I am at my wit's end. Cason is almost 3 weeks old and breastfeeding is still extremely painful. I know that we are not getting latched on correctly, because my nipples look like pancakes after he's done eating! I've seen the pediatrician twice about it, and she's tried to help with the latch and I've had the LC come out to the house to try to help. EVERYONE can get him latched on ok, except for me. As soon as I try to do it myself, it doesn't work. It's getting to the point where I'm dreading feeding him b/c of the pain and I know he is frustrated, too. That on top of the guilt I feel about not being able to get this to work and considering going to the bottle is making me crazy.
I really wish this would work out. I rented a Symphony pump and decided to try to build up a milk supply in case I really can't fix this latch problem, and when I tried to pump today, I got practically NO milk out. I did pump after he ate, but that is what everyone told me to do and said I should be able to still get some milk out. It was also painful, so I didn't want to turn up the suction too much. Now, I'm sitting her with throbbing boobs. Has anyone else had this experience? I really want pumping to work, but not sure how with the sore nipples and when to time it so that I can actually get some milk out...
Re: Need major help re. breastfeeding
I can tell you I had more than a few nights of crying from the BFing pain. But it WILL PASS. This will come as cold comfort, but it was nearly three months before it was not painful for me. Pay very very close attention to your LC. And most importantly, BREATHE. The more worked up you get, the worse you'll feel. Try to slow your racing mind and concentrate.
Hang in there. You can do it. Use cold compresses, lanolin cream, and let yourself air out occasionally.
I just wanted to say Hang in there---this is very common. I could not get either one of my kids to latch on. None of the LCs at Northside could either.
I do remember the shields helping some too.
It was very difficult for me and very painful with Doodle...I cried and cried and pumped and cried. It was making me a miserable mommy. I attempted to BF her for about the first 5 days saw 3 LC in the hospital and 2 outside of the hospital. Then I went about pumping for the first month. I used nipple shields too and honestly they were just a PITA for me. Anyways, I pumped and Doodle had EBM for the 5-6 weeks of her life. She's perfectly fine and healthy and wonderful (yes, I"m biased).
With Darren, I was empowered and adamant to not give up. It hurt...as much as I remembered, if not more. There were times that it took me literally 2 HOURS to get him latched on. He was screaming, I was screaming and crying and it was miserable. I went to some support group meetings, try to find one. I asked all my nursing friends, posted on here, cried and kept trying. When either of you gets so frustrated you just have to walk away, calm down and try again. I swear it took me about 5-6 weeks before I could get him to latch within a few minutes about 90% of the time. It took probably a good 3 months before I was confident and efficient at getting him to latch pretty much all the time.
It's hard and it's painful and it's not easy...at least it wasn't for me. but it DOES GET BETTER! I promise.
However, if you "only" pump...you are doing an awesome thing too!
And...if you decide not to pump or BF...you've given your baby boy a great beginning! He will be fine!
Happy Mommy = Happy Baby!
Try not to beat yourself up no matter which decision is best for you and your baby!
Please
You've gotten some great advice above. The only thing that I will add is to ask your DH to help you. The LC at Piedmont, who's very well known in the field, brought up the fact that husbands seem to get the hang of this better than wives because it's mechanical in nature. Sure enough, DH was the one who taught me how to get the latch.
Hang in there!
The same thing happened to me. When the LC was around it was no problem latching on but when I was alone with her it was so hard. Looking back on it now I know some of it had to do with me getting upset. The baby can really tell when you are upset. Not sure if this will help but I read in The Nursing Mother's Companion to use a sugar water solution (like the glucose solution they give them in the hospital for PKU) in an eye dropper. Putting a couple of drops of the solution makes the baby open their mouth more and get a better latch. I swear if it wasn't for this I would have stopped breastfeeding! I highly recommend this book. Here is a link from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Nursing-Mothers-Companion-Revised/dp/155832304X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253116136&sr=8-1
Also for me pumping while on maternity leave was just way to stressful for me! I couldn't handle figuring out when to pump b/c Ava is truly an on demand feeder. I only had 4 bags frozen when I went back to work. But I am still pumping and feeding and it all worked out. Good luck! I know it sounds so cliche to say but it will get better with time. I promise! Just hang in there.
Like the PPs....get some shields,use TONS of lansinoh lanolin (it works the best!!!) and when you are done feeding/pumping coat your nips in some breastmilk then let it dry and if you are home alone sit around topless as much as possible to let the nips air out. I was topless for 1 1/2 weeks due to cracked nipples in the beginning.
It really took me 3 weeks to get BF down and into a rhythm. As for pumping, I tend to get the most milk after the early morning feed and it's still not a ton. I pump from 1/2 oz. to 2 oz. at a time and lately it's about 3/4 oz to 1 oz. Everyone is different on how much they pump. I would also recommend relaxing while pumping- put on some nice music and sit quietly.
Hang in there---it doesn't often feel like it, but it does get better!!
We had major issues at first too. First I just want to say that if it isn't working for you/doesn't work for you, you are NOT a failure!! You may want to consider alternating formula and bfing to give yourself a break. This is coming from someone who is still nursing after 2 years.
The nipple shield is a great idea from PPs (some lactation consultants don't like them, but don't let them tell you no).
With my DD I could only to get her to nurse on one side, and I had to pump the other side. It was exhausting. One thing that really helped in the beginning was for me to take a warm shower and massage my breasts right before pumping or a feeding. It will help you relax a bit, and it's even better if you can hand-express a little milk while you're in there. Also, I'm sure the LCs have told you this, but for some reason the football hold position seems to be easier to get them to latch with, so you may want to try that. Good luck - this was the hardest part of being a new mother for me. You WILL get through it one way or another.