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Hi ladies,
I just thought I'd ask... If anyone has any tips on preparing nipples for breastfeeding, I was told to toughen em' up... but how?
I tried with DD, but nipples just broke & blistered & bled & bled & I hated it, the pain was horrifuc, but I'd really like to be able to do it with this one.
I have been told to toughen em', but wanted to know if anyone else had idea's or thoughts/tips!??
Thanks!
You could start putting on lansolin on them, apparently this is meant to help. I didn't realise until after I bought the cream after my nipples cracked!
Years ago they used to tell you to toughen up your nipples by rubbing them with a face washer in the shower. Not sure that they actually recommend you doing that anymore. Maybe only using some Lansinol like Nell suggested.
I went through the whole cracked, split, bleeding and horrific pain too but if you persever it all goes away soon enough then you can start to enjoy breastfeeding.
Take care
Trish
OH GOD NO!
Some women find that rolling their nipple gently between their thumb and finger can be of some help but really, stay away from rubbing them with a face washer or any other rough items on your nipples, avoid using soaps or anything that will dry out your skin as well. I have heard that METHO was once recomended as well!! Its amazing what people think is good for our body!
The best thing I can suggest is to get some help in the easly days with posistioning and attaching your baby at the breast. This is the major cause of the problems you say you had with your first not nipples that need to be toughened up. The other thing would be to get a copy of the ABA booklet "An Introduction to Breastfeeding" and " Breast and nipple care". These are about $5.50 each and available on the mothersdirect.com.au site.
Good Luck.
Thanks,
I will look it up & have a browse on the site...
I was told to sit with nipples in the sun & also to wear those exfoliating gloves in shower & scrub nipples, but all it did was hurt!?
OH Gees! Ouch on the gloves!!
The sun is one I have heard of before as well, But be sun smart about it, its not meant to be a suntan just a few minutes here and there. But like i said positioning and attachment is the key to a pain free start to breastfeeding.
I am definately planning on sitting in on the Breast feeding classes once bubs is born that the Angliss run... etc.
As we go to Bali in Nove when bubs is about 8-10 wks I'd prefer to be breast feedinbg & have it working than using bottles like I did with DD!
Thanks!
i got extremely sore and cracked nipples coutesy of the darling miss lani - terrible at attachment etc etc she is nearly 8mths old and when she has a bottle she doesn't open her mouth wide for that.
anyway my midwife asked me if i "prepared" my nipples i said nup didn't know i had to lmao (lani was my 3rd you think i would have known lol) but as nell and a few others have said lanisoh is great to use before and after.
good luck
:-k Well DH will LOVE that, Thanks, he always wants to play & pluck at them etc, I always make him stop, coz I don't want him doing that once they are babies food!
But maybe I should let him pluck/pull them more!
Thanks heaps, I will do both, I just really hated breast feeding last time due to the pain but was disappointed in myself for not being able to do it, I really want to so wanna prepare as best I can for it!
Tracey, I agree with Fiona. The best preparation you can do is actually work with the midwifes when you have the baby.
I had a great midwife who was REALLY strict for the first feed when I was in recovery. I couldn't hold Jenna, so she was doing it for me, and kept pulling her off and making her do it again. Everytime Jenna got on she was having this little dimple appear at the corner of her mouth, and Andy said that was bad attachment. I swear she tried about 30 times to attach her on each side. That made me realise how important attachment is!!
When I was in hospital, they had a feeding room where all the motehrs prepared the formula and where the expressing happened. They had big comfy chairs, so everytime I had to feed, I would go in there, rather than being confined to my bed, which was really uncomfy to feed in. Also meant that I had privacy from visitors for feeding.
Even now I say to Jenna - big wide mouth when she latches on, and always make sure her tongue is dropped before I let her on. The worst thing is engorgement - after you milk comes in make sure you express so your nipple is really, really soft before she attaches. The rest of your boob can be rock hard, but make sure the nipple is soft and big if that makes sense?
I got a cracked nipple about 2 weeks ago, and its still healing. I swear it is the most painful thing!!!! I think it was damaged during a night feed when I didn't express enough, and she attached badly, and she has a fierce suck.
Hope it all works for you - bfding is SOOOOOO much more convenient than bottles, specially whe travelling. Goodluck
Fi
I have to agree with what has already been said, ATTACHMENT and & position (sounds like real estate doesn't it?)
I had nipple trauma for the first 3 days, I made sure the midwives helped me every feed, and still I had pain, finally the trick that worked was seeing a video with the lactation consultant, and I saw that you had to point the nipple towards the babies nose in order to get it in, (won't make sense until you are there with baby) anyhow somehow I got it, how to do it and from then on it was much better.
My advice buy a tube of lanisol (oure lanolin) because I am not sure anyone doesn't have a bit of nipple trauma at some point, and rub in in now, stretch out your nipples, practice a little bit of hand expressing with your colostrum if you have some now..just hand them regularly, sounds full on, but soon they will be handled alot more than you can possibly do now!
Best of luck and wonderful news that you will be trying second time around!! It really is easy after a couple of weeks settling in..just perservere and it will be worth it!
I had little blisters with Evan. It took 7, yes 7! different midwifes before one agreed with me that it wasn't because I had sensitive skin. I kept being told that "yep, red hair, pale skin, happens everytime!" I could sit my hands in bleach all day with out a problem, I don't have sensitive skin. What I do have though is a long body and Evan simply was sitting to low which was causing him to pull on my nipple during the feed. You could tell as the blisters ran in a perfect line across my nipple. The trick for me was to have 2 pillows under evan to help keep him at the right hight.
A good rule to remember is Chest to chest and chin to breast.
Your baby should by lying on his side with is chest towards your chest with his arm either tucked down along his body or wraped around your waist. His chin should be touching your breast. If his nose is too scruched up against your breast, try tucking his legs in closer to your body and his nose should naturally move away a bit. Lips should be flicked out a little, imagine the "special K' K this is a good picture of what I mean by having his lips flicked (or flared) out. And most importantly IT SHOULD NOT HURT! if it does, gently break the seal by placing a clean finger in the corner of his mouth, take him off and try again. Avoid a really hungry baby as he will rush to attach and get fustrated while he is still learning. Always try to feed your baby before he gets to distressed. Don't restrict his feeds, allow him to feed when ever and for how ever long his likes, none of this feeding by the clock. Especially in the very first few days as this will help with your milk coming in and also help ease any engorgement.
Hope this has helped some :)
I stretched & tugged at them in the shower last night & then noticed the colostrum already coming out so after shower rubbed it in a little & let it dry there before getting my t-shirt & trackies on... I will get some lanilon this week in groceries....
I noticed my left nipple actually really comes out, but right one does on one side & is kind of partially inverted on the other & it took a fair bit of working it to get it out even a little bit, but I am already mentally prepared to sit with midwives until I have it working, this time... last time I thought it was too embarassing & they just believed I had it working for me... Until I got home & it just got so painful, I weas always crying!!! I am going in this time to persevere....
Thanks heaps!
Thats great to hear!, Your nipples should come out during pregnancy if they are flat or inverted, some do some don't but yep lots of work with midwives, while breastfeeding is natural it still needs to be learnt form both mother and baby.
Thanks your all so helpful & lovely...
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart & if I get attachment issues I will get you all to come over & play with my nipples & baby til it's on right!
lmao! That sounds like a plan!