So Sore

[Anonymous]

I gave birth 2 weeks ago and have been EBF and oh my goodness my right nipple is so sore! My baby is eating great and has more than gained back their birth weight, but the latch is KILLING me on the right side. I’m working on setting up a telehealth visit with a lactation consultant, but in the meantime, do any of you have any tips/tricks for fixing the latch or providing some relief? It feels like my baby is just clamped down so hard on it when they latch on, and it’s pretty much constantly in pain at this point. I’m a FTM in case you couldn’t tell.

[Anonymous]

Nipple shield.

The LC will help you work on getting baby to latch more deeply, so they get a mouthful of breast instead of clamping on to your nipple. Hold your breast like a hamburger and bring the nipple to baby’s upper lip so they have to open their mouth wider and take a bigger mouthful of breast. But if you’re struggling with that without the LC’s help, just get a nipple shield to hold you over.

The first couple weeks are rough, but you’ve got this!

[Anonymous]

Also, if baby only latches painfully on one side, you could just nurse on the good side, and pump on the painful side for now. The added benefit is that you will have milk for your partner to do a night time feed while you get some much deserved rest.

As long as you’re using a slow-flow newborn nipple, it won’t disrupt breastfeeding. Babies get better at latching and nursing as they get more mature. It will get better, but take care of yourself in the meantime.

[Anonymous]

And get those gel pad things you can stick in the fridge.

[Anonymous]

OP here- that’s all so helpful- thank you!!!

[Anonymous]

It sucks in the beginning. I found the Bella B Nurture nipple cream helped most for immediate soothing, while lanolin was more effective if you had a longer period to let it sit.

Have you tried the football hold on the painful side? Changing up position might help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sucks in the beginning. I found the Bella B Nurture nipple cream helped most for immediate soothing, while lanolin was more effective if you had a longer period to let it sit.

Have you tried the football hold on the painful side? Changing up position might help.

OP here- Ordering that nipple cream now! I tried the football hold in the hospital and couldn’t get the hang of it but I’ll give it a go again now that I’m home/ not propped up in a hospital bed!

[jsmith123]

OP this is painful but very normal. Lanolin helped a lot, as did "airing them out" so to speak. Congrats on the baby and hope you get some reprieve soon.

[Anonymous]

FYI the lactation consultant will tell you that it shouldn’t hurt, which is fine, but I wish they would say how often it DOES hurt. As far as I can tell it hurts for the first month for a big portion of women, even when we are working on the latch and meeting with the consultants etc.

[Anonymous]

What helped for me was lanolin after every feed. It was 6 weeks before my nips stopped burning for my first baby - they lie when they tell you it shouldn’t hurt at all. His latch was perfect but apparently my nipples were not.

[Anonymous]

The absolute best thing to remedy insanely sore/bleeding nipples was the Silverette Nursing cups. I used these and threw out all the nipple butters (fwiw the “green goo” brand was the most effective in terms of nipple ointments). But seriously the Silverettes were amazing and saved my nursing relationship. I first read about them from Bumble Baby I think or some other nurse on instagram.

[Anonymous]

Get a prescription for APNO. IMHO, it should be an automatic take home for all breastfeeding mothers.

Try to get a deeper latch, which can be hard when baby is very little. Google “flipple” technique. It can take a little to really get the hang, but it’s a game changer.

[Anonymous]

Yes to everything above, but do not let anyone tell you "it shouldn't hurt." I had two great nursers with very strong latches and it just HURT for the first few weeks until my nipples got used to it. Once you get past it though, you'll be fine since it seems like baby is doing so well with it.

Try all the creams until one works best - and definitely get the gel patches that go in the freezer. Temporary relief goes a long way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to everything above, but do not let anyone tell you "it shouldn't hurt." I had two great nursers with very strong latches and it just HURT for the first few weeks until my nipples got used to it. Once you get past it though, you'll be fine since it seems like baby is doing so well with it.

Try all the creams until one works best - and definitely get the gel patches that go in the freezer. Temporary relief goes a long way.

I think the fact that it only hurts on one side for OP is a sign this is fix-the-latch-related, not just super-strong-baby-tough-it-out related.

[Anonymous]

I feel for you OP. I had horrible pain for many weeks and saw several LCs before it finally got better. I tried silverettes, Manuka honey, APNO, the works. I also recommend the Medela breast shields because you can wear them when you aren’t nursing and nothing touches your nipples. So I’d get APNO and the breast shields and see the LC stat to work on latch.