when does breastfeeding get easier??

sheremy

I had my baby on the 22nd of November and we are trying to exclusively breastfeed. My milk came in yesterday and i'm slightly engorged which I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was how bad my nipples hurt. Whenever my LO latches on I just want to cry. We met with the lactation specialist while we were in the hospital so I know how to get her to latch on properly, but my nipples are raw and terrible sore anyway. About how long does it take for your nipples to toughen up???

RikkiSC72

After about a week it got a lot easier for us and didn't hurt nearly as bad.  It will get better soon.

manda_mullins

by 2 weeks it was easier, by one month no pain at all. i had scabs and lots of bleeding and cracking until then though. it WILL get better.

hmarsano

It was about 3 weeks for me.  Just use lanolin after every feeding.  Keep reminding yourself that it WILL get better, and this is one of the greatest gifts you can give your LO!

manda_mullins

and your LO is gorgeous btw! :-)

brinkly

The nipple pain got a lot better for me after 2 or 3 weeks.  I cried almost every time I fed him for about a week and a half.  It is a lot better now.

If you are not already doing it, be sure to put the Lansinoh cream on after every single feeding.  I didn't do it at first and got a little crack in the hospital.  As soon as I started using it the crack healed and I haven't had one since.  Good luck!

nikkinack1

We are on week six and it just got easier

busywifey

did u buy the lasinoh cream???

it is safe to put on , and i swear it works wonders!!!!!

i am still bf my DS ... it does get easier and sooooooooo rewarding!

metta1313

busywifey:

did u buy the lasinoh cream???

it is safe to put on , and i swear it works wonders!!!!!

i am still bf my DS ... it does get easier and sooooooooo rewarding!

THIS!

margeincharge2

Oh my goodness, it took a good 5-6 weeks for breastfeeding to get "easier." We had a lot of issues!

As for the nipple soreness, I'd say a few weeks. Use Lansinoh liberally!

Hang in there. You just started. Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I've ever done and I was so close to giving up many times in those early weeks. But I hung in there and now it is sooo easy. We're going on 4 months now. But at a few weeks pp, I was crying all the time with how frustrating it was. GL!

magdusia

it took 2 weeks for me.. and they started feeling better as soon as i started putting my own breastmilk on them and leaving them out to dry.. i was walking around w/ out a top on for an hour a day

etude de la vie

My LO won't bf if I put Lanolin on so I am still suffering. It doesn't hurt as much as when I first started but I feel like my nipples have been sucked raw this week because DD wants to eat every 2 hours (growth spurt). 

I dream of a day when there is no pain.  

sunshine_77

i'm on week three, and still have sore, raw nipples. they aren't cracked or bleeding, but very pink and sore. i am hoping soon they will 'toughen up"

Shayne's Mom

magdusia:

it took 2 weeks for me.. and they started feeling better as soon as i started putting my own breastmilk on them and leaving them out to dry.. i was walking around w/ out a top on for an hour a day

 

THIS!!!

It took me a about a week but I swear only after dabbing my own milk on them. I was lathering my nipples in lanolin with no relief.

My LO begin to latch on incorrectly when we got home from the hospital...it would hurt so bad that I would semi scream and my toes would curl.

 

Hang in there it will get better.

 

ZAngel

This is actually one of the reasons I started pumping.  I still breast feed 1-2 times a day but the pain hasn't gone away.  When she first starts sucking I have to bite down on something just so I can get past the initial stabbing pains.  It is better than it was the 2-3 week though.  Maybe it would be better if I did it more often.