It hurts!!

[~clover~]

Hunny! First of all CONGRATS!!!
You have done so well already!!

Now, about those boobs...
When they say it shouldn't hurt, its not right...DON'T LISTEN!
Sure, in some cases, it starts great, goes great & ends great, but not for us normal gals
Pain is the first sign of poor attatchment, but not in every case.

Have faith...it DOES get better. It may hurt at every feed, but I promise it'll get easier.
I was there.
DD1 - I quit feeding at 6 weeks coz I was dreading every feed.
DD2 - only made it to 4 weeks, then got thrush, which made things even worse.
BUT, I had no support...You DO!

Try using Lansinoh, put it on after every feed, no need to wash it off.
You can put a warm washer on your nipple just before a feed. It helped me alot.
Get your boobs/nipples out in the sun. It'll help toughen them up.
After a feed, let your nipple dry in the fresh air. Air them out heaps. Express a bit of BM, & rub it around your nipple & let it dry.
Remember to change pads after every feed to keep them as dry against your skin as possible.
RELAX!

You could also get some bepanthen. You put it on about 10 minutes before a feed, leave it 5 minutes, then wash it off then feed. It has an anaesthetic in it & can help reduce the pain. Just remember to wash it off, coz it can make baby's mouth numb, not a nice feeling

You can get some nipple sheilds too. I had thrush & cracks & just used them for a day or 2 while I healed. Never any longer, but they gave me a break while I got better.

My nipples are small. (Well I think they are compared to average.)
I only think that coz when I bought the sheilds I got the average size & they were huge on me.
So I think thats why it wasn't pain free for me.

Feeding for me is still slightly uncomfortable/annoying, but the pain is gone.
It took 6 weeks for me to work it out. Even then there were good & bad days, but the worst of it was over at 6 weeks.

You are doing so great & should be so proud of yourself!
I am!!

Sounds like you are getting it all worked out!