Please help me keep going... update post #54

[mozartswannabe]

I'm sorry your nursing experience has been so unpleasant! Do you have a nipple condom? It worked wonders for me in the early days. So did pumping to allow my nipples time to heal between nursing sessions. It gets easier I promise! I can't tell you how many times I wanted to give up during the first couple months, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

As wonderful as nursing is, there is nothing wrong with formula. There are many healthy children that were formula fed and if it makes you happy is is OK to switch. If you're stressed out and uncomfortable it may be affecting your supply. Just know that switching to formula is not the end of the world. When I stopped thinking of formula as evil and nursing being the only option I felt like things got easier bc it felt like I was nursing bc I WANTED to not bc I HAD to.

Good luck!

[evasimone]

Originally Posted by Mamanvert You sounds SOOOO similar to me. I couldn't wear a shirt for the first month until someone found me some nipple Shells. They are plastic shells made by medela that keeps your bra from touching your nipples. It really helped because that way I could stop being top less all the time and could sleep with blankets over me instead of half way down my body. We moved out of province a month after our son was born and were living with my in-laws while transition from our apartment to our new place when Merrick born. I stayed in our bedroom for a good 2-3 weeks because I was top less 24/7 and living in the house was my 16 year old brother in law and father in law haha. SO many people saw my boobies... Honestly I'm so sorry this is happening to you though. Its such a huge transition with your first baby that it makes adjusting and healing 100 times worse when things don't go well. If your LC has hope than I would definitely trust her and try once you are healed. You never know...some babies will be fine going back. Merrick also hated my over active let down and the fact that I didn't wait until I was fully healed so when I tried to nurse again I would pop him on and off because it hurt so much which didn't help make him like breast feeding again. You are catching this early too so you LO will still be young when you can hopefully start nursing again. That makes a big difference. Baby will still have good reflexes. One thing we tried was using bottles that mimicked proper latch and we would feed him like nursing and making sure he would open wide and suck properly. I also had thrush for 4.5 months so my situation was different too. I don't want you to think that it won't work out and will have to pump like me. You never know! You are doing awesome!

Thanks! I really appreciate hearing from someone that's gone through something (very!) similar. I am using the Tommee Tippee bottles and I hope that will help. I did exaggerate a little about not wearing a shirt, I bought nipple shells (on the recommendation from someone in this thread.) So I have worn a shirt but not without my nipple protectors which is getting old.

Originally Posted by momof3boys1girl K here my story. I noticed my son had the heart shape too pretty early on. We had that clipped. I was still getting sore nipples! I found a pediatric dentist and turnd out he had a posterior tie and a lip tie. The PTT can really make bfing hard and is VERY hard to DX but is not at all uncommon with a reg tie. If you have a reg tie it could go deeper and be a PTT. If she has a ptt it would explain why she not latching well bc well she cant get your whole nipple in her mouth. Can she stick her tongue all the way out past her lips or touch her tongue to the roof of her mouth? She could also have a tight lip tie and would make it really hard to get a good latech too. Also very common if a reg tie is found. Once you get it cut the new latch will not just "happen" you need to help train your baby. They are latching the only way they know how. You need to do exercises to help them learn how to stretch and trust the tounge. There is so much more to learn about tongue ties that i think if you worked with her she could really learn to latch correctly and you will be successful. I went through pure hell with my nipples for the first 2 months. Blood blisters like crazy! Once i worked with him and he relearned how to latch properly it was a breeze from there. He 12 months and still nursing. ETA: please pm me if you want more info i dont check here often but i can get you loads of info and there an amazing tongue tie facebook group as well with amazing moms who have BTDT. Also a few pediatric dentist on there as well.

PMd you. She is able to stick her tongue out and touch it to the roof of her mouth. After your post I found a pediatric dentist and had him look carefully at her mouth. He said her upper lip was tight but not tied and he didn't feel anything needed to be done. He also said her tongue tie had been released well. So I think everything is okay with her but I am definitely interested in learning more about teaching her to latch well.

I really should have waited to have her tongue clipped, I wasn't fully healed and mentally wasn't ready for her to nurse again because I knew I wasn't healed. So at the first bad latch (and the bleeding) I freaked out and refused to try again. I am nearly healed now so I'll be trying soon (once my thrush is better).

Originally Posted by glupton If you're having a lot of pain, (I'm sure you've checked this already but will mention it just in case) check that you don't have thrush/nipple yeast infection. I had it for months with my first w/o even knowing it and think it was due to getting antibiotics during labor b/c I had a fever during delivery (DS never had thrush...only I had it). It was sore, painful, scabbed and bloody, and I would often cry through our Bf'ing sessions and b/c of the pain I wasn't able to relax and DS was a slow gainer for awhile (and everyone was telling me it was latch problems for the longest time). Nursing pads would often stick, and cause more problems, etc. and it was all due to the yeast issue which isn't something you can really look at and know it's yeast. I just thought it was natural or b/c of a bad latch. The LC that I worked with eventually figured out that it could maybe be a yeast issue and said you could put hydrogen peroxide on your nipples and if it bubbled, it meant yeast was present. And bubbles there were. It took awhile to get rid of completely, but it was amazing once it was gone. Hope you figure out whatever it is!!!

