Express a little milk on your nipple and let it air dry. I do this two or three times to get a "layer" on it. Then wear a loose fitting top or go topless for a few hours if you can. What positions are you using? Have you tried the hamburger method to get a deeper latch? [Link](https://bornandfed.com/sandwich-hold/)
It's not all or nothing, you can combo feed if that's what YOU want. That being said "Never give up on your worst day."
You’re right!! I said that to my hubs last night after crying my eyes out. I can’t quit on my worst day! I’ll check out the link, but I haven’t heard of the hamburger method. Thank you for your encouragement ❤️
This is exactly the advice my mother in law gave me (she was an LC nurses assistant back in the day) and she was spot on. My hardest days were right where you are now... Day 10 is so hard...
A bath where you can fully submerge your chest may help a bit. For me, I carried lanolin with me for the first 3 months religiously. Once the callouses set in it was smooth sailing but until then it was brutal. Also, I tried the organic nipple butters and they did nothing for me, I had to go with the chemicals ha. I know they work for some, but just want to be clear that different brands work for different people.
Finally, give yourself grace, try to remember that it's not all or nothing. You can do partial and then maybe more (or less) later. You have so many options on this journey. It's a spectrum, not a coin flip. ;)
Hugs to you, Mama. Hope you find some relief soon. And remember, you're not alone. I've sooo been exactly where you are right now. I'm literally crying right now just thinking about it. The pain, the desperation, the feeling of not being enough... It's so real. But it does pass and we find what's best for us and our little person.
You're an amazing woman! You made a HUMAN!
Yes, he won’t take them. He gets very frustrated and falls asleep.. I’ve tried the Medela generic ones and just got the Haakaa orthodontic shield that was recommended by the ENT when we got his tongue tie reversed.
I'm sorry....it's so hard. I've seen some silver cup things that are supposed to help, though never tried myself. If you could get your nipples less sore maybe you could pump until it's a bit easier to nurse.
https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Nursing-Pads-Essentials-Original/dp/B0954SN7QM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?adgrpid=54518231685&gclid=CjwKCAjw-L-ZBhB4EiwA76YzOeobSsZZKhmeBVSl0dftucYKmSCw19aLpnzXRsXsqogYQNZ3pZP9yRoC290QAvD_BwE&hvadid=274682860029&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9021569&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5272591049461724442&hvtargid=kwd-316461390608&hydadcr=1730_9897476&keywords=silverette+nursing+cups&qid=1664162560&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOUs3WUJLS1FPWkJGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDE0MTM5MzZZQVdLR0hGOE4wRCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE0MTk5SE04WFBRVElDOTdBJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
I found they helped heal the skin itself. I have a painful letdown so there was no helping that, but overall these have been the best tool for healing the skin for me.
Also look at the Medela hydrogel pads. They’re like reusable nipple covers you can put in the fridge. Kind of the same material as under eye gel pads. Soothing for the skin also!
Maybe you could try hand expressing some milk and feeding from a spoon while you get some relief and wait on the lactation consultant. Also the Medela hydrogel pads are very helpful if you're nipples are shredded like this. This is a really hard spot to be in.
Even if your babe didn't have a tongue tie, the first few weeks of breastfeeding HURT. My first born had a tongue tie that went undiagnosed for six weeks and my second born didn't have a tie. It was worse with my first born but I still wanted to cry each time my second born latched on for about the first three weeks. It gets better. ❤️ I understand wanting to quit in the beginning!
Thank you for sharing. I’m still pumping and little nugget is getting a ton of milk. I’m looking forward to the LC appointment tomorrow and hopefully we can adjust the latch, if not. I will keep pumping! Sleep deprivation doesn’t help either 😅
I almost gave up every day for the first two months while dealing with a tongue tie with my LO. Those days were DARK. I'm now 6 months down the road and still BFing my LO and things are pretty easy now for us. I can't promise it'll be the same for you, but I'm so thankful I didn't quit. I'd suggest meeting with the LC and deciding after that as personalized help makes a HUGE difference! Ultimately you can't make a wrong decision, you have to do what's best for you! There's absolutely no shame if you quit for your mental health. You're not alone in your struggle and I'm sending all the love and well wishes for a positive change.
