Really need help i am at a loss

[CinderToriella]

For the last few days my nipples have been hurting so much when feeding they feel sensitive and tender and stingy ,its really uncomfortable when feeding thats how it feels like i need to stop it it hurts and feels uncomfortable .

I find this strange as yes they hurt the first week but after that it was fine i felt no pain no anything..My bub feeds every 2 hours generally sometimes more as she is s short feeder but feeds often.

what is happening and what can i do? i dont like feeling like i dont want to feed my baby coz it hurts so much

any help would be really really good im at a loss here

[Kmn]

Call the ABA - 1800 Mum2Mum
It sounds like thrush to me - in which case you need stuff to put on your nipples and stuff to put in Bub's mouth.
Try and keep your nipples dry between feeds too - change breastpads really often, or go topless when you can.

[Stevie]

i agree with Kmn, sounds liek thrush, maybe go to your Drs, calling the ABA probably wouldnt hurt either!
I hope it feels better for you soon, i know how yuou feel.
In the whole 4and a half months that i bf my DD it hurt evrey single day (one of the reasons why i stopped) in the beginning the thought of feeding her made me cry
It will get better for you tho xx

[AliB]

Hi Shell

No advice from me, but just wanted to say sorry to hear about the painful nipples. I'm also finding that just when you think you've got it all sorted, a new issue appears! Eventually the issues all get ironed out so I'm told anyway!!

[OceanPrincess]

Definitely go to the GP and get it checked out, just in case!

Lansinoh can help in this adjusting period... and yes, it can take more than a month to adjust! If the GP says its not thrush, try Lansinoh. Can help protect your nipples a bit.

Good luck hun!

[Peg]

get them checked to see if it is something serious

and if its not, try nipple protectors. You can get them in the baby section of the chemist. they are made by Avante and they really do work wonders.

[Tecopa]

Same thing happened to me but it was a change in latch with bub from good attachment, to a lazy attachment as we settled into a routine. My nipples ended up skinned, I thought maybe thrush but when the nurse told me I'd got a bit of nerve damage cause I'd left it for a while I cried.

So get the latch assessed too in case it changed slightly and over time you've built up damage that is just showing!

Hang in there - bad latch or thrush can be fixed pretty quick mostly!!

[Winter]

Hi hun,

can you drop in to see your MCHN and get her to check your attachment & your nipples just in case? She might be able to refer you to either a lactation consultant or your GP if you need it.

you're doing a fabbo job of feeding your baby, just got to get these things sorted out so you can continue without pain xox

[Mum2Romone]

hey,
I hd that too and I persevered thinking it was just me for about a month until i was almost dcrying every feed. it was thrush and it went away in like 3 days. Go see your baby centre/clinic or gp, they will sort it out

[Smoke Jaguar]

Noooooooooo...sounds like thrush!! Get bub's mouth swabbed to find out.
Otherwise, if it comes up negative, book yourself in with a IBCLC lactation consultant. Yes, it costs money, but it's the best money you'll spend if it gets the BFing back on track. You know that feeling in the middle of the night when it all seems to feel the worst and you think "if I could spend $100 right now to get back on track I'd go to the ATM and hand it over"?? Well, remember that before you talk yourself out of a LC
And call 1800 MUM2MUM!

[MantaRay]

I would agree that this sounds like thrush and the 1800 mum2mum helpline can help with further information. However, I do not agree with the idea of using Lansinoh. Sometimes this can be helpful for mums, but dampness around the nipples is the cause of thrush and using creams can make this worse. Putting some expressed breast milk on the nipples after every feed and allowing them to air dry usually works better. It is also important to ensure that you don't leave damp breast pads in - keeping the nipples dry is very important.

[Smoke Jaguar]

Agreed - Lansinoh is great for cracked nipples from bad attachment (don't care what anyone else says, it saved my skin when DS had TT!), but it's not going to help with thrush.
I find the Daktarin oral gel after every feed and in between works fantastically, as well as orally dosing the baby's mouth. The pharmacist will ask you if you've seen a doctor about it and if you have then just tell them so (even if the doc hasn't suggested the gel!) and that it's for nipple thrush - as soon as you say 'nipple thrush' they back off and assume you know what you're doing. They're just afraid of you giving a spoon dose to a baby under 6 months old, but the stuff is fine if ingested from it being smeared on the nipple (and it's not smeared fresh for them to ingest, anyway, it's applied well before a feed to deal with the thrush on the nipple, not in their mouths IYKWIM).
When DD was first swabbed and it came back +ve the doc suggested a thrush CREAM and said to wipe it off before every feed...this was so inconvenient when out, and I was out a bit (was just before Christmas!), so I just didn't use the cream till I got home, which could mean a once a day application. Doc obviously didn't know about the gel, or didn't realise it could be used more safely than the cream?
Anyhow, if you haven't been treating it, be prepared for symptoms to get worse before they get better...and they DO get better!! Before you know it you'll forget what it was like

[AliB]

Hi Shell, I thought of you again when I was reading in the ABA mag last night about great success that people with sensitive nipples have with nipple shields. ALthough there are some who will warn you against them they have been a godsend for many.

Also Mayaness is right about the LC - I was out with friends with newborns yesterday, one told about how she was beside herself with breastfeeding pain and problems in the early weeks, and her husband said "let's just call one of these LC's mobile phone numbers!" and she said "But it's 8.30 on a saturday night!". He said "Well she doesn't have to pick up if she doesn't want to!"... so he rang, and she gave advice on the phone, and came to see them the following day, and my friend is sooo grateful that her DH gave her the final push to seek help.

HUGS

[Pinny-mum]

Agreed - Lansinoh is great for cracked nipples from bad attachment (don't care what anyone else says, it saved my skin when DS had TT!), but it's not going to help with thrush.

:yeahthat:

I too stand by Lansinoh, I even still use it occasionally when DS gets new teeth that we both have to get use to!!! How is the feeding going today??? Hang in there your doing a great job

[CinderToriella]

Thanks everyone
They are not feeling AS sore atm, i find it worse at night time.
I have been putting milk on them after each feed ,and leaving them to air dry much more than i used to
I have my 6 week check up this week so i will ask the DR then,and will be calling the ABA if i feel its getting worse,

Some great suggestions girls thanls heaps i will make a note of all of them, as its such a bad feeling when u dont look forward to feeding your baby coz it hurts
I also feel that she is latching on properly like when i know she is not on prob i take her off but who knows maybe it is wrong ,so i will get that checked for sure

PS (Ali where have u been)

[AliB]

Hey Shell I'm here, going well, things get a little better each week! Not managing to post much, although I am in a 'social group' with my original belly buddies so we chat in there! Barney is gorgeous, he is smiling at us and we are SO SMITTEN :P