi should have a rec for sure (and might be able to spot it themselves, although not correct it for you). You could ask the nurse if the on-call pedi at the hospital can take a look, too, although that might not happen until tomorrow, either. Anyway, the LC and/or pedi should be able to refer you to a pediatric ENT or pediatric dentist that is familiar with ties.

[AmyRI]

And yes on the 3-hands thing, that's normal. Is your DH around to help? Or just bother the nurses at least for initial latch help.

[lo]

This sounds terrible and I hated doing it, but often I would wait until she cried a big cry and stuffed my boob in her mouth then. My nips were really jacked up in the beginning.

[lo]

This was just posted on my breastfeeding group:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=d8SI4XKkOl8

[karinothing]

Can you ask your Dh,a nurse, random visitor to help pull his chin down? Don't be afraid to ask for help

[bunch]

Mar 31, 2015 19:24:01 GMT -5 @pnkybrwstr said:

Mar 31, 2015 19:16:11 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

I agree with Brie to put pressure on his chin to get him to open wider and keep it open when he's latched.

But... lipstick nipple is classic tongue tie symptom. Has he been evaluated for a tie by a reputable person? (I was told DS had a minor tie in the hospital, when we finally saw the pediatric ENT 5 days later, he said it was the most severe he'd seen in years! So look yourself and ask others who know what ties look like.)

Not yet.  I see the hospital LC tomorrow, but my expectations are low.  Maybe I can ask my pedi for a rec?

Yes, BUT if you feel strongly about the pain, you may have to keep pushing.  I saw an ENT at with my pedi's referral when dd2 was a few mos old and he blew me off.   Finally, just a month after I'd weaned at 15 mos, at pediatric dentist checked on dd2 and said, "wow, look at that lip tie!"  I was very upset because nursing her was painful for the entire time.  Good luck!!

[undecidedowl]

Mar 31, 2015 19:47:40 GMT -5 bunch said:

Mar 31, 2015 19:24:01 GMT -5 @pnkybrwstr said:

Not yet.  I see the hospital LC tomorrow, but my expectations are low.  Maybe I can ask my pedi for a rec?

Yes, BUT if you feel strongly about the pain, you may have to keep pushing.  I saw an ENT at with my pedi's referral when dd2 was a few mos old and he blew me off.   Finally, just a month after I'd weaned at 15 mos, at pediatric dentist checked on dd2 and said, "wow, look at that lip tie!"  I was very upset because nursing her was painful for the entire time.  Good luck!!

I feel like it's totally luck of the draw with diagnosing ties. Several people checked DS1's mouth and they all said different things. So, don't be afraid to get multiple opinions and have everyone who looks at him check for a tie.

[AmyRI]

Also, see if the nurses have nipple shields if it gets really bad. They saved me from really bad damage before we got to the ent.

[luckyno7]

I just found out mine has a lip tie so we are going to a pediatric dentist to have it looked at. I agree with everyone else. Switching up hold...also laying back and having them on top also helps. Pulling the lip down after they've latched has also helped.
I've been using Motherslove nipple cream.

[fortmyersbride]

Mar 31, 2015 19:53:54 GMT -5 undecidedowl said:

Mar 31, 2015 19:47:40 GMT -5 bunch said:

Yes, BUT if you feel strongly about the pain, you may have to keep pushing.  I saw an ENT at with my pedi's referral when dd2 was a few mos old and he blew me off.   Finally, just a month after I'd weaned at 15 mos, at pediatric dentist checked on dd2 and said, "wow, look at that lip tie!"  I was very upset because nursing her was painful for the entire time.  Good luck!!

I feel like it's totally luck of the draw with diagnosing ties. Several people checked DS1's mouth and they all said different things. So, don't be afraid to get multiple opinions and have everyone who looks at him check for a tie.

Yep, our pediatrician at the time did not diagnose DD1's tongue tie. She made a very distinct clicking sound when BFing though and when I called the hospital LC she said it sounded like a bad tongue tie just over the phone. We didn't get to the pedi ENT until 5ish weeks, but the improvement in latch was instantaneous.

[oceanstbride]

Ditto everyone else's advice (expressed milk, hamburger smoosh, shove, and airing out). Just wanted to say good luck tonight! Definitely press your call bell when you're getting ready to feed to have one of the nurses help overnight - that's what they're there for

[Ashley&Scott]

Mar 31, 2015 19:19:04 GMT -5 undecidedowl said:

Squeeze your boob as flat as possible, and shove as much into his mouth as you can. Make sure you are waiting until he opens his mouth very wide, and if he isn't you might have to use your finger to pull his chin down a bit. (This makes latching a multi person job.) Once he is latched, make sure both lips are flipped outward. Sometimes, I could even deepen DS's latch by pulling down on his chin after latching, but some babies do better with a light pressure under their chin so you might have to experiment. After nursing, I would express a few drops and rub it on the nipple, let it air dry for awhile, then apply EMAB or other cream. Letting them air out as much as possible and be religious about the milk and EMAB really helped while I was struggling with a bad latch.

Ditto all of this.

Hang in there mama, it gets better!

[anna7602]

Let me get you some other local LCs. Send me a PM with your email address. I also have an ENT reco on the UES and a pediatric dentist specializing in ties in LI.

[D2M]

Ditto everything else in this thread. Also, if your nips reach the point of no return and all the balms, etc. aren't working for you, my LC recommended smearing on bacitracin, letting it sit, and then rinsing/soaking in salt water before you need to feed the baby again. This healed up my blood-blistered nips perfectly. She also recommended olive oil as opposed to Lanolin for healing. Good luck! You've got this, mama!

[aspentosh]

Ditto all the other PPs, but I don't think I saw APNO (triple nipple cream) recommended. It was the only thing that healed me after all the damage DD did with a bad latch.

[glitzy07]

Good luck @pnkybrwstr! I agree with those who said that latching is a two man job in the beginning. It was such a production for me in the beginning, even with C having a decent latch. H had to help me arrange a million pillows and pull his chin down and all of that jazz. I hope you get some assistance and that it all helps!

[anna7602]

Apr 1, 2015 8:27:19 GMT -5 D2M said:

Ditto everything else in this thread. Also, if your nips reach the point of no return and all the balms, etc. aren't working for you, my LC recommended smearing on bacitracin, letting it sit, and then rinsing/soaking in salt water before you need to feed the baby again. This healed up my blood-blistered nips perfectly. She also recommended olive oil as opposed to Lanolin for healing. Good luck! You've got this, mama!

My LC also recommended this, both when DS's latch went to hell in a handbasket in the fall and when DD started hardcore teething and biting me oh so long ago. She actually doesn't think Lanolin does much for truly torn apart nipples (as opposed to run-of-the-mill beginning nursing discomfort). 

Also, @pnkybrwstr, I emailed you ten tons of reco's for every LC anyone told me about. 

[londoncalling]

Sorry for the bad night, but hopefully you will get home and start to feel better. I hated being at the hospital.

I had a lot of the same issues with DD2 as I did with DD1 even though I "knew better." In reality, I just knew to ask for help faster. I hope things start easing up for you soon!

[curbsideprophet]

Glad things are going better!

[Deleted]

Yeah! Glad things are going better!

[chickens987]

Apr 4, 2015 14:25:06 GMT -5 @pnkybrwstr said:

Bumping.

PS - I reserve the right to ask a million more questions.

That's what we're here for