Im a New Mom Trying to Breastfeed... HELP!!!

A.,
I had the same problems with my daughter. I had several bouts of blisters and though it hurt so bad to nurse, I toughed it out and eventually they popped and got better. After I spoke with a lactation consultant she advised me that what was happening was throughout the feeding, my baby was "sliding" off the areola and just onto the nipple and to cure it, to make sure I was keeping her as close to me as possible throughout the entire feeding session. And it worked. After I made sure she wasn't turning her head as she became more satisfied or that I wasn't letting her slip down, it seemed like all of my breastfeeding issues (sore nipples, blisters, pain) all went away. I obviously don't know if this is the problem you are encountering, but it was what worked for me. You can also pump your milk and give it to your baby until the blisters heal and definitely use the Lansinoh lanolin. It took my daughter and I three months to really get the hang of breastfeeding, but I ended up nursing her for 13 months and I'm so glad I didn't give up.

I developed the same problem in the beginning for my first baby and for my newborn baby. What I did until the pain subsided was pumped the milk and fed from a high-grade breastfeeding based bottle. I breastfed my son for a year and am currently breastfeeding my daughter who is 8 weeks old. It has been a life saver being able to do that when the pain is unbearable. I am fine just to offer her the breast and she takes it fine. Just make sure you aren't just giving the baby a bottle, because then they will get used to it and not want to work for it. However, if its between pumped milk and quitting, I would give her the pumped milk. Good luck!

I had the same problem. I went to a lactation consultant and she gave me a nipple shield. They are used for flat nipples or sore nipples. It is a silicone "shield" that you put over the nipple and the areola. And it does the "latch on" for the baby. I had my daughter on the shield for a few weeks till my nipples were healed. I thought this was sent from heaven. You can get them online or I got one also at Babies R' Us. I got a medela one (I think there are a couple of brands). If you do use a shield get a couple because they need to be washed after each use. I also used Lanolin to help heal the nipple also between feedings, you can get that at Target or Walmart. That also saved my life. Just hang in there! Good Luck! If you have questions about what i wrote you can email me at: ____@____.com.

I had the same problem i have very big breast and flat nipples i would have to make a c shape with my fingers and squish my breast into my childs mouth (but the only thing with this is that i had to hold it away so that i did not suffocate .) i could not do anything else which was nice. with my last baby i had to use nipple shield you can find them at any baby store i got mine at babies r us .i just tried those for a few weeks and my nipple pulled itself out and was easier to breastfeed. i have fed 5 kids succesfully. my last baby i was not able to breastfeed for as long as i liked due to 5 bouts of mastitis and a hysterectomy surgery. i hope that you don't give up because i loved breastfeeding but i am also a realist if you can't and you have tried you are not a looser if you formula feed. i hope that things work out for you .

Congratulations on your new arrival. I know what you are dealing with, sorry to hear it. For me it took a couple of weeks for my nipples to totally heal and toughen up for me to nurse comfortably. The thing that helped me get through it was anbesol. Put a little on there before you nurse and then again afterwards with a little of the lansinoh or another brand of lanolin on top. The anbesol for pain, the lanolin for healing. Good luck with nursing and you'll get through it.

A.

When he latches on, make sure his gums are on the nipple area. They need to be back further, so that the entire nipple area, and most of the areola is in his mouth. Also, get some nipple cream if you don't already have some. Lansinoh is what I prefered, but there are more brands out there. I know the Lansinoh is safe for the baby to injest, so it doesn't have to be washed off before you feed. It should speed your healing up if you use it after every feeding.

You may also want to try pumping for a few days, or even nipple shields. I've never used the shields, but have heard that they can help, especially at the beginning.