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Hi! I have no advice for you, sorry, but I didn't know you had your baby, congratulations!! :)
It does get better over time. I found the 6 week mark to be the turning point. One thing a lactation conultant recommened was pumping a few minutes before latching on so let down wasn't so painful. Congratulations on your baby and try to hang in there it will get better!
Thanks! This is the first time I've come close to a computer since she's been born. It's been a crazy week, but the best week in my life!! She is the most amazing thing ever!!! I love her so much!
Congrats on your little girl! That's so exciting!
I don't think I have much to offer in the way of help, but keep your chin up. Try and take it one day at a time, and I'm sure things will get better. :)
Can you go to your public health unit and ask to speak with a lactation consultant?
@AllRosesandSunshine: the hospital has a consultant I've seen while in the hospital and once since going home. I'm going to a mommy and baby class tomorrow she facilitates so I'll talk to her then, but wanted some feedback from other mommies. My dh keeps telling me I can quit anytime if I want to, but I really want to do this. I've been setting small goals to try to help. I said I wanted to make it through tomorrow and then re-evaluate. But I know this is what is best for her so i just can't see myself stopping. I just don't want to be miserable every feeding either!!
@Tisty1982: Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!
My daughter will be 11 weeks old tomorrow, and believe me, in some ways, it feels like she was born last week. The time really flies.
I had very similar issues breastfeeding at first. But now, it's a total breeze. She latches on by herself with almost no help from me, she nurses like a pro, and she stays only 10 or 15 minutes on each side. If you want to nurse her exclusively for a year, you can do just that. Stick with it. It's hard and it can be painful, but remember that she's only 8 days old, and she, too, has to learn how to nurse. I found it got better after a couple of weeks.
See if your hospital has a breastfeeding support group. Mine does, and it meets weekly, and it's been a great thing for me.
Feel free to private message me if you want someone to ventilate to or get unconditional support from.
I EBF all three of my babies, and it does get so much easier! With my second I didn't have the correct latch, and they got super sore. In order to let the area heal, I would twist my boob a little so he latched in a different area on the areola. I only had to do that for a day or so. It seemed to heal quickly once he wasn't putting pressure on the area. And we corrected his latch , ofcourse! I didn't like pumping, I always got really sore from pumping. I would say, check your latch again, and if it is good, any soreness should go away soon.
Also, you can get free help from La Leche League. Good luck, it really does get so much easier!
You can do it! The lactation consultant I talked to recommended taking tylenol every 4-6 hours during the first few weeks. She also mentioned that you could take tylenol at 12 and 6 and ibprofen at 3 and 9 to get some relief from the inital soreness.
You should make sure, though, that you don't have burning, shooting pains from thrush, or compression of your nipple from a bad latch or other issue (by making sure your nipple is a round shape when your baby comes off, not squished). Not to worry you, just to make sure you don't have another issue causing you pain that you could fix.
Except for the discomfort of letdown, you shouldn't have pain when nursing. Almost always if breastfeeding is painful, it is because the baby is not latched properly. If so, this will result in sore nipples.
Dr Jack Newman is an amazing expert on breastfeeding. You can watch videos that will help you with many aspects of breastfeeding including latching.
Yes it gets easier! Your story sounds just like mine, and that initial latch (ouch) yes that would hurt for a few seconds each time, make my toes curl! but then one day I noticed that I hadn't felt that ouch feel for awhile. I'd say around the 6 week mark is accurate. Stick with it and just remember to relax during that very beginning latch. ;)
Go to LLL. They are amazing and really have helped a lot of women in my area with breastfeeding. I absolutely love LLL.
If you have a pump you could try pumping and feeding the baby from a bottle to give yourself a break from the pain. Nipple guards can also ease discomfort due to the baby not latching on correctly, but I was told the best thing to do is to pop the babies mouth off the breast each time she latches incorrectly and make sure the baby is opening her mouth as wide as possible when she latches.
It gets better I promise. I didnt have cracking or bleeding or bruising, but my nipples were sore. Id say it stopped around 6 weeks and from there was just a breeze. Stick to it, I pomise it gets better!
@Tisty1982: I don't have kids (yet) so I can't really offer any advice.
However, I might be able to offer you a giggle by telling you that I initially read your username at "Titsy" and it made me chuckle at the thread title 
I hope you find a solution that works for you!
It will get better and then it will get worse and then better again. At least that seems to be how we go and my little man is now 8 months old EBF. You can do it if you want to. We are looking at breastfeeding until he is 2 (he has food issues so he doesn't get dairy).
