Nipple pain..

Hi Jasmine. Are you actually comfortable with babies latch now? Nipples are very fast healing, so providing babies latch is now good, they should heal within a few days. Pure lanolin is very good at helping them heal, as is your own breastmilk. Silver cups can also really really help a lot of people. But providing you have a good latch, you shouldn't be getting any cracked and sore nipples. If it persists then I would recommend finding a breastfeeding counsellor or lactation consultant. X https://laleche.org.uk/nipple-pain/

Lansinoh nipple cream is really good and silver cups x

The first 10/15 seconds is painful but then it eases, sometimes it still feels slightly uncomfortable through a feed but not painful as such. We went to a breastfeeding morning and she said my latch was good but a little shallow, one nipple comes out slightly pinched but they are still cracked between. We’ve been using silver guards for the last couple of days and they have made a big help. There’s a different breastfeeding morning on Thursday so we’re going to that to see what they say! X

Excellent that you have a few groups to go along to. A shallow latch and pinched nipple aren't good, it's frustrating when people are saying "it looks good but shallow" that's a contradiction! Check what training/qualifications those running the group have you need more than just peer support. How is babies weight gain? And how long/how often does baby feed? (I am a breastfeeding counsellor)

She was an actual lactation consultant! It was a free breastfeeding drop in centre we went to. We are also waiting for a referral for tongue tie but health visitor said she wasn’t sure but referring anyway. Her weight gain is great, she was born 7lb 3 only lost 6% and back to birth weight by day 3. She’s now about 8lb 2. She feeds probably 12/13 times in 24 hours about 30/40 minutes on one side and 15/20 on the other as my flow is quicker that side x

I am having a very similar experience. Baby seems to be gaining weight by the minute so not too worried about him but my poor breasts haha. It gets a bit difficult to be excited about breastfeeding when it's always painful. The Lansinoh cream has been a godsend for me.

I heard that coconut oil could help 🤷🏻‍♀️ dont quote me on it tho imma see with my babygirl when she’s born

I had a lot of issues with breastfeeding my first baby and had very bad cracked nipples. As well as silver cups I used hydrogel patches, which you can put in the fridge too, to assist healing. At its worst I also took a couple of days break from feeding from my left breast to allow my nipple to heal, and I pumped/expressed from that side for those days. For me, the feeding got easier from about 3 months onwards, but my son had tongue tie that only got released at that point. Having the tongue tie released didn’t cause immediate improvement, but it then improved over time and I continued breastfeeding until 2 years. After a while it wasn’t even anything I had to think about as it became so easy. So it will definitely get easier! And sounds like you’re doing all the right things with getting support etc.

@Charlotte you saying it’s a contradiction has convinced me to go have it checked out by someone else again. Thank you. Also at 3/4 weeks and feel latch has got more shallow and more painful when we were making progress week 2. It’s so painful I’m near quitting so want to give it a last try!

@Jasmine what matters most is how the latch feels and how baby is doing. Baby sounds like they are managing to transfer milk fine, so that's positive, but if the latch feels uncomfortable, shallow and leaving your nipples pinched, then it's not quite right, and a small tweak is likely all it takes.

@Ashley hi Ashley, have a look here to see if there's any support groups near you. https://laleche.org.uk/find-lll-support-group/ https://breastfeedingsupport.org.uk/

My nipples were really painful for the first week and a half. I got some plastic nipple shields for feeding and they really helped - only used them for one day to allow the baby to continue to feed and allow my nipples to heal. I also think it helped improve her latch as I’ve been pain free since 👌🏼 hope things improve x

My son was also hurting my nipple due to a shallow latch I think! I express fed two bottles so that he could have those and I could have six hours off the breast and it worked wonders. I know that might not be for everybody but it really helped me. Xx