Breastfeeding Help PLEASE
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17894
Printed Date: 13 September 2025 at 7:52am
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Topic: Breastfeeding Help PLEASE
Posted By: MissAngel
Subject: Breastfeeding Help PLEASE
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 4:02am
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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 
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Replies:
Posted By: mum2emj
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 5:59am
 and OWCH!!
i have no idea- i havent been in that sitiuation- my friend years ago had a similair problem and she ended up going to bottles, she was in so much pain. have you tried some nipple cream? maybe even talk to a lactation consulatant or similair as they might give you different ways to try breastfeeding (different styles may help?) hope that the pains eases for you missangel  xoxox
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 7:38am
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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? |
Posted By: Deez
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 8:06am
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Lycan teared one of my nipples when he was about 2 weeks old....I used the nipple shields on that side and it was heaps easier to feed him until it healed.....i know your pain i would curl my toes and almost be in tears but my mum said to hang in there a bit longer...and that was only one nipple!
Big hugs but in the end it is totally up to you what you want to do, you can try the shields and see how that goes....or do what kebakat said...try the hospital......Good luck -------------  
Lycan and Peyton = Moon and back!! |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 8:14am
| 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! |
Posted By: fattartsrock
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 8:35am
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Nipple shields are great. Honestly, and I will get bashed for this, don't put him on formula for 2 weeks, its just not worth it. You will muck up your supply, muck up the delecate flora in his wee tummy, as well as the immunity he needs from your milk in the first few weeks, and also he may not BF again as babies quickly learn its quicker out of a bottle than waiting fo rmums let down. I would only do the formula route if you were going to FF full time.
I do promise it will get better. Make a deal with yourself to get to the end of today,then to get to tomorrow. See a lactation consultant if you need to. Sheilds are geat, I had good success with them. Good luck and don't forget to pester your midwife. ------------- The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P |
Posted By: Neeks
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 8:57am
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 -------------  
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Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 9:06am
| Thanks girls :) Its just with everything being so overwhelming, and now this is happening! man lol.. I'll get mum to go grab me some nipple shields today I think, and i'll give them a go. Thanks again :) |
Posted By: Neeks
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 9:10am
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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
-------------
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 9:55am
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Invest in some Purelan for your nipples, that stuff is a god send. You can get it from any pharmacy, just put it on your nipples after you've showered, after you've fed and after about 5 days you'll notice the difference. It won't harm bubs either.
I was in the same position as you when I tried to feed Cooper, I was absolutely beside myself with tiredness and frustration. Keep trying, try different holds. Ask your midwife to refer you to a Lactation Consultant, they can help you with latching correctly and may have some other tips for you. The thing with trying formula is you are then on the slippery slope to weaning, that of course is your decision. Good luck, it does get better. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 10:30am
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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  ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 10:42am
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OK my story and advice:
I had hellish nipples too. Came about because I had little to no colostrum and I forced myself to let Hannah latch for atleast 5 minutes each side to stimulate milk production... after three days with no milk they were soooooooooooo sore. Blistered and bleeding and generally making me cringe any time she came anywhere near me. I have heard about people recommending panadol to dull the pain a bit. Possibly worth a try. As for getting them to heal, I don't know about nipple shields as I didn't use them, I did use purelan which was fab. BUT I advise most of all rubbing breast milk on your nipples and airing them as much as humanly possible. I don't think I even wore a top for the first few weeks. I think it was about week 3 that I finally realised that breast feeding didn't almost kill me. No idea where you are at, but just wanted to give you hope that they do heal eventually and you can go on to have a fantastic feeding relationship with your little one
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Posted By: MyBelly
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 10:54am
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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 |
Posted By: Snappy
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 11:10am
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you poor poor thing i was in your shoes a few weeks ago - i cried and cried every time i fed.
i used both a nipple shield and rose-calandula cream and it eventually got much better...i also expressed to give myself a break as well. all i can say is its worth perservering if you can - its really worth it... ------------- Mummy to two beauties... Formerly Kaiz. |
Posted By: pikelets
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 12:41pm
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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. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 3 Angels - Dec10 / Mar11 / Dec11
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Posted By: NikkiB
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 1:01pm
it does get better!
I completely agree with Nikkiwhyte. Because its freezing cold at the moment, breast shells (they look like shells and have a whole in the centre where your nipple sit in) are great for keeping clothing off your nipples and letting the air get to them. All the best ------------- A very lucky mummy to two gorgeous boys: RB 3/10/2008 JB 29/12/2009 |
nikkiwhyte wrote:Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 1:12pm
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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. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: DJ
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 1:23pm
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Argh I know all about the toe curling and the sobbing....