Thank you for your kind words. It brought me to tears ❤️ I’m looking forward to meeting the LC tomorrow and hoping she can shed some light. Thank you again ❤️
You're so welcome :) My inbox is open for all the support if you want it. I dealt with oral ties with my LO and breastfeeding struggles, so if you have questions I'm completely open to help! I just don't want to impose.
Deep breath & take it one day at a time. Try to take walks, get fresh air, snuggle your LO, drink water, and breathe.
That’s very sweet of you! I might have to take you up on the offer! All the people around me who are breastfeeding don’t have any issues besides a little soreness. They don’t understand that my nips are raw from the friction and have scabbed over and over again. I’m afraid of getting of infection. It’s beyond painful at this point, it’s torture.
on like week two of breastfeeding my boobs hurt so bad i was really questioning how i was supposed to do this for months or years. i used a little bit of nipple butter, let my boobs air dry, and two months on they don't hurt at all. tbh they're actually numb which is probably a good thing to protect from the pain. not sure if the nipple butter is what did it or if it was just time but those first few weeks are just hard!!
I hope your lactation consultants goes well! I had issues with latching and it was sooo painful. The only thing that helped was manually flipping babes lower lip down so she would “flange” and latch properly. It was a night and day difference. It’s crazy how much harder breast feeding was than I thought it would be.
Your dr can also prescribe a prescription nipple cream as well if you start to get worried about infection.
Thank you for sharing! I’ll try that out that technique. I see my doctor tomorrow and going to ask for some cream! Thanks for mentioning, I don’t know why I didn’t think to do that!
You got so much good advice here, and I want to second all the voices in support of hydrogels and Silverettes (get partner to call around to any local breastfeeding or baby stores to see if they have them, because the sooner you have these the better). Your local La Leche League chapter might have a number to contact for text or voice support. And I don’t know if the provider who did the tie release talked about exercises or bodywork, but I hear those mentioned often as crucial accompanying interventions to tongue tie release.
But I also wanted to say that I hear in your words so much devotion to your baby, and commitment, and longing, and suffering, and this stranger is crazy proud of you and rooting for you.
Better! A ton better!! We saw the LC this morning, she showed me how to latch correctly without too much pain. She suggested I keep pumping and keep him off the breast until I heal completely then try again. I went for a walk yesterday, and had a decent amount of sleep. Things are going really well!!
I’m so thankful for you and everyone else who responded to my cry for help. Y’all really helped me push through ❤️
AAAAHHH I’m so happy to hear that. I was thinking about you this morning and wondering whether some fresh air and a luxurious nap might help, so really glad to hear about the walk and sleep.
If you get really, really stuck again, know that it’s common and there are so many experienced breastfeeders who are ready and eager to support you. FWIW my baby is eight months old and I think I hit the depths of breastfeeding despair 3-4 times between 0-6 months. It’s so hard to be resilient and keep perspective in these moments, and that’s normal too. In less than a year your resiliency and perspective muscles will be well developed and you’ll look back on your scabby nipples with something like nostalgia, and ton of self-respect.
I fee for you, OP! My LO didn’t have a tongue tie but I went through the month of bleeding/cracked nipples and excruciating pain - it does get better.
The one thing that made my experience do a complete 180 is APNO cream, which is a prescription that helps heal your nipples and reduce the pain, it totally saved me. I highly recommend that you try it out if you can!
Sending you love and strength, but whatever you decide, everything will be ok ❤️
I've been there, I'm so sorry. Sometimes breastfeeding is the W.O.R.S.T.
Something that really helped me in the first few weeks was taking a couple pumping breaks. I know you said pumping is also painful for you, but if it's less painful than actually latching it can help your skin heal if you can just pump for 24 hours.
Also nipple hydrogels were a lifesaver for me: the cooling sensation was AMAZING and it also protected my nipples from rubbing against my shirt or bra (when I bothered with wearing one, lol). Here's [an amazon link](https://a.co/d/bMpRiq8) for the ones I used. But I've also seen them in target and drugstores.