Ideas: Make sure that you guys don't have thrush or another medical reason for a bad latch (tongue tied). If it hurts really bad, pump on one side all day and nurse on the other all day. Then switch the next day. Every time I had a blister pop, I did this and it helped to relieve the pressure. Don't get lazy, stay on top of the latch and the baby until they do it right. I know you just want to get it done and make sure they eat enough but it is so important to fix it early. That is why we get worse is that he will occasionally get lazy and eventually it will hurt again.
It takes time for your body to build up callouses to the sucking so give it some time. Try ice and aquaphor or lanolin for the friction. You can do it momma!!!
Have your husband know that you need his support to continue and that you love he is open to letting you stop. But you want him to put that on the back burner and really encourage you to continue.
I'm pretty sure most every new mom on the hive has been like: HOLY HANNAH! This hurts, I don't know if I can do it much longer...etc etc etc
Just remember that its a learning process- both baby and mother have to learn how to breastfeed. There is definately going to be some trial and error and miscommunication.
Def check out La Leche league and one thing I've heard alot is shove it all -really get the boob and nipple in the mouth. Some mothers have the baby just hanginng off the end and it is excruciating.
Hang in there, most women agree it gets better! If not, your not a failure and do what you need to make both of you happy and healthy!
It gets better. I had EXTREME letdown pain for the first.. 4 weeks or so? Like, squeezing my eyes shut and I couldn't speak. But it was only for 20 seconds or so and then it would be ok. I read in some book that pain with let down is normal. Now, at 14ish weeks, it feels uncomfortable, but really just a sudden fullness instead of pain.
I heard the same stuff that some people have said here.. if you're doing it right it shouldn't hurt.. I call BS. The lactation consultant said his latch was perfect yet I had to bleed and scab over before it started getting better. I also had to shield my nipples when I showered and I coated them with lanolin before and after since showering was so painful to my sore boobies.
6 weeks and you should be golden, it goes by fast! Good luck :)
I'm a postpartum nurse and when I see ladies with this, I teach them to pop a finger in the baby's mouth for a few seconds. Initially babies bite before they suck so maybe this is your issue? I hope it helps! If that's not it, good luck, and I have heard it gets easier!
@julies1949: Have you breastfed before?
@mechiebaby: Completly agree on the BS meter.
Let down can be very painful, cracked nipples, etc can be very painful. Have someone suck very hard on your nipples for hours everyday, while for the first few minutes poke your breast with needles.
OP, I hope things are going better for you. Stick with it if you can and it will get better (assuming baby girl is still latchig correctly). And if it doesn't there are other alternatives. Good luck!
It took closer to 8 weeks until I didn't have to think about breastfeeding anymore. The baby gets more efficient, the feedings start to space out...out of my pure laziness I'm glad I stuck with it because now it is the easiest thing. Baby's hungry, stick boob in mouth. Done!
Every LC I've seen has told me that it shouldn't hurt, but I've only heard one or two women claim that experience. It's a wet/moist/rough friction on your nipple around the clock. I have no idea how that is not supposed to be at least uncomfortable.
I'm a little late to the party here, but wanted to suggest a nipple shield. My nipples were cracked and bleeding within the first 24 hrs, and the lactation consultant at the hospital fitted me for a shield. My nipples were able to heal with minimal discomfort, and we've been able to breastfeed the entire time-- again, minimal discomfort. I got lazy and used it all the time when I was sick (stomach flu and then mastitis), so now we're working on weaning off of the shield (not going to lie-- weaning off the shield is tough), but it's the only reason I've been able to make it almost 7 weeks now.
@MrsMeNow: Actually it's not BS. I have EBF my LO for the last 8 months and have had next to no pain. The first few days there was some discomfort while my nipples got used to the whole process but it wasn't painful. If the latch is correct it shouldn't hurt. I am sorry that that has not been your experience but everyone is different and just because you didn't experience it doesn't mean it's BS.
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My daughter is 8 days old today (yay!) and everything is going great outside of breastfeeding. At first she wasn't latching on correctly s mynipples got bruised. Next my milk came in and they hurt SO much and she had issues latching at all. We've now made it through both those hurdles, but itstill hurts very time I feed her. The initial latch is SO painful! It gets a little better but still stings the whole time and then after my breasts and nipple burn! She seems to be latching correctly but the pain is still there. Does this ever go away? I want to ebf for the first year but man this hurts! Please tell me it gets better!!!!