Need help with breastfeeding!

Posts: 2632
7/19/11 6:37 P

glad to hear you got it straightened out! i dealt with thrush while nursing my second, and it was sooooooooooo painful!!

Posts: 229
7/18/11 10:00 P

I'm so glad things are going more smoothly for you now. Breastfeeding can be difficult at first but it is such an amazing experience so I'm really happy that you and your baby are getting past the difficulties. I'm sorry I wasn't more help to you but I'm glad your midwife was able to help. Good luck!

Posts: 29
7/18/11 8:51 P

Thanks for the support Rachael! Sorry it took me so long to reply. It was a long and painful weekend, but I finally was diagnosed with a yeast infection on my nipples (I had suspected this on Saturday evening as my little one developed white spots on his tongue). Now I've got some medication and I feel SO much better! I live in a small town in Chile, so there aren't any lactation consultants and the closest La Leche League group is 500km away in Santiago. :( I really wish I lived closer because I think it would be so beneficial! I visited my midwife today and she confirmed that his latch is correct now and the pain is from the yeast infection. I hope this is our last breast feeding hurdle!

I'm hoping to nurse him for at least a year as it is such a special bonding time (even with all the pain I've been having). Congrats on your second baby! I hope you have a smooth labor and delivery and no problems with breastfeeding!! :)

Jennifer

Posts: 229
7/14/11 5:52 P

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time nursing! I was try two things first...contact a lactation consultant from the hospital where you delivered and contact your local La Leche League www.llli.org Both of these will be more helpful since they will have more information that I have!

The soreness could be coming from the strong suck the baby has. Have you tried applying lanolin to the nipples? You should put it on directly after baby nurses and you don't have to wipe it off before you put baby back on again.

If his latch is weird, I would try breast shields at first but then take them off after a couple of minutes as using them excessively can interfere with your milk supply. Another thing to get your nipples to pop out is to use a breast pump for a minute or two before you put baby on. This will also stimulate your milk to let down and he will be getting more of the fatty hindmilk which is good.

Another great resource I like to use is www.kellymom.com

I hope nursing gets easier for you soon! I was able to nurse my first for over a year and I'm almost due with my second and its the part of motherhood I have missed the most. Although I don't have all the answers, feel free to give me a call and maybe I can help. My number is 505-832-6973.

Good luck!
Rachael

Posts: 29
7/14/11 1:53 P

I've got a 4 week old son. He lost 1 kilo the first week due to not eating enough. I have very large breasts and flat nipples, so it was a struggle that first week to get him eating! The second week, he ate plenty and actually gained 500 grams! He was doing well, and then I developed very painful mastitis. I got antibiotics from my midwife and he was able to latch on again after a day or so. I finished the course of antibiotics and he was doing well with eating. Then suddenly, a few days after finishing the antibiotics, things changed. Now it seems like I can't get him to latch on correctly. Every time he eats, it's very painful when he first latches on and then when he's done (after 15-20 minutes), the nipple is very sore. It hurts to wear a bra or even have my clothing touching. A lot of the time, my nipple gets very hard for seemingly no reason and it is so painful! I'm trying very hard to make sure he's getting enough of the areola, but it seems like every time he comes off of the breast, he's only been getting the nipple and a small bit of the areola. I've been using my finger to push on his chin to open his mouth, but maybe it's just too much tissue for him? Does anyone have any suggestions for getting more breast tissue in his mouth? I'm getting so frustrated and it makes me very emotional, but I know that we can do this!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!