Help!! Latch issue or just a matter of toughing it out??

mlhw NH

When my son latches on it feels like he is grinding his gums on my nipple.  I am sooooo sore.  This is my first baby born on 12/15.  I am dreading feedings!  I have tried repositioning and have had friends who have come to see him latching on they all say it's fine.  I can't help but think that they are wrong.  I am trying my best to tough it out, but thought you ladies might be able to help with words of wisdom!! 

jkanyugi

For me, it was very similar at the beginning until my nipples toughened up.  I used a nipple shield and it was like magic ($5 from Babies R Us).  The shield has holes in it so the milk gets out but less contact with the nipple so it is able to heal and doesn't get as calloused.  Good luck and congrats on your brand new baby!

Jelliebean1982

He might not be taking in enough of your breast.  He should be latching on so that he takes in more on the bottom than on the top.  When he latches try pulling down his chin a bit to get more of the bottom in there. 

I will say that the first few days hurt like the dickens.  Days 4-5 were the worst and by day 7 it didn't hurt anymore. 

jaymiegerard

The first few weeks of BFing were SOOOO tough for me.  By the time I got out of the hospital (3 days PP) I had big blisters on my nipples.  I cried when he latched, though his latched looked fine to my midwife and others.

3 things helped:

1) Pinch and shove.  Basically, I had to push more areola from under my nipple into his mouth.  To do this I pinched my boob with my thumb on top and two fingers underneath.  Then when DS opened his mouth I shoved it in, while pointing my nipple up (thumb when down, fingers underneath moved up and towards baby) and putting the areola into his mouth. 

2) Unlatch him when it hurt.  I had to get serious about unlatching him, taking a breath, and trying again.  At first I just let him go and suffered, but stopping him and starting him again helped get the position right before he stayed on for an extended period of time. Sometimes I had to stop and start 10 times!

3) Time.  Yeah *sigh*, time.  As baby gets older, he/she learns to suck better, and you learn to help him/her suck better.  Eventually, breastfeeding sucks less! :-)

Hope some of that was helpful!  Just don't give up... it REALLY gets better!

Birdies08

Could you have an LC check the latch? They are trained so might see something your friends miss.

It did hurt me at first, but it gets better. Also, a word of caution about nipple shields, they are difficult to wean off of and can cause problems if used for too long. Not saying they don't have their place, but just letting you know. 

luis&collette

Congrats on your LO! My advice it to watch breastfeeding videos on YouTube.It helped me greatly with learning how to position baby and shows you how to proper latch baby on.Also the first week or two your breast will be sore, it takes a little while for mom and baby to get on the same page. Also try gel pads you can get them from Target or Walmart for about $9.99 or so they will be in the same area as breast pumps and they should help alot with the soreness. Hang in there :-) it was times I wanted to stop bc of the pain but so happy I stayed with it...My LO is now 2 months.

BallerinaK

I was sore until about 5 weeks. Make sure you have a good latch and then just tough it out. I was told DD had a good latch, but it still hurt. I just trusted the nurses and kept with it and the pain went away, and now there is no pain at all.

HomelessParrot

Yep, hurt like hell for the first week. It was to the point that I held my breath every time she latched. I HATED it, and I was terrified it was always going to hurt. Now, 12 weeks into breastfeeding, it's natural and comfortable. It will get better! Hang in there.