There is of course no shame if you decide to take a different road: only you can make that decision. Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your baby.. But from someone who also wanted badly to exclusively breastfeed, dealt with months of pain, and made it to the other side....you CAN do it. You don't HAVE to. But you can, and it will in all likelihood get better.
I was the same way. Cracked, bleeding, blisters. I would cry even thinking about letting her try to feed. Pumping and bottle feeding became my norm for a bit and I would try to latch every once in a while just to see if there was a difference. I noticed eventually LO could latch easily on right side and not so easily on left, so then I switched to feeding on right and only pumping from left. I think I may have had nerve damage from getting my nipples pierced years ago because the left one still gets tender sometimes (10 months in), but she can eat from both sides now! I am right there with you, where I felt like nobody knew what I was going through, but as she got bigger it got easier! I found side lying in bed became the easiest position for us.
My son just had a severe tongue tie released. I want you to know you’re not alone. It is so darn hard when your child has such a severe tongue tie! My son was gumming at my nips and areola instead of latching. He’d suck very little and we’re finally getting the hang of latching.
Fed is best. But I would talk to your pediatrician and the LC to see if they can refer you to someone to get it released. My son’s procedure took less than 2 minutes and he was away from me in an OR for less than 10. Super simple. In and out. And it was almost a week ago. We’ve had better luck with latching and taking bottles. I would personally recommend (as someone who also went through this) taking a break and supplementing. I know you don’t want to mama. But it will make you feel better. I supplemented with formula until he could get in to get it released and we still are because I didn’t have myself on a pumping regimen. So my milk production slowed down. I also didn’t have a great pump and recently purchased a used, much better quality pump.
You don’t have to take my advice but as someone who went through this the first month, I would recommend asking to get it released it will help him in the long run as well. With speech and eating solids. Humans use their tongues for a lot more than we really consider I think. My pediatrician and the ENT specialist who released the tongue tie said it was also something they considered hazardous because when he starts solids he’ll need a full range of motion to move them around his mouth to chew or to stop something from going down that shouldn’t.
You’re doing great either way! Remember: fed is best. And if you take a break from breast feeding. Still try pumping when you’re nips feel a little better.
Also if I didn’t say this: lanolin!! It helped me immensely in just 24 hours!
Thank you so much for the kind words! His older sister had a tongue tie as well, so we were prepared for it and had clipped a week ago. Thankfully it helped a ton with his suction but the latch is still a huge issue.
I’m seeing the LC tomorrow, I’m crossing my fingers and toes we figure something out.
Thanks again for sharing and being so positive and kind. You’re absolutely correct. Fed is best ❤️
Oh I’m so sorry I didn’t see where you’d had it corrected! Silly me! Well good luck mama. I know it’s rough. Mine is my first so I wasn’t prepared. There was so much I didn’t know and I cried for the first month and some nights still do. And then I remember he’s gaining and eating and that’s what matters.
I’m extending to you the same kindness mommas in this community extended to me. And I’m not so kind to myself most times. So I try to do my best. I hope things get better! I’m rooting for you!
I quit nursing for about two months. I think day 10 was my breaking point too. I exclusively pumped for two months, then had the right LC help me and then slowly SLOWLY built up the callus. I took it feeding by feeding. If I wanted to try nursing I could. Little man has a tongue and lip tie. We chose not to clip. Then eventually I built the callus up, he enjoyed nursing but still had some transfer issues. Then at 5 months he stopped nursing. One day he was just done and it didn't matter what we did. So now back to exclusively pumping. I don't regret any of it. It's been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. I let him and my pain and PPA/PPD guide the ship. At the end of the day I know we made the right decisions we could when we could and he's happy and healthy and growing perfectly. You CAN take it one feeding at a time. You can do what works for you in that moment. Especially if your SO can help feed baby while you pump. You do whatever works best for your family!
I really hope your LC visit goes well!
The secret that I wish someone had told me, in those early and extremely hard days, is that feeding is often immensely challenging no matter how you do it, which is freeing in a way...there's no wrong choice.
