The rape of the nipple
Thank you all so much for your advice and encouragement on my last post–it definitely helps to know I’m not alone out there and that these are just normal growing pains.
Since we last spoke, I’ve had to resort back to the nipple shield for just two feedings out of about twenty-five or so–both late at night when I was trying to get Alice to settle down. I think she’s still getting used to the feeling and extra work of my bare nipple and I’ve got to cut her some slack here and there. For now, that last nursing session around 11pm is what finally gets her down for the night and I can’t lose it just yet.
Of course, ever since we ditched the thing, we’ve been performing what I like to call ‘the rape of the nipple’. Holy shit does this hurt. The first day was fine, but that’s probably just because my nipple still had some stamina. Yesterday, every feeding felt like putting my nipples into hot burning coals and then dousing them in lemon juice.
(This is the real reason men don’t have babies. As if they could handle any of this shit for more than 11.3 seconds.)
Today, it starts out painful but then we settle in a little and it’s starting to feel a teeny, tiny bit better. I can’t quite figure out what I’m still doing wrong.
Her latch is starting to look okay, especially on my right side. It looks like the countless photos and videos I have hunted down on the internet, lips flanged out etc. but something is still not quite working. I think the problem is her mouth still isn’t quite wide enough and I’ve got to stuff some more boob in there somehow.
I’m going to a breastfeeding clinic tomorrow morning, so I’m hoping they can offer me some insight there.
I think we’re slowly getting there and I’m feeling a little less hopeless than I was two days ago. Woopeedoo.
The bonus of losing the shield is that nursing sessions have now cut down by less than half because it is no longer restricting my flow. Thanks to my fast letdown, Alice gets a ton of milk at the beginning (something she’s learning to cope with as well as it causes her to sputter and come off the nipple) and is done in as little as 5-7 minutes. The lactation consultant told me that that’s very common in women with fast letdowns and that by three months, she’ll probably be able to drain a boob in 2-3 minutes.
So that’s kind of awesome news. If we can get there.
In the meantime, I’m watching her diapers closely to make sure she’s still getting enough to eat (and her poop has gone back to yellow, because she is actually draining the whole boob now), but she seems mostly content and doing well.
What an adorable, peaceful little Buddha baby you have there!
I really hope the breast feeding clinic is able to help you find a way to make nursing more comfortable. But I’m glat Alice’s poos have gone back to a normal yellow.
Good luck for you to get the breastfeeding thing really off the ground! Hope they can help you at the clinic.
And she looks so cute in the pic! *sigh*
I’m not sure if anyone recommended this on the last post, but I have read that if your baby is having problems dealing with a fast letdown, you can try either hand expressing some milk first or pumping for a minute or two to kind of take the edge off for her.
I hope the clinic helps you out!
My daughter was an excellently efficient nurser. Once in our groove, feeds never lasted longer than 10 minutes. This was most excellent at night.
Hopefully the clinic is able to help you!
Not going to lie, I scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the page first to see the photo because I just knew the pic would be adorable. Way to get those nipples into shape. hopefully the clinic will provide you some insight but I am sure you are doing great!
I had the same problem (excruciating pain) with my first baby. Since I was a first time mother, everyone assumed that I was doing something “wrong,” even though my baby’s latch looked textbook perfect.
The pain did not go away until I saw my OB at my six week follow up, and I dissolved in tears over how hard breastfeeding still was. She diagnosed thrush and gave me a prescription for 30 days of Diflucan (the drug that you take ONCE for a normal yeast infection, you have to take it for 2-4 WEEKS for thrush).
It was amazing, after my second dose I was free of pain. If I missed a dose, the pain would be back within a day. But 30 days of medication cured the thrush, and I went on to nurse my baby for 18 months.
yes!! ask about thrush – it hurts like a mofo! I’m on a 2w course of diflucan right now and even after a few days I still feel like I’m on fire after he eats.
Now I’m really looking forward to breastfeeding – thanks
Hope it gets better.
I think it’s pretty normal for the nipple to take a while to get use to that much action =) What helped me get through the pain was using medela’s lanolin and the gel patches you put in the refrigerator. After each nursing session I used one or the other, not both. The lanolin helped avoid cracking and the gel pads helped reduce swelling and keep the damage to a bare minimum. My daughter nursed 10 minutes per side and has gotten faster and faster over time (she is now 19 months). Now she nurses for 3-4 minutes per side. Sounds like you’re doing great!!!
Look at her! She is super adorable. What a content little bubba. Just wanted to say keep it up! Good on you for persevering. I also have a fast letdown and my girl was almost choking with it. Dr recommended just taking her off the boob for 15 seconds or so until the spraying passes and then putting her back on. It’s messy but if you’re prepared in advance it’s no stress. Also definitely keep them on the same boob until she’s drained it, I swear by this method. Hard on your nipples at first but great for your milk supply. Also if they’re extra hungry or have a spill then you have a ‘spare’ boob ready to go. It gets so much easier and so much more enjoyable! You won’t even think about it in a few months. Good luck!
Well, she looks pretty content there so you must be doing something right!
You might already be doing this, but I’ve found that holding the boob that the baby is nursing from (thumb on top and four fingers on the bottom) really helps get more of the boob into his mouth. A lactation consultant I met with recommended holding it like that for the whole feeding if things are uncomfortable.
Breastfeeding issues aside, how gorgeous is your daughter!!!
The rape of the nipple, could that possibly go down as a better saying vaginal gold?!
I remember that pain well, makes my toes curl just thinking about it!
She is completely gorgeous.
Amy x
oh, she is just so adorable!
hope the feeding gets better. my boobs hurt just reading this!
What a cutie! Just wondering – has anyone checked if she has a tongue tie? My little girl had one and the pain was excruciating (nipples cracked down to the nerves, vasospasms between feeds) until we got it clipped at around 2 mos. Might be worth asking about?
I had the same burning ALL THE TIME and the lactation consultant said my biggest problem was that my baby was not belly-to-belly with me. When I would turn his entire body towards mine, and his tummy was truly up against mine, the burning stopped. The slightest shift in their body position can make them “dangle” a little off your nipple and cause this. Give the tummy-to-tummy nursing a try. That fixed it for us – and rather quickly. It would come back when I got lazy and let him dangle a bit.
It’s so hard, isn’t it????? Good luck!
She looks so content! You must be doing something right.
she is darling!! i am so glad that you are hanging in there with breastfeeding- we had issues in the beginning, too (and ended up using a nipple shield for just over 8 weeks). i am floored at how many of my friends (all but one) have had some sort of issue/difficulty with breastfeeding. did women always have such issues? it’s not like you hear of 1850 women using a nipple shield…and they didn’t have formula then, did they?!
She is just so sweet! Good luck at the clinic. I hope they can help.
Woah, she’s so pretty!
I’m so glad you’re posting about this kind of stuff. Whenever I think about motherhood (which is still in the “if” position for me), I immediately shy away from the thoughts of breastfeeding because it just doesn’t seem like something I’ll be good at.