Breastfeeding with a flat nipple..... 2nd time around....ADVICE/EXPERIENCES please?

[Shanti]

I had an extremely challenging start to our BF relationship when DD was born. We experienced lots of problems, to give you an idea..... weak suck, very bad attachment for weeks on and off, flat nipple, low milk supply due to the previous mentioned, breast refusal on flat nipple side etc etc.... it took us until DD was 3-4 mths old to fully establish milk supply and BF'ing!! We're still feeding now at 21mths!!

So, I'm pregnant again and recently have been thinking alot about how BF'ing this baby is going to go....given my experiences last time, I have gained so much experience and knowledge so I'm sure it won't be as difficult as it was last time. In saying that, I know every baby is different.

My main concern with establishing the BF again this time around, will be my FLAT nipple on my L side. The R side is fine as DD has always preferred this and it's a great shape now and should be easy for a newborn to attach to! Whereas the L side has always been a problem as it's flat and DD hasn't fed from the L side for months anyway.

Hoping to hear from those who have BF subsequent babies with a flat nipple and how did it go each time? Was it easier the 2nd time around? OR did you still experience problems with attachment on the Flat side? (waaaah! why can't both nipples be the same!!)

Will this baby perhaps have a strong suck and know how to latch onto a flat nipple better than DD did???? Is it possible I won't have ANY problems this time around on that side????

I really would love to be able to avoid having to express on that flat side just because the baby can't latch on therefore my milk supply gets affected etc and until the baby has a mature suck, then I don't have to worry about my supply and pumping anymore. I just don't want to go through what I did last time as it was really really stressful and lots of hard work

Thanks, any advice or experiences from others would be wonderful

[Barb Glare]

You have done the most amazing job, despite the tough start you had.
I bet there's a story behind the story. How did things go with your baby's birth?
Babies "imprint" feeding in the first hours after birth. Under normal circumstances they are born alert and ready to suck - on whatever nature supplies them with. They don't know about "flat nipples". All babies will shape the nipple and breast tissue into a teat with their mouth. But if a baby is born affected by a difficult birth, or drugs taken in labour, then it becomes a much harder task. Likewise if mother and baby are separated during those early hours. As you have seen, patience and determination can overcome these problems.
Do you see yourself tandem feeding?

[AliBaby]

I dont have any advice for you but I do want to tell you this hun,

You had the most incredibly challenging bf journey with DD1. Look at the two of you now! You are just so inspiring and I am completely certain that you are going to make bf work with Baby 2.

ETA- I think you are going have a girl because I automatically wrote DD2 instead of DS2. Had to change it to baby 2!

[Shanti]

Barb - thank you for your post DD's birth was a 9.5hr labour, vaginal, no drugs (not even gas), DD put on my chest immediately skin to skin and not taken off... HOWEVER she was posterior, perhaps that was traumatic for her??? I know it didn't make labour easy for me LOL!!!! AND....I tore badly 3rd degree internal which needed quite a bit of stitching and therefore an hour after DD's birth was spent with 3 people in the room stitching me up (student dr ) besides that, I really had a great experience and can't complain. I do however look back quite often on DD's first breastfeed and how that occurred. My stitches were done and the room emptied so DH and I could spend time alone with DD. Just before that though a midwife asked me if DD had fed yet, I said 'no' but wasn't worried. Before I knew it (i was in a deliriously spaced out state at this stage due to all those lovely hormones circulating !!) the midwife helped DD latch on to my R side and she had a bit of a suck but then came off.... it wasn't baby led at all... she was gentle yes, but I felt it was kinda 'rushed'..... I don't think DD was quite ready ya know?
DD and I were never separated from each other until day 3 when she had a hearing test and I badly needed sleep.

I would be interested in tandem feeding, however at this stage, my milk supply is very quickly dwindling. I feel sad about it but DD doesn't really seem interested in sucking much out anymore anyway. She goes on 3 times a day for her usual feeds (morning, lunch, bedtime) but most of the time only has short feeds and doesnt have that strong suction she once had....if that makes sense? And she doesn't gulp milk anymore either.
I know that if we're tandem feeding later she will be able to draw that nipple out for me for the newborn.....that would help wouldnt it?
At the moment I think DD is doing a lot of "dry feeding" as I've read about it.... its tender when she feeds as there isnt as much milk there anymore.

Alibaby - thanks so much so nice of you!

[Miss E]

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! I had a very similar BF journey, with both my nipples being inverted, so I also share some of your concerns about how it will go next time around (mind you that's a little ways off for us for now). In the end, the only way that DS and I could establish BF was with a nipple shield. I know some people are anti them, but TBH in my case there is no way we would have been able to BF. The midwife at the hospital gave me one on day 3 after we still hadn't been able to get a successful attachment. I kept persisting without them for the first couple of weeks, but DS wasn't gaining enough wait and my nipples were horribly cracked, so I re-introduced it. We kept using them till around 9 weeks when I gradually started to wean him from them because his suck was stronger. I started just doing one feed a day on each breast without it, until about a month later when we were able to get rid of them completely. And, 16 months on we're still BF'ing, which I find amazing because there was a time when I thought it would never happen or that we'd have to use the shields permanently.

They are a bit of PITA, but the allow bubs to draw the nipple out into the shield and feed effectively. Over time, your nipple gets used to being drawn out and by the time bubs is sucking well it's easy for them to draw it out themselves.

Anyway, that's just my experience and what worked for me. TBH I would invest in one before the birth (I tried many different kinds, but found the medella ones best because they were bigger and the nipple could be drawn out more) and give it a go if you have problems. ALso, it probably wouldn't hurt to meet with an LC before bubs arrives so you can devise some strategies beforehand and also get their help from day 1 if you are having difficulties.

GL

[Maruschke]

Shanti no advice, but I know how much you struggled in those earlier days with DD1 and I hope you have a much easier journey this time.