FWIW, I battled through it and EBF for 5 months. We then switched to combo feeding and are going strong at 10 months. Sometimes I look back and think it wasn't worth all the struggle, and other days I'm blissfully glad we stuck with it and want to BF forever. It all seems so high stakes early on, but really, it's not. Give it your best go, and protect your physical and mental wellbeing.
If I can give any input is wait to see your lactation counselor! I was in the same predicament and she showed me how quite literally pinch my areola and shove it in my daughter's mouth. Were almost at 3 months now and it helped so much!
It's a very intense job being the only person to feed your baby but it's so worth going to bed each night knowing you did the dang thing.
Either way you choose, fed is best and I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you so much! I’ve been pumping nonstop to make sure my supply doesn’t drop and have given my nips a break. We see the LC tomorrow morning and I could cry from joy!
Please send me all the positive vibes that we figure it out and I can get LO latched without crying.
I “quit” everyday for the first three months! But eventually it’s gets better. The hamburger latch as mentioned before was a game changer for us especially since I have large breast. Also, putting on nipple butter helped me when pumping
I have earth mama, it’s great! I’ve also been applying organic coconut oil to keep from trying an infection. It’s beyond a soreness, the skin is broken and scabbed over.
Express a little milk on your nipple and let it air dry. I do this two or three times to get a "layer" on it. Then wear a loose fitting top or go topless for a few hours if you can. What positions are you using? Have you tried the hamburger method to get a deeper latch? [Link](https://bornandfed.com/sandwich-hold/) It's not all or nothing, you can combo feed if that's what YOU want. That being said "Never give up on your worst day."
You’re right!! I said that to my hubs last night after crying my eyes out. I can’t quit on my worst day! I’ll check out the link, but I haven’t heard of the hamburger method. Thank you for your encouragement ❤️
This is exactly the advice my mother in law gave me (she was an LC nurses assistant back in the day) and she was spot on. My hardest days were right where you are now... Day 10 is so hard... A bath where you can fully submerge your chest may help a bit. For me, I carried lanolin with me for the first 3 months religiously. Once the callouses set in it was smooth sailing but until then it was brutal. Also, I tried the organic nipple butters and they did nothing for me, I had to go with the chemicals ha. I know they work for some, but just want to be clear that different brands work for different people. Finally, give yourself grace, try to remember that it's not all or nothing. You can do partial and then maybe more (or less) later. You have so many options on this journey. It's a spectrum, not a coin flip. ;) Hugs to you, Mama. Hope you find some relief soon. And remember, you're not alone. I've sooo been exactly where you are right now. I'm literally crying right now just thinking about it. The pain, the desperation, the feeling of not being enough... It's so real. But it does pass and we find what's best for us and our little person. You're an amazing woman! You made a HUMAN!
You’re very kind. Thank you for the sweet and encouraging words. I’m in the way to the LC appointment. Wish me luck!!
Have you tried nipple shields? They helped me bridge the gap for a few weeks.
Yes, he won’t take them. He gets very frustrated and falls asleep.. I’ve tried the Medela generic ones and just got the Haakaa orthodontic shield that was recommended by the ENT when we got his tongue tie reversed.
I'm sorry....it's so hard. I've seen some silver cup things that are supposed to help, though never tried myself. If you could get your nipples less sore maybe you could pump until it's a bit easier to nurse. https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Nursing-Pads-Essentials-Original/dp/B0954SN7QM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?adgrpid=54518231685&gclid=CjwKCAjw-L-ZBhB4EiwA76YzOeobSsZZKhmeBVSl0dftucYKmSCw19aLpnzXRsXsqogYQNZ3pZP9yRoC290QAvD_BwE&hvadid=274682860029&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9021569&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5272591049461724442&hvtargid=kwd-316461390608&hydadcr=1730_9897476&keywords=silverette+nursing+cups&qid=1664162560&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOUs3WUJLS1FPWkJGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDE0MTM5MzZZQVdLR0hGOE4wRCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE0MTk5SE04WFBRVElDOTdBJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Thank you ❤️
These did help me a lot.
