Breastfeeding
why did you decide to EP?
My LO is 2.5 weeks old, and my nipples are sore. SORE. Like to the point where I dread feedings. 
LO had a hard time latching on, so I started using a nipple shield and now she eats awesome, but my nipples still ended up cracking and are super sore. I thought the nipple shield was suppose to help with that? ugghh. I'm debating on just pumping and bottle feeding her.
What made you decide to drop BF and just EP?
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Re: why did you decide to EP?
don't go down that road unless you really really have to.
your nipples WILL toughen up, promise.
i had to EP because she absolutely would NOT take the nipple. we tried for eight weeks. was hell.
DS was born 4 weeks early and too weak to properly latch initially. We used the nipple shield for the first 6 weeks and continued to work with a LC. It would take DS anywhere from 45-60 minutes/feeding with the nipple shield. I returned to work at 6 weeks pp and had to pump to be able to provide bottles for DS and maintain my supply. My crazy 50-60 hr work week did not give DS the time to practice BFing (plus he was getting a bottle while at daycare) so our chances of successfully BFing went south from there.
EPing has been one of the hardest things I've ever done (physically and mentally) and would not encourage anyone do it it by choice. Yeah, BFing has it's challenges as well but I would tell you to stick it out alittle longer. From what I hear, it does get easier.
Have you considered the serious obstacles you would have to overcome if you EPed? what about traveling? I've pumped in airplane bathrooms, in airplane seats next to big men taking up too much room, in the terminal on the floor (b/c I wanted to use the outlet), in the car, on a train, etc. Not only do you have to pump, but then you need to feed and wash pump parts and bottles!! With BFing, you have none of that.
thanks for the encouragement ladies! I really want to make this work. I have an appointment with an LC tomorrow, so hopefully they can help me out.
about 40 min till her next feeding. <gulp>
Hang in there APK! It really does get better. It's painful right now, but once the pain goes away, BFing is so much easier than pumping. And I'm saying this even though there was a time when I felt like I was having a breakdown over the pain, and wanted so badly just to give up on the whole BFing thing.
Pumping is a serious PITA -- pumping at work is bad enough, I don't think I could handle it if I EP. Not only that, but the baby is so much more efficient at getting the milk out that she needs -- I think it would be hard (at least for me) to keep up with her needs and produce enough milk.
GL! I hope it gets better within the next couple of weeks.
Your nips will toughen up! I used Lanolin after every feeding for the first 2 wks or so and still had to grit my teeth through some feedings, and then later when DS had a growth spurt I got really sore again. I've heard the soothie gel pads work wonders.
Keep at it! It will get better and it is so worth it later on.
Ditto pp's. It does get easier. Even EPing, your nips are abused. My nips were uber senstive until about 4 mos pp. DH wasn't even allowed near the boobs (and he was drooling at their size too so it didn't help).
I've EP'd because DS lost a large amount of weight his first week of life and was hospitalized for newborn dehydration. He would never really swallow at the boob. When all this happened, it was far more important to get DS fed than to worry about BFing. Once we got the weight issue under control, he wanted nothing to do with my nipple. Thus, I've EPd
EPing is WAY more work. I've pumped, while driving, multiple times a day for the last 8 months. I've had nonstop supply worries because I know exactly how much milk I produce and DS takes in. I've had to rearrange my life so that I can pump. I can't just "go to bed" at night when I want to. I have to spend an extra half hour pumping and getting ready for bed... get the idea? Plus, it's a lot more work. Besides pumping, I have to clean bottles, clean pump parts, etc... And it's near impossible chasing after a 10 month old (who is walking) and pumping at the same time. If you can BF your baby, it is way easier (no clean up process and you don't have to worry about chasing after a mobile baby either while you're trying to pump).
Hang in there! It does get easier-- this is what I've read from LOTS of women on this board.
Josiah James
Naomi Rose
I decided to do it when she wouldn't latch, I tried a nipple shield and found out at her 4 day check-up that she'd still lost 10% of her body weight and was on the verge of being dehydrated (which terrified me). I went to exclusively pumping that day and supplementing with formula until my milk came in.
I've been EPing since then which has been great but a lot of work. My LC compared it to feeding twins. I don't, however, regret it because I know exactly how much she's eating.
I EPed in the beginning because nursing was tremendously painful. I couldn't bear it all. After several visits to lactation consultants, we found out that DS was tongue-tied. So I continued to pump, while DH and I decided if we would have the procedure done to correct the tongue tie. We decided to do it, not just for breastfeeding, but his was really bad and likely to cause speech problems later on. Anyway, after the procedure was done, BFing is great. I really enjoy it. I do end up pumping more than nursing, b/c I am back at work and send my milk in bottles to his daycare.
Good luck to you...I am hoping that the lactation consultant will be able to help you. And if the LC can't help, go to see another one. We had about 4 LC visits before they finally figured out what the problem was. Luckily, our hospital's LCs allowed us to come in as often as we needed for no charge. Also, check out La Leche League meetings for help. These are free.
Have you tried these? They really helped me. Maybe the LC will have some samples because they are super-expensive. https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breast-care/412/tender-care-hydrogel-pads
The other thing you could try is alternating pumping and nursing to give your nipples a rest in between.
Are you using lanolin creams or nipple butter after nursing each time?
I've heard that rubbing a little breast milk on your nipples helps as well.
The products in this kit were quite helpful: https://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/product_pages/breastfeeding/Breastfeeding%20Support%20Kit.php A friend sent it to me as a gift.