flat nipples and breast feeding?

[lisa&alex]

i tried to breastfeed my daughter but i didnt know i had flat nipples, i thought thats what all womens nipples looked like and she couldnt latch on, i also didnt fill up so im going to talk to my midwife about what we can do this time.
i hear you can take medication to induce lactation, maybe i need that or something, i have bought nipplette and a good strong breast pump (eletric) [snow bear brand with adjustable suction] i used nipplette with charlotte and it didnt work.. so im not really hopefull with that but the breast pump seems to bring my nipple out so if i fill up im sure i will be able to feed well i really hope i can. im so determined to do it this time anyone had the same problem? or got any advise on what i can do? noone in my family fed their babies so i really dont know what to do, midwife with charlotte was useless, and also told me it was useless i coudlnt feed her with 'those nipples'.

 

[Nicky_Jones]

I have flat nipples and like you didn't realise it would cause any problems. The midwives were pretty useless but thankfully told me about the local breastfeeding clinic. They were great. They showed me a technique to draw the nipple out a bit which was enough to allow Ellie to latch on. Before I went to the clinic the only way I got Ellie latched on was to express as much as I could using a breast pump, give that to Ellie in a bottle, then latch her on once that had drawn out the nipple and she wasn't quite so desperately hungry. They also showed me how to feed lying down which was a great help, I think Ellie found it easier as well as me like that.

I am still breast feeding Ellie over 9months on and despite having returned to work so it is possible.

I would recommend finding out when and where your local breastfeeding supoprt group is, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to feed Ellie.

It is hard to describe without showing you but here goes:

If you put a finger at 120 and 60 on the edge of the aerola (sp?) and gently drawer away from your nipple. Then put your finger at 30 and 90 and again gently draw away from your nipple. Then repeat at 120 and 60 and so on. Do this a few times and it draws the nipple out enough to give them something to latch onto. I only needed to do this for a few days, after that there was always something for her to latch onto.

Good luck and feel free to PM me.