Toughening up nipples???

Hi
I have been having a few problems with breastfeeding. DS is now 5 weeks old and it was finally discovered he had a tongue tie. He had that snipped yesterday but we are still working on attaching properly. I am persevering with reattaching if it feels wrong or hurts but am pleased to say it is starting to get better....although there are days when I feel it will never happen!!

Anyway my nipples are still sore. I have days where they do not hurt as much but days where they really hurt. They are not cracked or blistering...in fact they are only just a bit pink in areas. I do get a bit of relief when DS is feeding as long as he is attached OK. However when not feeding they really feel tender and sore and I can't bear them being touched by anything. I had been using lanisoh but my health visitor (not a breastfeeding expert) said perhaps lanisoh was making my nipples too soft and I should try stopping it to 'toughen up' my nipples. Is this true? Will my nipples feel better if they have time away from creams to 'toughen up?'

:hug: Those early days, weeks are tough aren't they. I found the best thing for my dry cracked nipples and even when they were just red and sore, was rubbing breastmilk onto them before and after a feed every time. And plenty of air. When you get the chance, while at home just sit there with no bra or top on and that was always helpful too so your nipples aren't rubbing on your bra.

Is it possible you could have thrush on the nipples? I suffered thrush at one stage in the early months and it made my nipples very sore and red during a feed and when not feeding also. I got some cream for my nipples and DD got some thrush oral drops for her mouth so we weren't still passing it back and forth to each other. Perhaps see a GP and get that looked into incase it's thrush?

You'll come across lots of different opinions on creams etc..... I think the only thing that will toughen up your nipples is breastfeeding over time..... your nipples do become more accustomed to it. You don't necessarily need to use creams like lansinoh etc.... I never used mine. My LC at the time said to just express breastmilk over them!

You are doing a great job. :)

it seems like it's going on forever & then one day you realise that your nipples have stopped being so sensitive but you're not quite sure when it happened!

i found lanisoh helped but i only used it a few times. someone also recommended the cooling gel pads (can't remember the name) but i didn't really use them. breastmilk did help like shanti says & also letting your breasts air after a feed seems to help.

hang in there - it will get better!

Letting the fresh air dry the BM into them is great. After every feed let them air dry before doing your bra up.
Make sure your BP's are changed often, so they are kept dry.
A little topless sun can help, but don't burn.
Lansinoh is great stuff, but probably better if there are cracks maybe? It does help then.

I found the first 6 weeks are the hardest. Just go a day at a time, then a week at a time & don't have the FF on hand & it will get easier. The nipples do toughen up. Trust me you'll be greatful for that when baby is trying to do summy's while attatched at about 6 months old!!

I found I had very sore/sensitive nipples during late pregnancy and in early feeding. If there are not cracks and you can rule out thrush, there is always the free 24-hour breastfeeding support line for any questions you may have -the number is 1800 686 2 686 (1800 mum 2 mum). Sounds like you are doing fine - I m sure you will find it easier as your baby gets older :)

It's great news that you have had the t-t snipped - things should improve now. I had the same problem with DS1 and luckily it was only 3 weeks before we found out and got it snipped.

I am not sure that lasinoh will soften your nipples, but I agree that using it is not always the best option. The other advice you have received is great advice - breastmilk after a feed, air dry and braless as much as possible.

Also, continue to pay attention to the latch and make sure it's right. Particularly at night, it can be easy to miss a bad latch and end up with more pain.

GL hun - you will get there :hug:

I have been told by a lactation consultant that"toughening up" nipples is a load of BS. The lanosil is good for keeping them moist as moist wounds heal faster. I agree with the letting them dry and putting breast milk on them cos that does help to kill any bugs.

The BM has white blood cells thatwill fight infection and the drying particularly in a little bit of sunshine helps with killing bacteria too (please for god sake don't tan them, teehehehe.... just a little vit d will help from the sun:)

I also got the discs called hydrogel discs from ?woolworths? they are pidgeon brand and they really help too.

Good luck and keep up the good work honey.

It does get better. I never had more than what you decribe but that toe curling feeling when u first let down def goes even if you don't get tougher nipples:)

Hate to say it, but my nipples needed toughening. They are very sensitive & even after 23 months of BFing I could still feel every feed & they were all slightly uncomfortable. Not real painful though. Well not always, but at the start it took weeks for me to be able to tolerate breast feeding & its the reason my girls were only fed for a few weeks. I didn't know you could do things like this to help.

The myth about "toughening" your nipples is a ridiculous old wives tale. All you'll do is damage your nipples, or make existing damage worse.

The best way to deal with nipple pain is to get help to make sure your attachment is correct, and then persevere, persevere, persevere. I certainly don't think Lansinoh or similar products will make your nipples "too soft" - I think the opposite is true, that keeping them moist and supple will help them deal with the pressure of breastfeeding.

FWIW, DW had terrible pain for the first six weeks BF DD1, moderate pain for the first few weeks BF DD2, and some minor pain for the first week BF DD3. It does get better, and it's worth the struggle.

I think different things work for different people, we all have slightly different chemical balances and properties to our skin, so saying that one product will do the same for everyone is a little silly I think - I personally found my nipples healed better and sooner once I stopped using the Lansinoh, and I can also vouch for the effectiveness of rubbing some breastmilk in at the end of the feed (so you get the fattier milk!)... It moistened them up a little but not for such an artificially long time or high level as the Lansinoh.

I really feel for you, it's awful in the early days when it's painful, I had terrible problems breastfeeding for the first 8 weeks, including toe-curling pain that made me cry at times, so I know how you're feeling! It does get better though, And then it feels so worth it, and I was so glad that I persevered once it did get better.

Lansinoh is great on cracked nipples and helps them to heal really quickly, but as it is designed to numb the pain a bit it will also numb bubs mouth - personally I would try to only use it for cracks etc. I would agree with what everyone else has been advising about letting a little breastmilk dry on the nipple the rest of the time.

Another thing to consider is nipple vasospasm - I'd never heard of it before being diagnosed by a lc (and then confirmed by gp and paediatrician) but aparently it's a lot more common than is ever diagnosed. Basically it's caused by poor circulation, and lack of blood flow to the nipple, it's in the same family as Raynauds disease/phenomenon and if you have it the nipple turns purple while feeding then white after, as the blood slowly returns. It can also make your nipples erect painfully in cold air (mine used to do it when I opened the fridge!).

If you think that could be the problem there is a drug that can be prescribed to treat it, but it causes terrible headaches as it works by controlling the constriction of the blood vessels. I managed to treat mine very successfully by using breast warmers (available from ABA) while it was bad, and taking fish oil and evening primrose oil. That, combined with slightly tweaking attachment worked a treat.

It can be very disheartening when you're trying to get it right, but do keep asking for help, once you've got it you've got it IYKWIM, and there's no looking back. I went to more breastfeeding classes than I can count and saw 2 private lc's but it all paid off in the end and I'm so happy that the tin of reassurance formula (which also helped me coz it made me relax to know it was there if all else failed) is still sitting in my cupboard 5 months on :)

Well done for getting this far and good luck for the rest of your bf journey.

*I meant to say sitting in my cupboard un-opened*