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2nd Trimester
? for 2nd+ Moms who have breastfed
I breastfed my daughter, but within the first couple of weeks had cracking and bleeding. I just wasn't very good about changing positions/nervous, but it was really painful. I am hoping for things to go better with my second. I feel more informed and ready to do this. What I was wondering if any of you have any suggestions on breastfeeding/having it go more smoothly this time. Did you use lanolin before delivery and it helped? Anything else you did to help prevent the cracking/bleeding? I know that a lot of people say that it isn't normal to crack and bleed and it was all about the latch, and I understand part of that, but was just wondering if there is anything else I can do. I would really appreciate your advice. TY
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Re: ? for 2nd+ Moms who have breastfed
I used lanolin religiously...after every feeding/pumping session.
it sounds like it was a latch problem. maybe your hospital has a lactation consultant who can check to make sure LO lips and tongue are in the correct spot. and this time i bet you wont be so hesitant to switch positions, and correct the latch. good luck. dont stress out over it....i found myself stressing out about this at 20wks and it was making me crazy. if he/she latches and its going well then great....otherwise i am done. i had mastitis twice with DS and i am no way going through that again....especially now that there will be two kids to watch.
DC#2 born silent at 22 weeks 1.11.11
Dc#3 born vbac 1/2012 <bra DC#4 born VBAC 3/2014
I had the same issue with my daughter. She had a proper latch so looking back, I think she had tongue tie that the LCs didn't catch. I should have been better about following up with an LC after I left the hospital and told them the problem wasn't going away. This time I will be more proactive about getting help if I have nursing issues.
There's nothing you can do ahead of time to prevent this. All you can do is work on getting a proper latch and get evaluated for things like tongue tie or thrush if the problem continues. GL!
Yep, keep working on the latch, be persistent about it. In the beginning I felt bad breaking DD's latch and just let her nurse with a shallow latch. It hurt like heck and after a week I was exclusively pumping until my nipples healed around 5-6 wks. Definitely use lanolin after every feeding if they start to crack.
Something that the LLL leader who helped me told me was to squeeze/compress your nipple as your baby latches on. They need to have most of the nipple/areola in their mouth to be correct. But if you have large nipples and especially since they're so small, they sometimes just can't get it all w/out some help. That made a huge difference in the beginning.
Also, if you're having a lot of pain, contact LLL. My local chapter (local being 45 min away) is the reason I was able to bf DD. I can't give them enough thanks for their help.
Yes, definitely don't let a baby nurse with a bad latch. Not only will it tear your nipples up, but it prevents them from getting as much milk. So it can make your supply drop and your baby might not get enough to eat. A good latch is key.
ditto all of this. Latch is very important. I used to latch and unlatch Drew as often as needed in those first weeks.
Also, like one of the pps, I found it most helpful to rub some of my own milk into my nipples after each feeding and let air dry.
I quickly skimmed the other replies and I agree with what has already been suggested. I just wanted to add that you might want to consider using a nipple shield. Medela makes them. I recommend the full shields instead of the contact (almost half moon shaped) shields. I had to order the full shields online because BRU and Target only carried the contact shields in store. I think diapers.com had the full ones.
Good luck!
My friend and I were both told by nurses at the hospital that nipple shields should not be used more than a couple weeks. Our pediatrician, said why not keep using it if it helps. My friend just continued using them the whole time she breastfeed (like 10 months) and is continuing to use them with her second son. I stopped using them because I felt like I was doing something wrong and I only lasted 3 months BF'ing because it never stopped hurting (tried everything I could, even saw a lactation specialist.)
This time, I'm using the dang things all the way through if I have too. I'm going to do some research and make sure there isn't some safety reason they shouldn't be used long term though.
WIth my first I didn't crack or bleed, but his latch was horrible and he wasn't a very strong nurser at first.
With my second I was cracked AND bleeding before he left the hospital. It sucked. However, he was a great nurser and had a perfect latch! I think that's why I was so raw. It lasted a few weeks and I used lanolin after every feed, changed positions and "aired out" as much as I could, which I think helped.
I'm not doing anything this time and just hope she is a good nurser. But boy was it painful those first few weeks.
So no advice, unless it doesn't go away after a few weeks. Thinking about having to make a bottle, instead of staying in bed helped me remember how good nursing can be at some of the tough parts.
This. after about 2 weeks it was no longer painful. I did not have bleeding, but definitely a lot of soreness and chapping despite lanolin.
Lansinoh lanolin saved my life, I swear! I haven't read the replies yet, so sorry if I'm repeating. Just make sure you use it OFTEN, after every nursing session, before bed, when you wake up. Constantly. It will stain your shirts and your bras, so use pads, or wear shirts you don't care about. It will help a TON.
Also, reach out to an LC early on if you are having trouble. We have a lot of great resources by me and I used them 4x after leaving the hospital. It helped a ton.
Lastly, stick with it. The 1st 6 weeks are tough, and my nipples were about to fall off, but all of our hard work paid off and we had a great bf'ing relationship for almost 7 months.
GL to you!
The only thing I did to prepare to nurse DS before he was born was to take a breastfeeding class. I didn't use any special creams beforehand or prep my nipples in any way. We never had any nursing issues other than a few clogged ducts and a minor run-in with mastitis. I still have the same tube of Lansinoh lanolin that I bought before he was born because I used it maybe twice total. I didn't have any bleeding or cracking.
Ditto this. I guess I'm kind of a hardass about latch - It didn't bother me to make him do it over and over again if it wasn't right. I've had to "re-teach" him at other times, too, because teething makes his latch crappy.
If you are sensitive to lanolin, there are other nipple creams available (Earth Mama Angel Baby makes one that I know of). I also absolutely loved the Soothies gel pads. There is likely to be a very painful period in the beginning, but it does get better.