I want to thank you so much for this post. I looked at my nipples after your post and noticed that I had some white patches on my nipples and they had been itchy for days (which I had chalked up to them healing). I had also been having radiating pain after pumping which I just ignored as probably normal. I went to my PCP and she felt that it was thrush and prescribed me Nystatin. I am pretty sure my LO doesn't have it since I started getting itchy after I started pumping. I am trying a natural remedy with apple cider vinegar and hopefully that will work. If not I'll try the Nystatin. It probably would have taken me forever to realize I had thrush if you didn't post what you did.

Originally Posted by mozartswannabe I'm sorry your nursing experience has been so unpleasant! Do you have a nipple condom? It worked wonders for me in the early days. So did pumping to allow my nipples time to heal between nursing sessions. It gets easier I promise! I can't tell you how many times I wanted to give up during the first couple months, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. As wonderful as nursing is, there is nothing wrong with formula. There are many healthy children that were formula fed and if it makes you happy is is OK to switch. If you're stressed out and uncomfortable it may be affecting your supply. Just know that switching to formula is not the end of the world. When I stopped thinking of formula as evil and nursing being the only option I felt like things got easier bc it felt like I was nursing bc I WANTED to not bc I HAD to. Good luck!

Thank you for this. My LC gave me a nipple shield and I had some issues using it but I think it may help. I may end up using it once I heal although I am hoping to avoid the shield and just get her back on the boob directly.

Thanks also for telling me formula was okay. I've definitely had to reframe my expectations of myself and nursing my child. Right now I am looking at every day that my child gets breastmilk as a blessing to her. I was so resistant to pumping until my mom told me, "breastmilk is breastmilk, is it worse that she's not getting it from the tap directly?!?" Which helped snap me out of my stubbornness because mentally and physically I was so worn down but was unwilling to pump.

I am definitely going to work hard to not go the formula route but I am more okay with the possibility than I ever thought I would be.

[hhilgen2]

Awe Mama, hang in there! I SO feel your pain. I bled and was in excruciating pain for weeks and the nurses just kept telling me it was "normal" to hurt so badly. I would literally cry every. single. time. my LO nursed. I finally got a prescription for thrush medication and the pain cleared up almost immediately. I had to use a shield for a couple weeks to allow myself time to heal, but eventually we were able to wean off with minimal problems and have a great breastfeeding relationship (at 10 months and going strong). And if you decide it isn't going to work out for you, just know that you've given it one hell of a shot

[momof3boys1girl]

You mentioned in your pm that when she comes off it looks like a tube of lip stick. That is a sign of PTT. A normal latch should not effect the shape of the nipple. I think you need more help with pedi dentist that specializes in this area. Where are you located and ill see if i cant help you fig out a good place to start. Also please join that FB group i linked you too i think it will be a great help for you.

[beccak]

I say pump until you heal up, then try again! You won't regret sticking with it but might regret quitting.

[Sarah-B]

Originally Posted by beccak I say pump until you heal up, then try again! You won't regret sticking with it but might regret quitting.

This!!
Hugs and you can do it!!

[evasimone]

Originally Posted by momof3boys1girl You mentioned in your pm that when she comes off it looks like a tube of lip stick. That is a sign of PTT. A normal latch should not effect the shape of the nipple. I think you need more help with pedi dentist that specializes in this area. Where are you located and ill see if i cant help you fig out a good place to start. Also please join that FB group i linked you too i think it will be a great help for you.

Just an update. You were right DD has a posterior tongue tie, I took her to a pediatrician that specializes and they took a look and diagnosed her. They said her upper lip was very tight also but that they would wait and see with it. She's going to get the tie clipped on friday. I don't want to get my hopes up but I sincerely hope this will be a solution.

[Sarah-B]

Originally Posted by evasimone Just an update. You were right DD has a posterior tongue tie, I took her to a pediatrician that specializes and they took a look and diagnosed her. They said her upper lip was very tight also but that they would wait and see with it. She's going to get the tie clipped on friday. I don't want to get my hopes up but I sincerely hope this will be a solution.

My friends 8 wk old just got his tongue clipped & right after is nursing like a champ!!

[mariannec32]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I have been where you are with my Ds1 and it was the hardest thing I've ever fought through.

Have you heard of Jack Newman's APNO (All purpose nipple ointment?) This stuff ROCKS! I've used lanolin, motherlove and breastmilk, and NOTHING has helped heal like this stuff. I am currently nursing my 7 day old Ds2 who just like Ds1, has a terrible latch. My nipples were getting shredded up and after two days of using APNO I am almost fully healed. His latch is still bad and we are working on it everyday but this ointment has literally saved my sanity. I wish I knew about it with Ds1.

Anyway, you can google it and get a prescription from your Dr to have it made at a compounding pharmacy. I however found a homemade recipe using over the counter products. If you go with homemade, it is equal parts Hyrdocortisone 1%, Lotrimin and Polysporin. Sounds crazy for a nipple cream but please give it a try. I can't believe what a difference it has made!

[rcima]

I had the same issue. I broke the rules, too, and primarily pumped for 3 weeks until I healed. When I did nurse during those 3 weeks and for a while afterward, I would use a nipple shield to provide some protection to my nipples. DD was weaned from the nipple shield by 3 months and is still nursing at 26 months. Hang in there, you can do this!