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Breastfeeding
Toe Curling Pain
My baby is just 1 week old and I'm finding breast feeding excrutiatingly painful. I seriously dread hearing her cry because I know it means that she is hungry. I've been using cream but nothing seems to be helping. I read about using breast sheilds which sound like a good idea but people have said that sometimes babies will not be able to breastfeed without the breast sheild once they get used to it. It's not a latch issue either...she's getting on correctly. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
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Re: Toe Curling Pain
You might want to check with an LC to make sure it isn't a latch issue, but honestly, it just hurts like an enormous amount those first few weeks. I was crying for days when she would feed.
My ob suggested using a blow dryer to help toughen the nipple and it is very old school, but I think it may have helped a little.
It goes away and it gets better, but it takes time.
I found the first week painful, but not horrible...for me, the horror came with week 2 and 3. I think I had so much hormones running through my body with week 1. HANG IN THERE if you can. IT DOES GET BETTER. Do whatever you need to do to relax (listen to music, watch a movie/tv, just visualize calmness) because your baby will want to be at the breast alot in the beginning. My Midwife also recommended brewing black tea, cooling and applying the tea bags to my nipples. I found the creams were a waste.
Good luck to you. So many women know exactly what you're going through here, you can find good advice on this board. Do what's best for YOU and YOUR BABY.
Same thing here, it was horrible the first week, after 10 days the pain started to lessen, by the 3rd week we were in the groove. Now its fantastic. Stick it out! It does get better!
i totally understanding the feeling of dreading to hear LO cry bc you knew you'd have to feed him. I used gel pads after nursing to cool and relieve the pain. Definitely a must in the first weeks. Just know that this will pass. And to help you relax during feedings, get a book to read - hopefully something you will look forward to reading to make feeding time more enjoyable for now.
Also, I did nothing about a bad latch for too long because i thought toe curling pain was normal. If you still feel that pain (especially after a couple sucks) in a few days, do talk to a LC or your OB. I found that one side had a bad latch even at 5 weeks because i was holding DS with my nondominant arm and it was a lazy hold and I just chalked the pain up to normal toe curling pain - not so.
Good luck and hang in there!! You will get through this
My pain lasted almost 6 weeks, but it was bc I thought I had a good latch and I didn't. I would go see an LC just to be sure. By the time I went my nipples were so cracked and painful it took two days of just pumping for them to heal. I used a sea-salt solution to heal the cracks, I also recommend the gel pads. Or even just gel icepacks put the the fridge will work.
Once you are sure you have a good latch, it will start to get better in time. I absolutely LOVE BF my baby now pain free.
I could have written this exact post five weeks ago! I was in so much pain that several times when he latched I screamed and burst into tears. And I also dreaded feedings. I would get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about the next one. It was horrible. I worked with an LC and it did really help - I thought he was latching well but after she showed me a few techniques, it got marginally better. And then, around one month in, it stopped hurting.
I never, ever thought I'd say this, but it DOES get better. I actually enjoy it immensely now (LO is 6 weeks). One thing that helped me is that the pain was especially bad on my left side - a couple of times I would rest that breast for a day and just pump, and it usually made things better when we tried again. I also took a couple days off and just pumped exclusively, and then went back to it. Now we EBF and things are going great. Stick with it and it will get better - don't be afraid to give yourself a break.?