Everytime she latches it feels like razor blades coming out of my nipples

@lsltylrs01 The pain is horrible. It also was such a mental mind fuck for me knowing I was going to have to go through the pain every 3 hours with no end in sight. It got better around 6 weeks for me. Now my daughter is 14 months and breastfeeding is the easiest and most relaxing time of my day
 
@lsltylrs01 It took about two weeks for it to start hurting less, and probably another week or two before it didn't hurt at all. Keep an eye on your nipples for any breaks in the skin. My LC recommended coconut oil to help them heal, I also recommend silverettes (but don't use both at the same time). I dunno if it was mostly psychological or not, but I also tried to rotate the angle at which baby latched to "wear" my nipples more evenly instead of always in the same exact spot.
 
@lsltylrs01 I had the same experience. Horrible pain from unplanned c-section + horrible pain from breastfeeding. My heart truly goes out to you! When I was in the thick of it, I found nipple shields to be a really useful tool.

I never ever thought it would get better but it has with time. Once your c-section heals a bit more you can try different positions and find what works best for you! For me it’s cross cradle on My BreastFriend pillow all day. Hang in there!!
 
@beforethesanhedrin I have a nipple shield on as I type this and it makes things sooooooo much more bearable! The pain is about a 3/10 instead of an 8! And I took my last pain pill this morning and I’m soooo sad about it… hopefully they refill it tomorrow or else I’m going to go nuts. I genuinely can’t do anything without help 😭
 
@lsltylrs01 Did they show you how to properly unlatch baby? Before I knew how I was just kinda pulling her off and my nipple was basically slingshotting out of her mouth and it was causing lots of scabbing and irritation and it definitely hurt each next time she latched on. Once they showed me how to break the suction first and then unlatch her I didn’t have any more pain. You gently put your finger into the corner of their mouth to break the suction
 
@lsltylrs01 If it feels like razor blades check with your doctor to make sure it’s not thrush. I had thrush when my daughter was a newborn and it felt like razor blades at the nipples. It was a totally different type of pain than the soreness/ tenderness pain when she was learning to latch.
They give you an APNO cream you put on your nipples and give baby antibiotic too. You’ll want to sterilize any thing that came into contact with your baby mouth or nipples after starting the ointment or the cream too.
 
@lsltylrs01 I had this! It’s sucks so I can only commiserate with you right now BUT it gets better! I didn’t believe it when I was crying from the pain. Keeping silverettes on when I’m not nursing has totally helped me, LO is 3 weeks and I only have a little initial pain now and seems to be lessening daily.
 
@lsltylrs01 It was excruciating the first few days. I gave up on nursing and went to pumping for the first 6 weeks and just practiced latching during the day. Eventually your nipples get used to it and it shouldn’t hurt anymore if the latch is good.
 
@lsltylrs01 I’m so sorry you are having this! This is so common but no it is not normal. Please know you do not just have to deal with this and wait for it to improve. This pain means the latch is not good. You can meet with a lactation consultant who can help find out why and who can help you.

I had this pain for the first 11 days of breastfeeding. The pain was exactly as you described. I finally called a lactation consultant service which was offered through my hospital and I was seen when my LO was 11 days old. The lactation consultant sat with me and arranged my positioning and my baby’s positioning so that we had a good latch. And there was suddenly NO PAIN. To go from excruciating pain to no pain that immediately in one visit was incredible. It was all due to positioning in my case. And my LO felt me relax and was able to visibly relax more too. The lactation consultant explained the positioning to me of various positions and I practiced when I went home. It took some practice on my part and I still experienced discomfort for a few weeks as I worked to get the positioning right, but the pain was never again as bad as it was before I got help. I hope you can get some support too because it was a life changing experience. Good luck!!
 
@lsltylrs01 If you’re working with a lactation consultant please get them to check for ties!!! I didn’t know my baby had ties until week 7 and I really wish I knew sooner. A general healthcare professional (e.g. family doctor) cannot appropriately assess for ties - should be an LC or experienced dentist.
 
@lsltylrs01 ask your LC about vasospasm - if the tips of your nipples are turning white or if it’s worse with cold, those are two good tells. It is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.
 
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