Breastfeeding prep

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I was gutted when I began breastfeeding my daughter only to find out I had rather flat and unstretchy nipples. As a result of this, plus poor guidance from my midwife, my nipples became badly cracked, and breastfeeding was a constant torture. I managed just 4 weeks before coming to the end of my tether. Does anyone know if I can do anything to improve the situation with my second? I have been looking at devices to draw the nipple out further. Has anyone used any that have worked? I'm also planning on getting a lactation consultant asap after the birth. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated! Cheers, Rachael

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Rachael P

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Monday, April 27, 2009 8:25 PM

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• Tuesday, April 28, 2009 11:16 AM

  Thanks ladies, that's all really helpful advice. I think I will ask my MW tomorrow about seeing a lactation consultant before the birth. I also remember having rescue remedy on hand with every BF helped a bit with the stress last time. I am hoping that since I now know the difference between breast and nipple feeding it might be a bit easier to know when it's going wrong this time! Last time, my midwife just kept saying pain at the start is normal. I now know it's not really. I think I will look into nipplettes

  Rachael P

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• Tuesday, April 28, 2009 10:13 AM

  Could always get your man to "draw them out" haha sorry to be un-PC but could work?? hehe. I think mine are a bit on the small side (not inverted) & possibly why i also had alot of trouble but being second time around( 13wks preg) they do seem to stick out a bit more than they did before i had #1 - maybe the 8wks of breastfeeding (well,,, trying to) made the grow - who knows?
  I will probably try the niplette thing, have heard alot of positive feedback about them. Will see what MW thinks, appointment got cancelled coz she had a birth on but will ask her next week.
  & yeah alot of it is the latching & doesnt matter how many funny positions they put you in - if you arnt comfortable it will be much harder so take advice but also remember YOU have to be comfortable - no wonder i had NO let down ever, was so uptight & stressed out from everyone giving me such different advice that i was ready to flip my lid!
  Just try to relax ....... easier said than done sometimes though

  Miss*Behaving

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• Tuesday, April 28, 2009 9:54 AM

  cool thanks for that pxboo - fingers crossed mine are ok haha ill have a chat to my mw next time too - i cant get into anti natal classes so she is going to go over EVERYTHING for me including BF yay!

  J83

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• Tuesday, April 28, 2009 8:28 AM

  buninmyoven - inverted nips are fairly obvious; they don't 'poke out'. But having inverted nips doesn't mean no bfing, you just need a bit of help if that's the case. Also some women with inverted nips find they naturally stick out from late in their pregnancy as their bodies prepare for breastfeeding.
  
  Short nips - i have no idea how you'd know. I mean, it's not like all us ladies sit around comparing nips LOL! The LC told me I was a little on the short side, otherwise I wouldn't have guessed. The only thing I can think of is that when I was reading bfing stuff while pregnant, I often thought the women in the pictures had really long nips!

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• Tuesday, April 28, 2009 8:12 AM

  Ive successfully bf my two for over 12mth each with flat/inverted nips. With my first I used a nipple shield on my left boob and then weaned ds off that around 8-10wks. I still had cracked, bleeding nipples for at least 6wks. But they got better as my ds and I learnt how to bf. My 2nd was much easier because I knew how to bf. He would still struggle on my left boob(the flatest and inverted of my boobs), but he soon got the hang of it and we were away. Please remember that you do not nipple feed, you breastfeed. The latch is soooo important and I agree with talking to a lactation consultant now, before bubs is due, to give you some confidence and knowledge.

  Sorrel

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• Monday, April 27, 2009 9:48 PM

  silly question but how do you know if you have inverted nips or short nip! OR the perfect pair LOL

  J83

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• Monday, April 27, 2009 9:36 PM

  HEY CHERRYMA, sorry my caps key is stick< so make this short< i would get a lactation consultant efore us is here,
  try and find some mum4mum supporters in your area, im on the westcoast, so likely no help lol, ut i would recommend Seeing someone efore and in person

  Vadim"n"Zighsmummy

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• Monday, April 27, 2009 9:35 PM

  Also, take on all the advice you get. A lot of advice won't apply to you, but you can pick up lots of little tricks from talking to other mums and MWs etc - for example different ways to get the best positioning, tips to help you relax when you're getting stressed over a feed etc
  
  I really hope it goes well for you this time. Reading your post brought back a few memories for me, except that I was lucky enough to get the support and advice I needed. It still took me a good 4-5 months before I was really comfortable with every feed, but now (8 months), bfing is the ultimate multi-tool in my 'mummy toolbox' - soothes any pains, settles grumpies and overtiredness, quietens squealing, allows me sit-down time, not to mention the whole nutrition thing.
  
  Right, end of essay now... :-) Good luck!

  pxboo

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• Monday, April 27, 2009 9:33 PM

  I would also see if you're able to see a LC now, even just for a 5 min chat, and get some advice about which bfing gadgets would be worth having in your hosp bag. And definitely see a LC asap after the birth - I never booked in to see one until DS was 9 weeks, and by then we'd developed a few bad habits which were making for some very painful feeds!

  pxboo

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• Monday, April 27, 2009 9:15 PM

  One of the MWs at the birthing centre made me a 'nipple extracter'. Take a plastic syringe and hack off the end with the pointy bit. Then put the plunger in the syringe from the hacked off end so that you can put it over your nipple and pull back the plunger to draw out your nipple prior to a feed.
  I would also look at the nipplette thingie above if you've got the $$ for it, and if you get one then have a play with it beforehand to get the hang of it.
  Also - really important - for shortish nipples you need to get the latch 100% correct every time. When bfing, your baby draws your nip right back into their mouth, past the hard palate so that they 'milk' your nip against the soft palate at the back of their mouth. If they can't draw your nip back far enough, then it will be sucked up against the hard palate, which hurts (a lot!) and can damage your nip.

  pxboo

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