Hollie couldnt have latched on a few times, she fafs about more than anything. she just drops off and sucks the flipping end!!

I cracked my nipple and OMG it hurts, blood and all. Iv tried to bare it as much as I can but Im screaming in pain (iv got a high pain thresh-hold so saying something!) I cant do it anymore, been putting cream on... has helped but still so so so painful!!

If I were to rest that one, Id express... but then would I bottle feed it to her? (dont want it to waste, tight ass I am lol) but shes only a week old, so would it be ok to just do the odd bottle feed with the expressed? would it confuse her between bottle and breast now as shes still getting use to latching on??

thanks ladies if any advise as dont think I can have another night of pain when it comes to that boob

No it wouldn't confuse her, I had to do that with Harry sometimes as my c section scar got infected, so couldn't bf all the time sometimes OH had to feed him expressed milk, my sis did it with her little girl too. Sorry to her you're having a hard time of it hun, but it does get easier. Rest that one for a few days and express from it and see how you get on. Hope this helps xxx

heya you might be as well expressing from the sore side and freezing it until she is a bit better, that way hopefully you will keep your supply up and not waste the milk but reduce the risk of nipple confusion? eli started taking bottles at about 4 weeks and i think it did effect his latch for a while so i would leave it if i could do it again (although due to thrush i couldn't have!) and now his latch has recovered and is fine...

the other thing you can do - awful as it is, is everytime she is latched on badly take her off gently by breaking the seal with your pinkie and put her back on after repositioning her - it's horrible at the time but really really helps and they learn ever so quickly

if you aren't already using it, lansinoh is an absolute godsend for sore nipples, and if your whole boob is sore its worth getting checked for thrush in your boob and hollie's mouth - it's a nightmare but once everything is sorted out i bet you will be pleased you persevered

Yup yup - can bottle feed her it - or just freeze it, lasts about 3 months! We used TT closer to nature for one feed at about 3days old, then nuk (crap) in hospital at 4/5 days old - both while still BFing. "confusion" is used an awful lot and over-used to scare mums I think!

Tomorrow - get OH to get to boots and buy their own brand of nipple sheilds
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Nipple-Shields_334235/?CAWELAID=334508285&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Engines-_-Google%20Base-_---_-Boots%20Nipple%20Shields
They are amazing and were a God send for me.

Can post more about that if you want ^ or if you fancy a read I've posted a looooong one in Ask A Banda Mum, http://www.babiesandall.com/ask-a-banda-mum-f37/breastfeeding-t949.htm off to do bath & bed just now.

Get a warm flannel on your sore boob to relieve - and is it lansinoh you're using? You might want a green cabbage to soothe too (pop in bra / down top) as it may get a bit engorged (as expressing doesn't drain as much as feeding) but when you feel you can, try to feed from that side and swap when too sore. Hth and made some sense!!

thanks hun didnt want to express to thow away, dont want my (.)(.)s start producing more milk! they get full and heavy as it is now.

Im determined to do it though, loved bf lillie. remembered it hurting before but holly cow this is torture!!

Awww sweetheart, I havent got any advice as I havent been in your situation, but it is certainly something I wanted to know too, as I worry I will get sore, and wondered the same question if you could mix bottle and breast - plus I dont think that my OH giving the odd bottle would hurt either.

You are doing great xxx

ahh I nearly got nipply shields the other day and someone said they caused more trouble so I didnt.

no the pains just in the nipple. I started expressing with lillie about 4 weeks aswell and she was fine. had no problems, umm maybe il grin and bare it and dose up on paracetomol.
yeah iv been putting lansinoh on, has helped not hard... iv been rubing my milk on it aswell. just when shes sucking

I think I dosed off the 1st few days feeding her thats done it grrrrr

How does she latch on now? is it still just the nipple?? xx

haha nipply sheilds.... haha you know what I mean

laur I did both with Lillie from about 4 weeks she took to it no probs. was handy 1 could leave her to pop put to shop/ 5 mins to myself or just rob to have that time with her. #he wouldnt admit it but he enjoyed it.

