Not even sure what to put as the title, but its to do with bf..

okies, so hubby and i have both made the decision that i am going to try to breast this baby, soooo i have a question, and i feel a bit :redface: asking this, but...

Hubby is a booby man, and has accepted that when baby comes he will have to give them up for a while, but at the moment he is going all out, and the nipples are starting to hurt, which got me thinking....

If they hurt now while he is playing with them, and im feeling like i dont want him to touch them anymore, how am i going to cope with a baby, im assuming its going to get painful for a while till i get used to it.

Im a bit worried that i wont be able to put up with the pain.
what do u suggest?

There is a good chance that it will hurt while you're getting your attachment sorted and if you get a grazed nipple it is eye-watering, toe clenching agony.
When my milk came in my boobs were like a pair of rock hard, swollen grapefruits - ouch!

That thing where the midwife grabs your boob in one hand and the babies head with the other and attaches them - don't let them do it. It's fast and easy for them but it doesn't help you learn how to attach correctly yourself. Make them teach you with verbal directions and get your DH to watch so that he can help you out with the same directions at home if needed. Try to make sure you're confident with attachment before you go home.

Panadol is a pretty effective painkiller so if things get painful you can use it but it's only a temporary measure.

I haven't 'successfully' BF my DS, but have been doing LOADS of research before the next bub comes along, so here's my 2 cents..
Breastfeeding shouldn't hurt your nipples at all - if bubs is correctly latched, it should be pain-free. The baby isn't sucking directly on your nipple, more your areola. So ask for heaps of help straight after, or even before, the birth so you can get it right.
Also, the sucking action of a baby and an adult are different.
Sunlight and breastmilk have great healing properties, so allow to air-dry between feeds with a little expressed milk rubbed on.
HTH :)

i want the "yeah that" dude back!

i won't say you won't feel pain - because you MAY - but you might not either! i went with the guided "do this do that" stuff they told me in hospital - attachment looked great but felt wrong - went home and went with baby led attachment for a couple of days - and the attachment was awesome and the pain was gone!

your nipples are very sensitive, and it's a very unusual sensation at first - but you tend to be staring at this amazing little creature and the mummy love makes it all worth it... well it did for me!

Thankyou for the replies, i know i need to do a bit more research, hence why im comming to real women and not google atm, im a bit scared to be honest.
My nipples are very sensative, and a big part of my sex life, and i just want to succeed at this, i feel like i dont want hubby to play with them any more, make him get used to the fact they will be outta bounds.

which brings me to my next question, when ur boobs are a big part of ur sex life, how does ur partner deal with the fact they cant touch, or do u still let them?

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Thankyou for the replies, i know i need to do a bit more research, hence why im comming to real women and not google atm, im a bit scared to be honest.
My nipples are very sensative, and a big part of my sex life, and i just want to succeed at this, i feel like i dont want hubby to play with them any more, make him get used to the fact they will be outta bounds.

which brings me to my next question, when ur boobs are a big part of ur sex life, how does ur partner deal with the fact they cant touch, or do u still let them?

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While I was getting used to bfing they were out if bounds but now theyre fair game as far as both of us are concerned :)

They don't stay sensitive and sore for long, I promise you that!

I think is important to remember your nipples will change between now and when bub comes. I am still breastfeeding dd and at 24 weeks my nipples were WAY more tender then they are now. I have also found my nipples more sensitive sexually the further I have gone in preg, so I wouldn't put an 'out of bounds' sign up just yet!

Also, breast play a great role in your sex life even when breastfeeding. My milk would often let down during sex, and it became just another element of our new sex life post baby (and there is fun to be had with that too).

Are you a member of the breastfeeding association? Check out their website for great fact sheets and education classes. It's wonderful you're thinking about breastfeeding already!!!!

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While I was getting used to bfing they were out if bounds but now theyre fair game as far as both of us are concerned :)

They don't stay sensitive and sore for long, I promise you that!

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Again with the yeah that!! he gets some milk if I'm over full but if it's good enough for miss E it's good enough for her daddy lol

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Are you a member of the breastfeeding association? Check out their website for great fact sheets and education classes. It's wonderful you're thinking about breastfeeding already!!!!

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Not a member, but i have them as a page on face book

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Again with the yeah that!! he gets some milk if I'm over full but if it's good enough for miss E it's good enough for her daddy lol

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LOL, sorry i laughed out loud, im sure my hubby wouldnt mind lol

I agree with all the other posters. They'll be sensitive when bubs is born and until you get the latching sorted out you'll probably have some grazing which can be quite breath-catching (just remember to breathe!) so if you do experience this try the panadol and really try to get the attachment right. It can be really frustrating and overwhelming when you have a hungry baby screaming at you but once it's right, then both of you will be happy. I found my nipples were super sensitive for the first couple of months until my supply settled down. I only told DH to keep away if he was touching them the wrong way LOL

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Again with the yeah that!! he gets some milk if I'm over full but if it's good enough for miss E it's good enough for her daddy lol

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My milk freaks DH out. He won't even touch it. I got him good the other night tho, hand expressed til let down and got a good stream happening, pinned him down and hit him smack in the face. Ha!

Baby led attachment works really well, so do some research on that and watch some videos on you tube. That helped me heaps. Also use panadol if need be, it really takes the edge off when your nipples are at their worst.

I'm a boob girl - more so than DH :lol: !!! My girls were sensitive during my PG and I didn't want DH near them - he was a good DH and kept his distance! Once DD arrived my boobs were still off limits, until she was almost one TBH, when she weaned!! Everyone is different but my boobs just weren't the same at all while PG and BF. About a month after DD weaned, everything returned to normal....and boy was I relieved!!! :lol:

As for hurting, my boobs hurt a lot until about 12 weeks. I went through a lot with BF though and experienced pretty much every issue except mastitis so it's no wonder they hurt. My best advice is to see a good LC as soon as you can after the birth of your LO.

