breastfeeding.....

[-~Truth_N_Trust~-]

yup hang on in there, it does take a few weeks for it to stop hurting, my girl was a good sucker too and I had grazes even though she was latching on fine, I just needed to toughen up a bit!!! I used lanolin too which helped. I think for the first two weeks I was in tears every day over breastfeeding, the engorgement and sore nipples, but i'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo glad i persevered.

Also, i'm not sure how old mary is, but one thing that REALLY helped me was to try and stretch out the times between feeds to 2-3hours so they are hungry and feed well then sleep well. There was a little while there when she was only napping then waking, feeding every half hour and dozing off after a couple of minutes on the boob and it was driving me crazy. It only took about a day for her to settle much better when I made her wait a little while.

But good on you!!! You're doing a great job!!!! Just keep on going and you'll get through it!!! Ask for help anytime darls!

 

[PegasusOnFire]

BEacause you are bountifully endowed-- take great care to support your breast for baby- use a boppy or some other pillow to support baby, so you can be tummy to tummy. Think of your breast as a ballon that you have drawn a circle on (your areola)- inorder for it to fit in your mouth you have to squeeze/ compress the ballon...that's just what you have to do with baby. When does it hurt and how?? Does it hurt as you latch on, during feeding or after?? If it hurts as you are feeding there are positioning issues-- be diligent about popping baby of the breast and beginning again. If you are diligent at every feed for a couple days- it will get easier barring any major issues.

Hang in there!!!

I use a boppy or if I can't find it a regular pillow, though Christian is really good at making sure I have "Mary's Pillow" to feed her. It normally only hurts when she latches on, then it stops hurting one she gets going.

yup hang on in there, it does take a few weeks for it to stop hurting, my girl was a good sucker too and I had grazes even though she was latching on fine, I just needed to toughen up a bit!!! I used lanolin too which helped. I think for the first two weeks I was in tears every day over breastfeeding, the engorgement and sore nipples, but i'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo glad i persevered.

Also, i'm not sure how old mary is, but one thing that REALLY helped me was to try and stretch out the times between feeds to 2-3hours so they are hungry and feed well then sleep well. There was a little while there when she was only napping then waking, feeding every half hour and dozing off after a couple of minutes on the boob and it was driving me crazy. It only took about a day for her to settle much better when I made her wait a little while.

But good on you!!! You're doing a great job!!!! Just keep on going and you'll get through it!!! Ask for help anytime darls!

She is 5 days now, and I have made it 5 days bfing without totally wanting to quit She pretty much goes 2-3 hours between feedings though sometimes she wants to feed for 3 hours, but that is only when she is awake for an extended period of time. The first night home she slept for 5 hours, and I had to wake her up to feed her, simply because I was in pain.

 

[sparassidae]

Sounds like you're doing great! Keep up the good work

 

[Linnis]

You are doing great!! Keep up the good work!!



The baby should have the entire nipple and as much of the areola as they can, it's more for some than others, it depends on nipple, areola and baby size. You should see both of the baby's lips. The top one is easy, it helps to press down on the baby's chin slightly to get that bottom lip out to improve the latch.

 

[hisbloodformysins]

Well, hmmm. I nursed my first for a week, then pumped two months. With my second I nursed 6 months..... I had the same exact problem, except mine were very lucky to make it to 10 minutes before falling asleep, and NOTHING made them stay awake long enough to finish nursing..... patting their feet, removing cloths, putting a damp cloth against their skin... as soon as they went back to nursing they'd drift off to sleep again. I got to the point where I'd use nursing as a tool to get some more rest because it was sure to put them to sleep.. I can say those were very trying times...... I suffered a lot of grief and anxiety and if anyone else here is experiancing that than I can say "I know how you feel". Everyone said "6 weeks is the magic number" however, that was not my case either..... it didn't get better, it got worse and I finally started supplementing with a bottle until the baby just wouldn't take the breast and be at all satisfied anymore more..... I was on pain medication at first because of the c-section, so I think now that that played a large part in the baby sleeping....

Anyways, lactation consultants and nurses didn't help me, they'd just say "you're doing it right" but I wasn't, most of the time my nipple was diagonal or slanted when I was done.... and that is not supposed to be so. I read everything I could.... it all was the same..... However, after I was done nursing and before having this one (still pending ) I read this book on nursing that gave me insight I hadn't before received....... Maybe I just missed it, or it gave a different angle, I don't know......

But what I've found out is that it's important to latch the baby on where they are taking in more of the underpart of the aeorla.... I'd always attach them where they'd be taking in more of the top or directly on top of the nipple. I'm going to try this different approach.... everything says their nose should be right up against your breast.... but I've read and heard differently now that if you attach them with more of the area below the nipple and of course the nipple, their noses won't be pressed up against you. i'm going to try this new angle after I have this one and hope it will be a success....... however, I haven't tried it yet.

Good luck!

HB

 

[SmackYouTwice]

I read this book on nursing that gave me insight I hadn't before received.......

I plan on breastfeeding... what book is this that you speak of? I'd like to read up on this and that book is one I will have to consider.

