Bad pain at day 3

[tuxgirl]

Ds was born c-section on Tuesday, and seemed to take to nursing like a natural. His big sister had taken a month of the nipple shield before I had been able to get a good latch, so I was a bit paranoid, and had the nurses check his latch, even though it felt right, and he wasn't struggling to get the requisite diapers, and wasn't losing too much weight. I'm pretty sure his latch is still good -- his lips are rolled out from the breast, he opens his mouth really big (most of the time), etc...

So, my milk came in yesterday (thursday） morning, and I swear I went up 3 cup sizes. Now, I'm having quite a bit of pain. The latch still looks right, but it just hurts.

I'm also badly engorged. Yesterday, I used a manual pump after he ate, and got about 2oz without really trying. I was just trying to decrease the pressure a bit. This morning, I am even more engorged. He wouldn't stay latched for the first bit, probably because it was coming too fast for him.

I'm large-breasted to begin with, and I am so giant now. It all hurts, and combining that with c/s recovery is driving me crazy. Last night, I found myself grinding my teeth while he was drinking because it was hurting. Today, its a tiny bit better, but still painful. And I'm scared to pump at all because I don't want to signal to make even more milk, but I can't wait until his next feeding to get some milk out of my other side.

[tuxgirl]

As a side mote, he's been nursing for a while, and I still feel a bit engorged on that side. He has had signs of too much foremilk, so I'm only doing one side on this feeding, but its taking forever.

[keonli]

I can't answer about the oversupply, but wanted to let you know that with both of my children, the first week and a half resulted in bad pain at every feeding. Using lanolin cream between feedings helped a ton.

My son had a bad latch that never really improved but my daughter has always had a perfect latch. Yet both times my nipples were very sore, and sometimes bled because they were so dry. The lanolin cream really helped.

How long is your son taking to nurse? I have a snacker who will nurse only 10 minutes between feedings (and her feedings are usually only an hour apart). Other babies will nurse 30-45 minutes, sometimes a full hour, but will go 2-3 hours before the next feeding.

Just remember that your body is still adjusting to the milk and isn't sure how much to make. I wouldn't pump too much, if it hurts that much.

[tuxgirl]

He will sometimes nurse for an hour or more at one time, and other times, only 10 minutes (but then he wants back on in another 10 minutes) he gained 2 ounces in the past 24 hours, so I guess I should consider that a good thing. I've been using lanolin, and if he wants to nurse for a while, I'll let him sit there for a bit. Earlier today, he sat for a while, and enjoyed the fact that he had to do practically no work (no actual sucking), and just swallowed as the milk went into his mouth. It felt pretty good for me too, since it was relieving some of the pressure. I haven't had any problems with my nipples drying out (never had that problem with dd either, and I didn't use lanolin with her), so I'm hoping the lanolin will keep things that way. Problem is, once I relieve some pressure, my supply refills within minutes of the little guy getting off.

He had his first pediatrician appt today, and she said that the pain is likely just from the engorgement and to watch it for two days or so. If its not better as my supply regulates, then she said I should definitely talk to a lactation consultant. There are 2 that work for my clinic and they have 24 hour lactation support at the hospital where I delivered (including outpatient support for new moms), so she gave me all their info in case I need it. Hoping everything will stabilize on its own, though. I do think the supply issue is probably the problem...

[Mom2lucy]

I am subbing this.
I had this exact problem when I had my baby girl 4 years ago. Im pg and due in march and forsee the same thing will happen.
I didnt have a great solution 4 years ago. I just pumped until it relieved some, but then I had to keep pumping for a few months until everything regulated. I think I should have just dealt with the pain and engorgement. I dont know... But I hope you get some good answers!