Some amount of tenderness at first is normal, but if the baby is held in the correct position, nipples should never blister, crack or bleed. If your nipples do get sore, you should do the following:
*Change positions at every feeding. This puts the pressure of the baby's gums on a different spot each time. (Cradle hold, lying down and football hold.)
*Nurse more often, but for shorter lengths of time. If you go longer between feedings, the baby will be hungrier and nurse too hard and make your breasts even more sore.
*Rub breast milk on the nipple after each feeding and let dry. It actually helps heal them.
*Don't use soap or alcohol on the nipples.
*If the pain is severe, take a mild painkiller about 30 minutes before nursing.
If your nipples are CRACKED OR BLEEDING, rub a small amount of medical grade modified lanolin (made specifically for breastfeeding mothers) on the nipples. This treatment, called "moist wound healing," will relieve pain, and provide a moisture barrier that will slow the evaporation of moisture that is present in the skin. It will allow the wound to heal much faster without forming a scab. Pure lanolin does not have to be removed before the baby nurses.
"Nursing to me is painful (baby bites down and sucks hard in any position), inconvenient when we are out and busy, and is not a bonding experience for me. My husband also feels helpless when our son is crying because he is hungry and I am the only one that can help him. I want to switch to bottles. How often do I need to pump per day?"
My heart goes out to you. I had such a bad experience with my first daughter that I actually said I would never try breastfeeding again. My two daughters are 15 years apart though, and time has a way of dulling memories, so I decided to give it another try. Pain again!
This time I got help, and after I found out that breastfeeding could be pain-free, I began to enjoy it. As time went by, I began to love it, and as you can see now, I decided to change professions!
There is nothing in the world more wonderful than breastfeeding your baby--but it will never be understood when you are in pain. Feeding time with your baby should be happy and fun, so of course yours hasn't been a bonding experience! I understand your decision to change to bottle feeding, but would encourage you before you do to try to find help. Breastfeeding is meant to feel good! If breastfeeding hurts, it's WRONG.
It could be simply a positioning problem-- something that a lactation consultant could help you with very quickly. It could also be a yeast problem (very likely) which causes exquisite pain. It could be a suck problem. But regardless of what is causing the pain, there is help available. La Leche League can also be a great help to you. It was there that I learned how to breastfeed my baby when I was out and about and later even to discretely nurse in public. (No bottles to fool with).
As to your husband feeling helpless, he can certainly give your baby a bottle. It is only during the early weeks that women should avoid bottles because of nipple confusion. Once a baby is a month old, he should be able to go back and forth from one to the other.
If you are sure that you don't want to seek further help with breastfeeding, and you want to change to pumping bottles, my first advice to you is to get a good hospital-grade breast pump with double pumping. Double pumping has been shown to actually help increase supply, in addition to cutting your pumping time in half. You will need to pump on a similar schedule to what your baby has been doing--approximately every 3 hours during the day, and at least once at night. As your baby grows and you need more milk, you can increase frequency for several days (every 2 hours while you are awake) to help increase your supply. Double pumping only takes 10-15 minutes total.
Cher Sealy, RN, BSN, IBCLC, LLLL
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