29 days til due date!

[courtshel04]

Hello ladies! I have been lurking for awhile and wanted to finally get yalls advice. I have 29 days til my due date and I want so badly to successfully breastfeed this time. With DD 1 I breastfed til day 5 then started pumping and exclusively pumped for almost a year. I thankfully was able to freeze enough to last her until 19 months. The reason I quit breastfeeding on day 5 is because it was so painful and both my nipples were bleeding some and had scabs. It was awful. We later found she has a lip tie which I like to think is the reason it was so painful. I have been reading and researching alot to help me be more successful this time but I'd like to know any and all tips, tricks, or advice. Oh and just a little more info to help you better understand my situation... There will be a lactation consultant at the hospital I will deliver at but after I get discharged she doesn't do outpatient help. The other nearest lactation consultant is 2.5 hrs away and the nearest la leche league is 1.5 hrs away. Thanks for any and all help in advance.

[beckyrosen]

I had cracked and bleeding nipples too. What I did was supplement with formula or pump and give a bottle of BM to LO every other feeding for a few days. I also got a nipple shield to keep the friction off my nipple and I saw a LC to get help on proper latching.

It was really important to me to BF, and I had mommy guilt for giving a bottle and contemplating quitting breastfeeding. I was lucky to have a LC 5 minutes from my home, but even if the closest one was hours away I'm sure I would go because the LC really helped me to fix what was causing the nipple damage.

Good luck, hope everything goes well.

[Deleted]

Check your pediatricians office for any lactation consultants, lactation nurses, breastfeeding counselors, etc.
Do you have WIC office or health department. They often have breastfeeding peer counselors.

Get yourself all the help you can in the hospital. CAll the LC to your room as often as you can before you leave. Ask if they'd answer sny questions by phone txt or email after discharge sometimes they will kind of pot of the goodness if their hearts.

Keep on mind all the rules about how to get a deep
Latch. Esp laid back nursing. Watch videos online check dr newmans website
Use lanolin religiously. Or try a non lanolin creme. If you get sore warm water soaks speed healing Take pain
Meds and try to power thru and keep nursing. Check an ent and or pediatric dentist and see if they will Ck for tongue tie right away. Also talk to pediatrician About it.

Come here and we will help as much as we can.

[nursefrizz]

I used lanolin, but what really helped my cracked nipples heal was rubbing some breast milk on them after nursing and letting them air dry! Sounds weird, but it worked wonders in like a day & a half!

And...I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't feel like LCs are always necessary to fix BF problems. Don't get me wrong, I think they are incredible resources. But sometimes it's just not feasible to get to one. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have access to an LC, utilize her. If you don't, don't let that make you feel like you can't be successful with BF. There are a ton of online resources that you can check out. I know online stuff was extremely helpful for me in fixing our BF issues at the beginning. Of course, if you are having lots of problems that you just can't seem to resolve, it may be worth making the drive to see the LC.

Another thing that is very helpful is having supportive people around you. If it wouldn't have been for my husband being so pro-breastfeeding, I probably wouldn't have went much longer than 2 weeks.

[ellabee]

Jan 31, 2015 16:13:06 GMT -5 nursefrizz said:

I used lanolin, but what really helped my cracked nipples heal was rubbing some breast milk on them after nursing and letting them air dry

I did this too!

[casey]

PPs gave good advice about getting as much in-hospital support as possible, being proactive about any lip/tongue ties, and early days nipple care. Many LLL leaders will tak/support by phone. My hospital also invited me to call anytime and talk to nurse if LCs weren't available and I was feeling desperate. We'll be here to support you too.

[courtshel04]

Thanks so much ladies. I really appreciate all of the great advice. The hospital I will be delivering at does have a 24 hr lactation hotline available. I will be checking the local wic office also to see if they have any assistance with breastfeeding that may be helpful. Hopefully if they do they could help even if we don't receive wic assistance. Thankfully I do have a very supportive family. My husband is the greatest support I have but my mother and mother in law are also very supportive and encouraging. With DD#1 I used breast milk on my nipples and lanolin also but didn't seem to help much. I will try it again this time though. Thanks again!