Try not to stress but be prepared for some possible tough moments :hug: Good luck

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My milk freaks DH out. He won't even touch it. I got him good the other night tho, hand expressed til let down and got a good stream happening, pinned him down and hit him smack in the face. Ha!

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hahahaha i may or may not have done similar more than once in the past 21 months...

I haven't read all the replies, so sorry if this has been said!

Ok, don't forget when you are UTD your breasts change & your nipples get more sensitive than they would normally be. This probably isn't helping you guys right now!

There are people who can breast feed from day one with no pain, no trouble at all.

Then there are the rest of us :lol:

For me & most of my friends (but not all!) those first few weeks your nipples do get tender. But its handleable (yeah, i know).
Cracked & grazed nipples are when you will really feel pain. Toe curling, tears in eyes, brace yourself pain. If this happens you can use breast sheilds while waiting for the cracks to heal. It'll only take around 2 days to completely heal & using sheilds for only that long at a time won't hurt.

If you have cracks, you usually need to work on attatchment. Your bubba should have the areola in the mouth. Not just the nipple. & quite alot of it.
They should have their tongue out & over their bottom lip, with the lip curled down. (I know you can read this everywhere)

It can take hard work. You've not attepmted it at all before?

For me. None of my kids would've been breast fed past a few weeks if I wasn't stubborn, persistant.
I was never offered any help with my girls. I asked with DD1, but was just told 'all looks fine' :rolleyes: That was it.
I quit with her & DD2 at 6 & 4 weeks & it played on my mind for years.

When DS came along I fought. I broke down at 6 weeks after having him on formula for 3 days & my health nurse thought to ring a lactation consultant.
That was our turn around. 23 months later I weaned him after finding out I was pg with DD3.

This time around I had the LC already lined up. It took 10 weeks do get through the issues this time (mouth shape issue here, DD3 was a smaller baby, so it took longer), but with help & support from my CHN & LC I got through it.
For the first time a bottle wasn't suggested to me at all. Which told me they weren't gonna give up on me!

Now everything is great :D

I'd get in touch with a LC now. Get your boobs a little bit of sun (don't burn!) & when there is leakage, make sure your nipples are dry before you put them away. You can get cracks & thrush just from them sitting in moisture all the time.



have faith in yoursel & bring out your stubborn side ;)

My dh is a booby man through and through!!! He was SO excited when my milk came in because they grew like 2 sizes!!! But he wasn't allowed to touch them cause they hurt me!

Now its not so bad, I've just gotten over nipple thrush so he wasn't allowed to touch then... While DTD i get a let down and so Dh gets covered in milk, he doesn't mind and still will suck my nipples even though he knows he will get milk,

Some men just love their boobies! Just remind him to be gentle!!!!

My dh is a sook!
He can handle sheep milk over breast milk!

Definitely go for the breastfeeding class, book in soon - if you go to the one in the inner eastern suburbs, they show you a great dvd that includes baby led attachment, so I definitely recommend it.

As for the good times, my DH is a bit freaked out by the milk too, and wouldn't touch them at first. So we usually DTD when they are empty. We didn't start back up until 7 or so weeks after the birth, so my supply was well settled by then, and that bursting full feeling wasn't as intense, so there was really no tenderness.

Good luck. It's a great decision.

Onyx said it just right but I want to add..

Dh can still play with your boobie lol.. I found by the time I was ready to DTD again my boobies had settled down and um i really enjoyed the attention DH gave them :lol:

I have heard during pg your nipples are extra sensitive so maybe get him to lay off them a bit :)

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Again with the yeah that!! he gets some milk if I'm over full but if it's good enough for miss E it's good enough for her daddy lol

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Brahahahaha!!! Love it!! DH calls them weapons - they will spontaneously shoot at unexpected moments..... it's just one of the hazards I guess!

Our gorgeous little booby man likes to stare his father down while he's having a feed - I'm sure he saying "ha!! they're all mine!". DH stares back and says, not forever buddy!!

Back to the initial question - yep, it does hurt for a bit and then it goes away but then it comes back when they start to teeth. I read somewhere it's something to do with the saliva and that if you rinse your nipples after a feed it is less irritating for them... haven't done this yet so I can't comment.

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Thankyou for the replies, i know i need to do a bit more research, hence why im comming to real women and not google atm, im a bit scared to be honest.
My nipples are very sensative, and a big part of my sex life, and i just want to succeed at this, i feel like i dont want hubby to play with them any more, make him get used to the fact they will be outta bounds.

which brings me to my next question, when ur boobs are a big part of ur sex life, how does ur partner deal with the fact they cant touch, or do u still let them?

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Let him wear goggles......hehehehe! (sorry, poor attempt at humour!)

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Back to the initial question - yep, it does hurt for a bit and then it goes away but then it comes back when they start to teeth. I read somewhere it's something to do with the saliva and that if you rinse your nipples after a feed it is less irritating for them... haven't done this yet so I can't comment.

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I never had a problem when DS was teething. Only thing that got me was the occasional bite, so don't have it in there after they finish feeding, OR when they are in the middle of a tantrum!! :lol:

Mine are very sensitive too an DH is a big boobie man. Hahah just as well cause his Mrs has big boobies!!:lol:

During pregnancy they were growing and changing so much that mine were sore too so DH knew he had to take it easy or lose em. During establishing feeding if he came near me he would have lost an arm! These puppies were huge, sore and so not his.
Now however he knows that he runs the risk of a let down when things are getting exciting :bd: and it doesnt worry him at all.
TBH though my nipples dont feel the same as they used to and I hope its just the feeding thing. Once she weans, fingers crossed they go back to how they used to be.