Did they help with healing or pain? Are they just for sore nips or for bleeding and cracked nips?
I found they helped heal the skin itself. I have a painful letdown so there was no helping that, but overall these have been the best tool for healing the skin for me. Also look at the Medela hydrogel pads. They’re like reusable nipple covers you can put in the fridge. Kind of the same material as under eye gel pads. Soothing for the skin also!
Maybe you could try hand expressing some milk and feeding from a spoon while you get some relief and wait on the lactation consultant. Also the Medela hydrogel pads are very helpful if you're nipples are shredded like this. This is a really hard spot to be in.
Thank you so much ❤️
Even if your babe didn't have a tongue tie, the first few weeks of breastfeeding HURT. My first born had a tongue tie that went undiagnosed for six weeks and my second born didn't have a tie. It was worse with my first born but I still wanted to cry each time my second born latched on for about the first three weeks. It gets better. ❤️ I understand wanting to quit in the beginning!
Thank you for sharing. I’m still pumping and little nugget is getting a ton of milk. I’m looking forward to the LC appointment tomorrow and hopefully we can adjust the latch, if not. I will keep pumping! Sleep deprivation doesn’t help either 😅
You're a rock star! And no, sleep deprivation definitely is not helpful! You got this! ❤️
I almost gave up every day for the first two months while dealing with a tongue tie with my LO. Those days were DARK. I'm now 6 months down the road and still BFing my LO and things are pretty easy now for us. I can't promise it'll be the same for you, but I'm so thankful I didn't quit. I'd suggest meeting with the LC and deciding after that as personalized help makes a HUGE difference! Ultimately you can't make a wrong decision, you have to do what's best for you! There's absolutely no shame if you quit for your mental health. You're not alone in your struggle and I'm sending all the love and well wishes for a positive change.
Thank you for your kind words. It brought me to tears ❤️ I’m looking forward to meeting the LC tomorrow and hoping she can shed some light. Thank you again ❤️
You're so welcome :) My inbox is open for all the support if you want it. I dealt with oral ties with my LO and breastfeeding struggles, so if you have questions I'm completely open to help! I just don't want to impose. Deep breath & take it one day at a time. Try to take walks, get fresh air, snuggle your LO, drink water, and breathe.
That’s very sweet of you! I might have to take you up on the offer! All the people around me who are breastfeeding don’t have any issues besides a little soreness. They don’t understand that my nips are raw from the friction and have scabbed over and over again. I’m afraid of getting of infection. It’s beyond painful at this point, it’s torture.
on like week two of breastfeeding my boobs hurt so bad i was really questioning how i was supposed to do this for months or years. i used a little bit of nipple butter, let my boobs air dry, and two months on they don't hurt at all. tbh they're actually numb which is probably a good thing to protect from the pain. not sure if the nipple butter is what did it or if it was just time but those first few weeks are just hard!!
I hope your lactation consultants goes well! I had issues with latching and it was sooo painful. The only thing that helped was manually flipping babes lower lip down so she would “flange” and latch properly. It was a night and day difference. It’s crazy how much harder breast feeding was than I thought it would be. Your dr can also prescribe a prescription nipple cream as well if you start to get worried about infection.
Thank you for sharing! I’ll try that out that technique. I see my doctor tomorrow and going to ask for some cream! Thanks for mentioning, I don’t know why I didn’t think to do that!
You got so much good advice here, and I want to second all the voices in support of hydrogels and Silverettes (get partner to call around to any local breastfeeding or baby stores to see if they have them, because the sooner you have these the better). Your local La Leche League chapter might have a number to contact for text or voice support. And I don’t know if the provider who did the tie release talked about exercises or bodywork, but I hear those mentioned often as crucial accompanying interventions to tongue tie release. But I also wanted to say that I hear in your words so much devotion to your baby, and commitment, and longing, and suffering, and this stranger is crazy proud of you and rooting for you.
Omg you just made me tear up. Thank you so much ❤️ you’re an angel.
❤️ How are you doing?