[spacedew]

I had the same problem with cracked bleeding nipples for weeks. What helped me the most was LC, gel pads (placed in the freezer before applying after nursing), and a shield (1-2 months). The LC also recommended applying frozen wet cotton balls before nursing. It helped to numb the nipple for the initial latch. Hope everything works out for you this time around!

[emilillies]

I think pp's stated most everything that I would have. One thing I did was watch videos on BFing before baby even arrived. It was helpful for me to see other woman doing it and to see how they hold baby or latch baby.
The other thing that I believe was important for me was a sturdy breastfeeding pillow. I have a Boppy with a belt and I still use it every time I bf at home with my -almost- 6 month old. Positioning has proven to be hugely important for my success. It's easier for me not to have to "wrestle" with baby while trying to latch.
My hospital maternity ward's nurses were all trained about BFing and I was allowed to call them any time day or night, so see if that's an option too. Even though they weren't LC, they still had great advice and some were mothers themselves and were very sweet.

[emilillies]

Also, find a "hold" that works for you. I nursed in football hold for the first few weeks and eventually transitioned to cradle. Foot ball hold may be easier if you have large breasts. It also was easier to see what I was doing while I was learning. Good luck to you!!!

[courtshel04]

Thanks ladies! Will start watching some breastfeeding videos and thanks for the great advice.

[gw3nny]

Jan 31, 2015 22:55:03 GMT -5 courtshel04 said:

Thanks so much ladies. I really appreciate all of the great advice. The hospital I will be delivering at does have a 24 hr lactation hotline available. I will be checking the local wic office also to see if they have any assistance with breastfeeding that may be helpful. Hopefully if they do they could help even if we don't receive wic assistance. Thankfully I do have a very supportive family. My husband is the greatest support I have but my mother and mother in law are also very supportive and encouraging. With DD#1 I used breast milk on my nipples and lanolin also but didn't seem to help much. I will try it again this time though. Thanks again!

My Health Department has a breastfeeding class (actually called "infant nutrition") that is required for WIC but free and open to anyone in the public. The teachers are all great and super committed. They give you their cell phone number and will take calls any time and even make home visits! Mine does it all for free regardless of income. But our local and regional bf rates are crappy and so these ladies are committed to improving the numbers. Maybe yours will have some of those benefits as well!

[courtshel04]

Wow! That would be awesome if my town offered that also. I will definitely call and check. That's great!

[SpinsOffResonance]

Lots of great advice here. While you're still at the hospital have the nurses or LC check your latch throughout the day. Even if you think you have a good latch. Call them in when you're about to nurse and ask for their advice. Every time there's a shift change and you meet a different nurse, ask for her advice. They are amazing.
What helped me to relieve pain the first few days was alternating how I held the baby. So one feeding I would do football hold, next feeding do cross craddle, etc. Frozen hydrogels were awesome.

[beckyrosen]

Feb 2, 2015 1:28:28 GMT -5 SpinsOffResonance said:

Lots of great advice here. While you're still at the hospital have the nurses or LC check your latch throughout the day. Even if you think you have a good latch. Call them in when you're about to nurse and ask for their advice. Every time there's a shift change and you meet a different nurse, ask for her advice. They are amazing.
What helped me to relieve pain the first few days was alternating how I held the baby. So one feeding I would do football hold, next feeding do cross craddle, etc. Frozen hydrogels were awesome.

This is great advice. I wish I had the LC check my latch more at the hospital. I probably wouldn't have had such sore, cracked, and bleeding nipples days after coming home if I had. I thought all was well and I thought the soreness was normal, but I was wrong.

[judyblume14]

Does your hospital have a "new moms group" or something like it? The hospital where I delivered had a group called Mommy Matters for new moms. It's like a support group, where moms of babies up to 12 weeks (and beyond!) got together once a week for a few hours. I didn't have the same challenges you had, but did struggle with breastfeeding in the beginning because of the frequency at which I had to feed my LO and her difficulty gaining weight.

Anyway - every week several moms had breastfeeding questions and everyone was able to offers tips and tricks. It was like this board, but in real like. It was a lifesaver for me!

[courtshel04]

No unfortunately our hospital doesn't have any mommy groups like that. Still trying to look into the other things yall suggested. Thanks!