 

[RooMama]

But what I've found out is that it's important to latch the baby on where they are taking in more of the underpart of the aeorla.... I'd always attach them where they'd be taking in more of the top or directly on top of the nipple. I'm going to try this different approach.... everything says their nose should be right up against your breast.... but I've read and heard differently now that if you attach them with more of the area below the nipple and of course the nipple, their noses won't be pressed up against you. i'm going to try this new angle after I have this one and hope it will be a success....... however, I haven't tried it yet.

Good luck!

HB

That's how my LC instructed me to do it. She called it an "asymmetrical latch". I'm still having a little trouble with Tessa, she doesn't like to open her mouth wide to latch, so sometimes I end up a little sore.

ETA: This is my 1000th post!!!!

 

[RedTulipMom]

peg..
how is it going? getting any less painful?? have you tried going to an LLL meeting and having someone help you with your latch? It really shouldnt be painful. Hang in there..maybe you have really sensitive breasts..and you will adjust and get more used to it. i hope so. huggs.

 

[oat02351]

That's what I read in one of my books. The baby should have the entire areola in his/her mouth or it will hurt as they aren't latched on properly.

Now I know when my time comes. Thanks

 

[PegasusOnFire]

peg..
how is it going? getting any less painful?? have you tried going to an LLL meeting and having someone help you with your latch? It really shouldnt be painful. Hang in there..maybe you have really sensitive breasts..and you will adjust and get more used to it. i hope so. huggs.

It is going so much better and it doesn't hurt any more, but the cream I have been useing, which says hypoallergenic, is causing my little girl to break out. We have also found a bottle that she will take, and it has to have those brown nipples on it or she won't take it at all. We use the bottles when she has nursed for hours and I can't nurse anymore, and then we use expressed milk.

She likes to sleep 4 hours between feedings as well.

 

[Just4Jesus]

the areola, that is the dark area around the nipple right? if so the entire thing will not fit in Mary's mouth. Mine is the size of a nursing pad.

I do know that she has more than just the nipple in her mouth though, its that she has a really hard suck.

Hey honey, listen up! Sometimes you can't get the whole areola in your mouth. Like mine is already huge. Yes, baby should be latched on correctly and it won't hurt as bad but let me share a little something with you. If you had something sucking on your finger God knows how many times a day, don't you think it would begin to feel sore or funny? Especially a sensitive area like the boobies. so even though you are doing it correctly, it's gonna be a little uncomfortable. Our boobes aren't used to constant stimulation like that, welll mine ain't anyways these ladies have given wonderful advice, it's gonna get better. You are making me remember oh the pain.

 

[BananaCake]

I plan on breastfeeding... what book is this that you speak of? I'd like to read up on this and that book is one I will have to consider.

I'm reading "So That's What They're For?" which is really good and just started a LLL book called something like "The womanly art of breastfeeding". Both are very good.

 

[SmackYouTwice]

I'm reading "So That's What They're For?" which is really good and just started a LLL book called something like "The womanly art of breastfeeding". Both are very good.

THANKS!

 

[Crystal~Rose]

Hang in there honey..it does get better. (((Hugs)))I breast fed both my boys it was tough at first but worth every minute.

 

[Redheadedstepchild]

I tried to post this earlier but my computer wigged out on me.

Anyway, I though you might like this link: La Leche League Mother-to-Mother Forums

Good luck and keep up the hard work. Congrats on the new baby!!!!

 

[hisbloodformysins]

I plan on breastfeeding... what book is this that you speak of? I'd like to read up on this and that book is one I will have to consider.

I got it from my local library... going there today, I'll look into it and let you know... it's the best one I've found I think

HB

 

[hisbloodformysins]

I can't find that book at the library now, or in the catolog. I don't remember the name of it but it was about the experiances of 1000 different women, and I found it helpful. While I was looking I found another one that looks interesting that I'm going to read up on.

A little unneeded FYI I'm sure..... unless you have a small arola.... it'd be impossible to get it all in. I have rather large ones... I think the point is that it's not just the nipple, and as much of the arola as possible....

You know, everytime I nursed my breasts were soooooo full.... and tight.l....it seems like it'd be easy right now because they are soft.... I didn't think I was what they call engorged... but now that I think about it, I might try to pump before nursing this time to soften them up a bit...

HB

 

[Redheadedstepchild]

You might try this link from LLL: How do I position my baby to breastfeed?

(scroll down to "Is my baby latched on well?")

Kellysmom is another informative website, but sadly I don't have a link.

 

[PegasusOnFire]

how do you fix one breast producung less then the other?

 

[Redheadedstepchild]

how do you fix one breast producung less then the other?

You may have heard it said that breastfeeding is a supply and demand relationship...the more you nurse the more milk you make. Sometimes what happens is that we tend to favor one side. We nurse more on that side, begin to notice that the other side doesn't make as much so continue to nurse more on the side that does...pretty soon we are in a cycle. Some moms try nursing more on the side that isn't producing as much in an effort to bring things back into balance.