Breastfeeding Help PLEASE

I'm sure theres other threads like this, but seeing as it's nearly 4am and i've been trying to feed for an hour, I really cant be buggered looking thru old threads!
Now, I know the best thing to do is persivere, but, my nipples omg. They feel like they're on fire, they're blistered and bleeding and horrible and I just cant do it without being in extreme agony. He IS latching properly before anyone says anything - he's got such an amazing suck on him that its really doing me damage. Oh and i've tried using cream etc
So now I have 2 options.
1: Put him onto formula fulltime until they heal, then risk the same thing happening
2: Investigate nipple shields and see if anyone knows if they actually work.
Midwife said they're not really very good cuz they can cause friction, but i'd rather give Thomas as much breastmilk as I can at the moment (that and I just cant get the hang of expressing - my manual pump is retarded and I cant afford an electric one)

So what do I do? I'm gonna have another feed due in a few hours and then the whole day ahead of me

I know someone who used nipple shields with success so that is an option..

Otherwise is there someone down that way (from on here) who could lend you an electric pump? or does your hospital lend them out?

See if your MW has a pump you can borrow.  Then you can continue stimulating your milk supply withut the pain and bubs can still have mummymilk!  Its justnot fun in those early days is it?  So m uch for the "breast feeding shuld be 100% painless and pleasant"  YEAH RIGHT!!!!  But it does get better!

I used nipple shields from day dot because Keziah's latch wasn't the best but I still wanted to give breast feeding a go to give her the best start... I ended up doing 6 months after saying a few times at various times that I couldn't do it anymore I used the Medela shields and found them to be good and didn't cause me any friction what so ever.
You do have to be careful though... keep them sterilized properly and make sure you keep the Lanolin handy for between feeds as your nipples will get kind of dry!! Oh, and another warning.. because your baby isn't directly on the breast you have to watch for lumps (could be Mastitis or a blocked duct) and engorgement until your supply settles

Good luck hun, and let us know how you get on

No worries, big for you hun and YAY for persevering with the breast feeding thing.. it's definitely not easy and who ever said it was glamorous needs to be shot LOL

awww hun!

definately try the nipple shields, i've heard alot of good things about them....also give la leche league a call...ph number should be in the book. i called them when jack was a bub and i was in tears, stamping my feet with pain everytime he fed. a lady came to my house and watched me feed him, then showed me a couple of different positions to try and my nipples were sooooo much better after a couple of days

hang in there hun.....it does take alot of work but it's definately worth it

i know just how u feel hun, i used to sob and curl my toes so bad id get cramp in my legs whenever Eden fed for the first wee while, but i did the wrong thing and didnt seek help and because i wasnt relaxing to let my letdown refelx come through, my milk ended up drying up, my advice is to go to the hospital and ask for the lactation advice lady, they are great and i wish so much i could have kept Eden BF and not FF, i had nipple shields and these worked but i got them too late, and my supply was already gone.

big hugs hun, keep persevering, i regret not! it will get better xoxoxox

MissAngel I know how you feel - you poor thing.

It is the worse feeling knowing you have to feed your baby but it is excrutiating pain everytime you do.

I was told by the hospital staff that the latching was fine but it wasn't, hence cracks the size of grand Canyon!    

It may be worthwhile seeing a lactation consultant or ask your midwife. It took 3 weeks before I could feed with no pain. I was ready to quit on the 3rd day but I just took one day at a time. Every day or week I got through was an acheivement. Now I have been feeding my boy for over 3 months and love it and am so proud. Im so glad I didn't give up.

I found that creams really didn't work for me but seem to irritate my nipples. I kept them dry as possible and found they healed quicker. The other thing I did which helped was everytime I fed and it hurt, I would take him off and re-latch him on until it didn't hurt - somtimes I would have to do this 6 times or more.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.


Edited by Star

first of all i would get someone, mw or doc, to check there is nothing like thrush affecting them. also it wouldnt hurt to get a lactation consultant to just check the latch etc is right...

i have never tried nipple shields but it sounds like you need to help heal your nipples.

I had problems with my first son and it used to hurt so much i would cry and stamp my foot on the floor in pain every time he latched on ,so to heal my nipples i would feed from one side only during the day and save the other side for night time. i also second rubbing breastmilk on them and fresh air!

hope you get it sorted soon.

Like so many others who have already replied, I've been where you are now - the toe-curling horrible pain is so not what I expected with breast feeding. I think it was about week three or four that I really started feeling good about breast feeding, good on you for persevering.

I third leaving breast milk on your nipples to dry and getting as much air and even sunlight on them as possible - my DD1 was jaundiced too so we both lay in the sunlight whenever I could - if you're sunbathing Thomas still, take your top off and join him! A good tip I found was if you cut a hole in the middle of two disposable breast pads and stick them together, then put another whole one over the top, you have a breast pad that will still stop leaks but will not squash your nipple - when it is compressed it takes longer for the cracks to heal. Your nipple sits in the hole in the middle of the first two breast pads so it can heal faster. A cheap way to do it, anyway!
A friend of mine used nipple shields with great success, her boy was fed until about a year old in the end, and she was in terrible pain.
I'm sure you can rent an electric brest pump - try Plunket, they may at least know where to point you.
Purelan is awesome.
Oh, and you can apply a warm/hot (but not too hot - ouch!) flannel to your nipple for 10-20 seconds before latching Thomas, it softens your nipple and prepares it a bit, and helps with the initial pain a little.
Good luck! I hope it improves for you soon.

Edited by Mazzy