Any tips on getting this pain to stop? I’m already in a ton of pain from an emergency c section and whenever she latches it is SO painful. Im going to continue breastfeeding because I love the bond it’s creating between me and the baby, but I just need some relief? Is it normal for it to hurt so bad? The pain is about a 8/10…
Edit: thank you everyone who suggested nipple shields I dug one out of the stuff the hospital gave me before I left and the pain is now a 3/10!
@josh12 I was talking to a lactation consultant on the phone before my baby was born and she promised me it wouldn’t hurt after a week. My baby is 10 days old now and it still hurts like mf
@lsltylrs01 For me the pain peaked around week 2 and lasted for about a week. By week 4 it was basically gone. My baby’s latch has been perfectly fine the whole time and he had no oral ties or other issues. It’s so frustrating hearing “it shouldn’t hurt”. This is a common thing. All I can say is that it does get better!
@lsltylrs01 I listen to the Midwives Cauldron podcast. One of the hosts in an IBCLC and she has spoken about how the first 6-8 weeks can be hard. I had damage to my nipple after the first week so that took me a little longer to get over, but by 8 weeks there was no pain at all.
@lsltylrs01 It was about 4-5 weeks for me before it didn't feel like my nips were in fire with each latch. Thankfully it was smooth sailing after that and I had very very little nipple pain with babies #2 and 3.
@lsltylrs01 I bf for 2 years, and yes it did hurt the first 4-8 weeks. It did get better and it was pain-free after that. But I remember the bleeding blisters. And my son's latch was good, but my nipples just needed to get calloused.
@lsltylrs01 I solidly had pain until about 11 weeks. With each week or slightly improved but I had to tirelessly work with my baby to get a good latch down. Everyone told me only a couple days and itl be better! It felt like it would never end and even now at 19 weeks PP- I still get sore if my baby has a couple nights where we’re both tired and he latches lazily. (He’s also in the distracted, thinking my nipples are elastic phase) but I promise it does get better.
@lsltylrs01 It’s absolutely not supposed to hurt this far in. The first few days can be intense if things aren’t going well, yes. But it should NOT hurt “like a mf” at 10 days.
If it does, something needs to be optimized. Perhaps baby has a tongue tie or other tethered oral tissues. Baby might have tension or imbalances in their body. The latch may be too shallow or asymmetrical. You could have thrush or vasospasms.
There are so many things that could be tweaked to get you an experience that is not painful!
@lsltylrs01 You might want to check in with a doctor, especially if this pain is relatively new. At one point I had thrush on my breasts, and the pain was so bad I was struggling not to cry out every time my little one fed.
@cal1 Yes! I was so focused on the thrush baby had and applied miconazole to my nipple under doctor’s direction. The shooting pains left but i still had what just looked like raw skin.
Then i read somewhere how you can have more than one infection at the same time. My left nipple didn’t completely heal until I applied Polysporin at night. I thought the crack was just being exacerbated by baby eating but it turns out it was a mild skin infection.
@cal1 A prescription for all purpose nipple ointment (APNO) can help clear any bacterial or fungal infections. It totally solved it for me when feeding suddenly became extremely painful. Cleared up in just a couple of days.
@lsltylrs01 Yes the pain is really awful! I felt like I was going to throw up sometimes!
My only tips are to make sure your latch is perfect every time, even get someone else to watch and help hold your baby. I also recommend hot compresses with flannels/cloths in the shower and expressing a little additional milk to rub into your nipples and areolas. For me I would say it got better around week 2, but before that I was spending lots of time crying and getting upset before and after feeds.
It’s a real struggle and it’s okay if it’s too much, you will still have a bond with your baby either way.
@lsltylrs01 Sounds like baby is brand new? This can be normal. Your nipples toughen up!
I did develop a little scab on one side and it hurt soooo bad, so I just nursed on the other side and pumped on that side for a couple days. It really helped.
I dug one out of the stuff the hospital gave me before I left and the pain is now a 3/10!