pip said:
Hi Beanie,
Thanks for the offer.....i'm trying to breastfeed and finding it so hard....my nipples split and bleed whenever he latches on and the pain is toe curling....i really think he is in the right position and my midwife has helped me a lot but this is really putting me off.....my milk came in on friday and i've been expressing it instead as it isn't as painful.....today my boobs feel alot better.
Formula feeding seems like a much easier option at the moment and i am topping him up with it....he was a big baby at birth (over 10 pounds) so was advised that i might need to top him up with formula anyway......I am not anti bottle feeding by any means (i was bottle fed and am perfectly healthy) but i know that breast is best and really wanted to give it a go.
hun, you sound just like me. I had those problems apart from I was topping up with formula because my milk was late in coming in, and I thought I wasn't producing enough as I didn't think very frequent feeding was normal. However I managed to get to fully breastfeeding Seren, and I hope I can help.
First of all, sore nipples. The best way to check if your latch is correct is to look at baby. Baby should have a big mouthful of breast, not just the nipple. This means that the nipple is far enough into the mouth so it is not being rubbed by the palate which makes it very painful. Baby's cheeks should be puffed out, not sucked in (if they look like they are sucking on a straw they are not latched on properly), you should see the ears wiggle and hear soft swallowing sounds only. If you are having difficulty getting baby to open their mouth wide, rub your nipple on their nose so they gape their mouth to get it, or try squeezing their hand gently.
If your nipples are split and bleeding I would advise either lasinoh cream (see if you can get it on prescription as it is £10) or even breastmilk rubbedon your nipples after feeding. I would advise wearing reusable breastpads and avoiding those with plastic backs as that can cause irritation, and if it is too painful to have bra on either walk round topless or get breast shells which will keep bra off nipples. If the pain is particularly bad there are breast shields which i occasionally used when it was too painful to feed. They helped a bit. Try not to use them all the time though as baby can get too used to them.
It will pass, the toe curling pain is normal in the early days but should ease off after a minute, if not I would see if their is a breastfeeding counseller in your local area and ask them to come and check your latch.
As for the top ups of formula I would advise that you let baby feed from you first as much as you can bear, then give a top up. this way your milk supply is still getting stimulated.
If you need any more help hun there is a breastfeeding support thread
clicky
You are doing great hun,