Iv heard more people have more problems getting LO to take bottle after BF than having problems latching on. but im just worried its a bit early to try.

thanks ladies for your help!! x x

You know your baby best hun, just do what you feel is right for you both xxxxxx

GraceBean&Pip wrote:

Can post more about that if you want ^ or if you fancy a read I've posted a looooong one in Ask A Banda Mum, http://www.babiesandall.com/ask-a-banda-mum-f37/breastfeeding-t949.htm off to do bath & bed just now.

ooo thanks for that hun!! had a good read! sounds like you had a time of it!! ouchies x x

Quote :

ahh I nearly got nipply shields the other day and someone said they caused more trouble so I didnt.

haha nipply....i would say nipple shields caused us less hassle than bottles in the early weeks - they probably allowed me to carry on bf. from 4 weeks i mixed fed elijah til about 15 weeks then went back to solely bf, if you are feeling like giving up bf then surely its worth taking the risk of using a bottle or shield (or both!) rather than feel you need to give up

i feel your pain though i was in pain for the first 10 weeks of bf and it was absolutely awful - along with a sore foof and everything else from just having a baby, its something you dont need hahaha

See how you go. If you don't feed off that side it can be a quick downward spiral into engorgement and mastitis - nasty stuff.
Expressing helps, massage and warm water / bath / flannel helps, nipple sheilds can be amazing and helped me feed my sadly dehydrated newborn
And whether breastfeeding, mixed feeding, using sheilds, using a nipple pippet, bottle feeding with exBM or bottle feeding with formula you will always get different experiences and horror & sucess stories too - it's just playing it by ear and seeing what works best. Take care, you and your boobies

I didn't ever use nipple shields but my friend got on really well with them when she was sore in the first few weeks. I agree that introducing a bottle would be fine, actually probs a good idea (my second never had a bottle as we left it too late).

Hope your boobies feel better soon! x

Hi em, i experssed and bottle fed from a week as we had jason manford tickets BUT... she had had a dummy from day 2 as well so we knew that she wouldnt get 'nipple confusion'
we had had to use a dummy cos she was the same, just using the nipple to suckle on not actually feed.
Thats probably not much help sorry hun xxx

Aw Em, I remember those days very clearly and by god did my nipplys ( - I love that, I'm going to call them that from now on!!) hurt.

I really hope they feel better soon xx

Yeah Jo I'm comming close to using a dummy! Said I wouldn't start with her but I am sooo close!
Sooo many things I have forgotten about having a newborn!!
Getting out of the house this morn was a task & 1/2!! Lol

hi em, a huge congratulations btw
i think giving a bottle will be fine tbh hun, as someone said i personally think nipple/teat confusion is used as scare mongering a lot of the time, i read somewhere they cant get 'confused' as such anyway just may prefer one to the other but tbh iv never heard anyone say a baby prefers the bottle to breast more the other way round. oliver had 1 bottle a day from 4 days old due to soreness/bleeding and i didnt have any problems(did this up to 6 weeks then stopped for a while and onlky had trouble getting him back onto the bottle)

also nipple sheilds were a godsend to me too, i honestley dont think i could have carried on bf without them (well probibly would cos im too stubborn, but would have been a hell of a bad time lol)
ill be honest though, i used nipple sheilds for a good few months as i was still too sore without them, but i did have trouble getting him to latch back on properly when i stopped using them, so was a couple of days him 'learning' again!!
i was warned by my hv not to use them as they decrease your milk supply by 30% but it never effected my supply at all, he always gained plenty of weight when i used them. i used the medala ones. good luck and i hope your not to sore for much longer xx

Thanks girls well got my pump out & sterilised bottles so I'm going to try...
Just think I'm nearly in tears (well I am at nights ) I dint want to go anywhere with her incase need to feed her, ad I can't do it with out some cursing lol only ventured to my mums at the moment lol

I just Fred each feed already worrying about this next one. I should be enjoying being close to her feeding but I'm dreading it.
Thank you