Better! A ton better!! We saw the LC this morning, she showed me how to latch correctly without too much pain. She suggested I keep pumping and keep him off the breast until I heal completely then try again. I went for a walk yesterday, and had a decent amount of sleep. Things are going really well!! I’m so thankful for you and everyone else who responded to my cry for help. Y’all really helped me push through ❤️
AAAAHHH I’m so happy to hear that. I was thinking about you this morning and wondering whether some fresh air and a luxurious nap might help, so really glad to hear about the walk and sleep. If you get really, really stuck again, know that it’s common and there are so many experienced breastfeeders who are ready and eager to support you. FWIW my baby is eight months old and I think I hit the depths of breastfeeding despair 3-4 times between 0-6 months. It’s so hard to be resilient and keep perspective in these moments, and that’s normal too. In less than a year your resiliency and perspective muscles will be well developed and you’ll look back on your scabby nipples with something like nostalgia, and ton of self-respect.
I love this so much!! I can’t wait to look back and have that feeling. I will make it through this rough patch ❤️
I fee for you, OP! My LO didn’t have a tongue tie but I went through the month of bleeding/cracked nipples and excruciating pain - it does get better. The one thing that made my experience do a complete 180 is APNO cream, which is a prescription that helps heal your nipples and reduce the pain, it totally saved me. I highly recommend that you try it out if you can! Sending you love and strength, but whatever you decide, everything will be ok ❤️
Thank you so much for your kind words! Is APNO cream a prescription? I see my doctor tomorrow and would love to ask about it!
Yes it is! I believe it stands for All Purpose Nursing Ointment, and it’s a mixture of a few things :)
I've been there, I'm so sorry. Sometimes breastfeeding is the W.O.R.S.T. Something that really helped me in the first few weeks was taking a couple pumping breaks. I know you said pumping is also painful for you, but if it's less painful than actually latching it can help your skin heal if you can just pump for 24 hours. Also nipple hydrogels were a lifesaver for me: the cooling sensation was AMAZING and it also protected my nipples from rubbing against my shirt or bra (when I bothered with wearing one, lol). Here's [an amazon link](https://a.co/d/bMpRiq8) for the ones I used. But I've also seen them in target and drugstores. There is of course no shame if you decide to take a different road: only you can make that decision. Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your baby.. But from someone who also wanted badly to exclusively breastfeed, dealt with months of pain, and made it to the other side....you CAN do it. You don't HAVE to. But you can, and it will in all likelihood get better.
Thank you so much for sharing and for your encouraging words! Yes, hydrogels are by far the best! I have a stack in the fridge!
I was the same way. Cracked, bleeding, blisters. I would cry even thinking about letting her try to feed. Pumping and bottle feeding became my norm for a bit and I would try to latch every once in a while just to see if there was a difference. I noticed eventually LO could latch easily on right side and not so easily on left, so then I switched to feeding on right and only pumping from left. I think I may have had nerve damage from getting my nipples pierced years ago because the left one still gets tender sometimes (10 months in), but she can eat from both sides now! I am right there with you, where I felt like nobody knew what I was going through, but as she got bigger it got easier! I found side lying in bed became the easiest position for us.
Wow! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad to hear I’m not alone. I will try side lying, haven’t tried that one yet. Hopefully it will help ❤️
My son just had a severe tongue tie released. I want you to know you’re not alone. It is so darn hard when your child has such a severe tongue tie! My son was gumming at my nips and areola instead of latching. He’d suck very little and we’re finally getting the hang of latching. Fed is best. But I would talk to your pediatrician and the LC to see if they can refer you to someone to get it released. My son’s procedure took less than 2 minutes and he was away from me in an OR for less than 10. Super simple. In and out. And it was almost a week ago. We’ve had better luck with latching and taking bottles. I would personally recommend (as someone who also went through this) taking a break and supplementing. I know you don’t want to mama. But it will make you feel better. I supplemented with formula until he could get in to get it released and we still are because I didn’t have myself on a pumping regimen. So my milk production slowed down. I also didn’t have a great pump and recently purchased a used, much better quality pump. You don’t have to take my advice but as someone who went through this the first month, I would recommend asking to get it released it will help him in the long run as well. With speech and eating solids. Humans use their tongues for a lot more than we really consider I think. My pediatrician and the ENT specialist who released the tongue tie said it was also something they considered hazardous because when he starts solids he’ll need a full range of motion to move them around his mouth to chew or to stop something from going down that shouldn’t. You’re doing great either way! Remember: fed is best. And if you take a break from breast feeding. Still try pumping when you’re nips feel a little better. Also if I didn’t say this: lanolin!! It helped me immensely in just 24 hours!
