Breast Feeding & Sore Nipples- Advice?

CurryKing_2

Hi Guys,

I thought i'd create a new thread for this. As most of you know my wife gave birth to Beautiful Baby Asha on Saturday.

She's been breast feeding but her nipples are absolutley killing her - to the extent she thought about giving up :-[

The midwife told her Vaseline would help and showed her another way in which to hold Asha so her breasts are more comfortable. She also uses Boots nipple cream.

I was wondering if anyone out there has any tips for my wife - any products or natural remedies out there that you swear by? Anything else that helps?

Many thanks in advance

Neil

Spendless

The best advice a midwife gave my was to expose nipples to open air.
(I could do this as I had a private room).
However it only worked to certain extent and I got to stage where I didn't want baby to wake up as I dreaded feeding him.
It was a horrible way to think about my firstborn and I packed in after a few days (I was also in a lot of pain from having a c-section-both arms on drips and in high-dependancy unit which IMO didn't help matters.)

Not wanting to go thru this again when daughter was born I bottle-fed her from day one.

I realise this is a money saving site and breast feeding is free and I'm sure others who successfully breastfed will chip in with advice.

I just don't want your wife to go on massive guilt trip (the way I did) if she does decide to stop breast feeding.

BTW congrats since I haven't replied on other thread ;D

System

Frozen peas!!!!

I didnt take to breastfeeding naturally, i got sore, leaked everywhere, felt like a leper, and all i could smell was breast milk so i wouldnt go out etc. By number 4 child i refused to do it at all however, the thing that gave me the most relief was a bag of frozen peas against my bra. It cooled my hot engorged boobs a treat and stopped them feeling so sore. I tried nipple shields but it just dries up the milk as the stimulation isnt the same. They do say, if your getting cracked nipples then the baby isnt latched on properly and isnt getting enough of the aereola in her mouth.

Try the frozen peas when needed and maybe in between feeds, i hope its as beneficial to her as it was to me.

16011996

i breast fed all of mine, the best advice i can give is perseverance. a warm cloth over the breast when not feeding helps, and for sore nipples coat in vaseline straight after a feed, and clean off just before next, although i found expressing a small amount of milk from the breast and rubbing it on the nipple helped tremendously (my grandmother swore by that method.) Also at the end of a feed, break the suction gently with your little finger at the corner of babies mouth, so its not pulling offhard which makes the nipples sore. as shes seen midwife, she will have been checked for thrush. had that with my middle one, nipples get infected so does babys mouth (you will see little white patches on roof of babys mouth if she should get it,) that is easily treated by doctor.) Relaxing, finding a comfy position all help, and never rush the feed.

Sorry went on a bit, but hope something in there helps.

FranDan

I'm currently breast feeding my 3rd (and last!!!) baby, she's now 7wks old. I can only reinforce the advice given before. 'Peseverance' is the greatest advice as it WILL get better. Coating the nipple area with breast milk and allowing it to dry naturally is good, although a bit whiffy in this heat lol! I remember finding a secluded spot in the garden and sitting topless to get a good dose of fresh air to them. Cabbage leaves fresh from the fridge will help engorgement, you could try them for the soreness too. As for the nipple shield, personally I found they got me through a tough patch with my first born. Ensure they are sterilized and use vasaline to get them to stick and stay in place. Even if you use these just a couple of times to give the nipples a break it can help. Another option is to express for a day or so instead, however it's not recommended until the milk flow has settled into a pattern otherwise it can confuse the production cycle. The NCT offer a helpline and advisors who will phone and chat or visit and advise if you prefer the more personal touch. Do hope your wife can stick it out, it's so rewarding for her and baby and worth the few days of screaming agony!

16011996

i also found topless in the garden helped, i was just a bit prudish bout sayig so. :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

bis_si

Hi,

new here, but really wanted to offer some encouragement - neither mum nor baby has ever done it before and it takes a little while to get it right. Kamillosan cream is great and you don't have to wash it off before feeds. Please try one of these helplines, hopefully one of them can talk through the problems in detail (they're all staffed by volunteers, so may take a while to get an answer, if one doesn't work try another)

La Leche League (LLL): Tel: 0845 120 2918 (24hrs)

National Childbirth Trust (NCT): Tel: 0870 444 8708 (8am-10pm)

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM): Tel: 020 7813 1481 (24hrs)

The Breastfeeding Network (BfN): Tel: 0870 900 8787 (9:30am-9:30pm)

congratulations on having your life turned upside down by the way!

FranDan

Ahh yes, La Leche League! That was the other group I was trying in vain the remember. They are very helpful, and don't be afraid to ask for advice from these people. Breastfeeding is a tricky business to begin with, it takes time and dedication.

As for the topless gardening, well lets just say that I squeezed myself into the smallest, tightest corner where the neighbours (hopefully) couldn't see! :-[

mjk_2

Please do try to get advice from one of the organisations already mentioned. Breastfeeding is great if you can just get the hang of it, and does NOT have to involve pain! Usually a slight change in positioning is all that is necessary to solve problems. The other important thing is to make sure the baby gets a really good mouthful ;D, not just the nipple.

Your wife could try using the "rugby ball" hold i.e. tucking the baby under one arm and feeding on that same side(if that makes sense?! This would mean the baby's mouth would be sucking on different parts of the breast and (hopefully) avoiding the sore bits.

With my daughter I used to go to Breastfeeding Network meetings and found them very supportive. As previously mentioned they also have a phoneline.

Anyway, many many congratulation and good luck!

plumpmouse

Just wanted to follow what has already been said. If your wife can persevere then it will be well worth it. I took to breastfeeding easily at first. But the develop thrush (my little boy had it) so I do know how painful it can be. I used to dread feeding him and sometimes had to stop him mid feed as it was just to painful to continue.

I fed him for 10 months and can honestly say it was worth continuing. Its cheap for one and very convenient and easy(when you get the hang of it).

I used Kamillosan regulary and found this to be very good at preventing sore and cracked nipples

Good Luck

Yoga_Girl

I can definately recommend contacting the NCT - someone gave the number in an earlier post. They have a breast-feeding helpline and they have trained breast-feeding counsellors who'll pop round to see you at home if you want some "hands on" advice. I had difficulty breast-feeding my 1st and an NCT breast-feeding counsellor came to see me, she was wonderful and I then went on to breast-feed for 6 months.

The NCT also publish some good books on breast-feeding.

Cabbage leaves really do help ( especially the really dark green leaved ones) as does a good dose of fresh air. After weeks of sleepless nights you really don't care and will walk around topless quite happily for hours!

I also tried different postitions ie feeding while me & baby were lying down to try to find the most comfortable one.

Oh and congratulations!