Congratulations and keep going :). I used nipple cream after each feed, and was told to put it on both sides even if I have only fed on one. By baby was/is also good at latching but still try to make sure you have as much of the area around the nipple in the babies month, and finally and it may sound stupid but make sure the baby is in line with the direction of the nipple. As my baby was so good at latching on quite often at the bigining I was holding her to much to one side. The way to check this, is to check the shape of the nipple after the feed. If it is raised one side more that the other then you may need to adjust the position slightly. It really does get easier, my baby is now 4 months old and I have to remind myself that it did hurt to begin with. Also if you even feel like it hurts too much and you just can not face it, do as I found it was never as painful and I have built it up to be in my head. Good luck :)
Stovetop, have you got some Lansinoh cream...anything with pure lanolin...Medela do one that's widely available here.
With DS 1 I tried the nipple shields but wished I hadn't as he then refused to suck after itried removing them. Wasn't all that bad, but having to carry them round and sterelize them was an extra chore and it made BF in public more tricky.
With DS 2 I used to count to 10 and breath every time he latched. It was damn painful, but after 3 weeks it was totally fine.
Put Lansinoh cream on before you hop in the shower, I found the water dried the nipples out more and caused more burning. Try airing then as often as possible.
The first 2 weeks are the toughest...and you're nearly halfway through it. So keep going Hun, you're doing great. Soon it'll be a piece of cake ;-)
if you are concerned baby is not latching properly, maybe seek the help of a lactation consultant.
All the best and congrats one again.
Hi stovetop. I went through the same thing. My baby girl is 12 days old today and bf is going well. I will say that the first 7 days of bf are the hardest and most painful (well for me it was) my nipples were cracked so I used lansinoh after each feeding. I was also engorged badly. So I would do hot compresses with wash cloth, hot showers, and also applied cold packs with ice after feedings to reduce swelling. It's ok to take panadol as well. You will see that once your milk comes in fully it will get better. Just make sure she latches properly. I hope this helps. Hugs going out to you and your LO.
it's definitely worth trying the nipple sheilds (however, only short term as they can affect supply) until you're nipples are less painful. Also - make sure you have a good nipple cream (like lansinoh) and try airing your breasts as much as possible. Also try rubbing a little breastmilk onto the nipple after a feed (it's a great healer!). It will settle and this is normal - they're ultra tender little things!
Congratulations on Little Stovetop! I also had similar issues and found that the nipple shields worked great. I was told many times that if the baby was properly latched, it shouldn't hurt, but it always did and the nipple shields got me through. Also remember to use a nipple cream (such as Lansinoh) to soothe and protect.
<em>edited by Tartiflette on 17/03/2011</em>
i used the pigeon nipple sheild for a week and it was less painful for me.
I know it hurts like crazy!
It gets better in a couple of weeks.. really!
congrats btw! :)