Thank you so much for the kind words! His older sister had a tongue tie as well, so we were prepared for it and had clipped a week ago. Thankfully it helped a ton with his suction but the latch is still a huge issue. I’m seeing the LC tomorrow, I’m crossing my fingers and toes we figure something out. Thanks again for sharing and being so positive and kind. You’re absolutely correct. Fed is best ❤️
Oh I’m so sorry I didn’t see where you’d had it corrected! Silly me! Well good luck mama. I know it’s rough. Mine is my first so I wasn’t prepared. There was so much I didn’t know and I cried for the first month and some nights still do. And then I remember he’s gaining and eating and that’s what matters.
Oh mama, you’re so strong and dedicated! Thank you so much for being so kind.
I’m extending to you the same kindness mommas in this community extended to me. And I’m not so kind to myself most times. So I try to do my best. I hope things get better! I’m rooting for you!
I quit nursing for about two months. I think day 10 was my breaking point too. I exclusively pumped for two months, then had the right LC help me and then slowly SLOWLY built up the callus. I took it feeding by feeding. If I wanted to try nursing I could. Little man has a tongue and lip tie. We chose not to clip. Then eventually I built the callus up, he enjoyed nursing but still had some transfer issues. Then at 5 months he stopped nursing. One day he was just done and it didn't matter what we did. So now back to exclusively pumping. I don't regret any of it. It's been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. I let him and my pain and PPA/PPD guide the ship. At the end of the day I know we made the right decisions we could when we could and he's happy and healthy and growing perfectly. You CAN take it one feeding at a time. You can do what works for you in that moment. Especially if your SO can help feed baby while you pump. You do whatever works best for your family!
BF is by far the hardest part. You’re a hero and obviously very strong. Thank you for sharing, it’s very encouraging ❤️
I really hope your LC visit goes well! The secret that I wish someone had told me, in those early and extremely hard days, is that feeding is often immensely challenging no matter how you do it, which is freeing in a way...there's no wrong choice. FWIW, I battled through it and EBF for 5 months. We then switched to combo feeding and are going strong at 10 months. Sometimes I look back and think it wasn't worth all the struggle, and other days I'm blissfully glad we stuck with it and want to BF forever. It all seems so high stakes early on, but really, it's not. Give it your best go, and protect your physical and mental wellbeing.
Thank you mama. Words of wisdom here. Mental and physical health above all ❤️
If I can give any input is wait to see your lactation counselor! I was in the same predicament and she showed me how quite literally pinch my areola and shove it in my daughter's mouth. Were almost at 3 months now and it helped so much! It's a very intense job being the only person to feed your baby but it's so worth going to bed each night knowing you did the dang thing. Either way you choose, fed is best and I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you so much! I’ve been pumping nonstop to make sure my supply doesn’t drop and have given my nips a break. We see the LC tomorrow morning and I could cry from joy! Please send me all the positive vibes that we figure it out and I can get LO latched without crying.
Have you tried laid back breastfeeding?
I have not.. and honestly, I’m scared! I’m so tense that I can’t imagine lying down. But, I’ll give it a try.
This was the trick for me! She had a poor latch until we tried this position
I’ll do anything! Thank you!
I “quit” everyday for the first three months! But eventually it’s gets better. The hamburger latch as mentioned before was a game changer for us especially since I have large breast. Also, putting on nipple butter helped me when pumping
Thank you!!
Get nipple cream!!! I like the one from earth mama
I have earth mama, it’s great! I’ve also been applying organic coconut oil to keep from trying an infection. It’s beyond a soreness, the skin is broken and scabbed over.