I thought A's latch was ok too, but it helped when I watched a bf video on the internet - they key thing that bought about improvement for me was giving A a nudge forward as she was latching, so my nipple went right down her throat. What the video said was the baby's mouth has the hard palette in the front and the soft palette at the back - and you are aiming for the back (soft) bit. also, are you just feeding one side at a time? this at least gives one side a rest. Good luck! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 1:28pm
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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. ------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: BuzzyBee
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 1:33pm
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I HIGHLY recommend nipple shields. Medela brand are the best to go with, they have Small, Medium & Large size.
I used these for the first 3 months of my little boys life, he had latching issues ...they REALLY helped, I couldn't feel any discomfort whilst using them. Sorry I haven't read any other replies. But I do urge that you try them out BEFORE switching to formula. Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing and so many people give up for this exact reason. |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 1:52pm
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Ooo big hugs I have so been there too. Nipple shields are great, they got me through the tough times with Jack. I was told to express a wee bit in the shower each day just to keep your boobs stimulated.
Another thing I would do is wait for the milk to start flowing (mine would do this when bubs started crying in those early days) before latching him on. That way he doesn't suck as hard because the milk is already there. I also think you should get someone else to check your latch because they shouldn't crack and bleed with a proper latch. They might hurt when he first latches but then it should hurt as such just feel real weird. Make sure his lips are both curled out and you want nearly all the bottom of your nipple in his mouth so the tip is right up the top of his mouth. |
Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 2:11pm
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Thanks girls. I dont let him suck unless he's got a good latch going anyway - my problem is I have rather large nipples lol.
I sent Matt out to get some nipple shields and Lansinoh cream (thats the one my MW told me to get) and I gave him a feed with that on. Apart from being extremely messy, they're pretty good. He's having a horrible grizzly day today and fed for an hour - so they were sore anyway after all that, but I think for normal feeds they're gonna be great! And I never realised breastmilk was so sticky O.o I'll try a few of the suggestions you lot have made as well - I was telling mum this morning how fantastic you all are with suggestions etc <3 |
Posted By: fattartsrock
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 2:24pm
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you can stick them on with paper tape, FYI, I used to do that as I struggled with keeping them on, especailly if baby pulled off and it was full of milk, lol. I used to put a cloth nappy inder my boob to soak up any spill... ------------- The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P |
Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 2:28pm
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Lansinoh cream is pretty much exactly the same as purelan I think. So yay.
Good luck!! |
Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 3:08pm
I'm using nipple shields here as we had latching issues when the girls were born. Haven't had the chance to wean them off yet 
My nipples were in bits from expressing for the first 2 weeks and I found expressed milk & glad wrap over the nipples to be brilliant for me. A contradiction from the airing that others have suggested but it's what my MW suggested to me and it prevented them from drying out. |
Posted By: my2girls
Date Posted: 04 June 2008 at 3:41pm
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Hi there i used the Medela nipple sheilds for my first daughter for the first three months, i had really bad cracked sore, bleeding (even when i expressed) nipples but they came right with the nipple sheild.
After having DD2 a few weeks ago i used them from day 2 and have just stopped using them now (week 3). I would highly recommend them. |
Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 05 June 2008 at 8:38am
| I got the breast pump out and used it for the first time. The thought of having my nipples mauled today really doesnt make me happy, so yea, i'm proud - got a whole 60ml out lol.. how much should my wee man be taking on a feed? I just usually let him go til he's done on each side, but when I pumped all i got was the 60ml from both sides combined. I'm guessing the more I do it the more I will produce? I feel like such a egg LOL |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 05 June 2008 at 9:56am
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Don't feel like an egg, we're all beginners the first time round, and I was again the second time too! I felt like such a fool asking my midwife and my mum all these exact same questions!
My nipples were shredded when I first started feeding Ella, I would just sit there silently screaming and crying as she latched on. If you're planning on using the pump all day to give your nipples a break, I'd suggest pumping every 2 hours or so, (I'm guessing he feeds 2-3 hourly?) so that it keeps your supply up. Yeah it works the same way as b/f directly, the more you feed the more milk you have and the more you express the more milk you have. My midwife suggested pumping for a minute or 2 after the milk stopped coming out, to stimulate my supply. If your nipples can stand it, maybe that would be a good idea for you? I also 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc the nipple cream and fresh air. It really does help. Another trick with the nipple cream is to not use too much. I wanted to slather it on to protect my poor nipples but it actually made things worse when bub couldn't latch on properly and kept slipping off, eek! Good luck Miss Angel! Just keep doing what you can and try not to stress too much. At the end of the day its what works best for you and your boy that is the most important. If expressing is best for now then go for it! I expressed all of Ella's milk from 3 or so weeks until she was 9 months old! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 05 June 2008 at 8:10pm
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I found hand expressing until the milk came in so the baby didn't have to suck hard to bring the milk in worked for me. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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