Carmencita

My sister-in-law just had a baby and says that she is in excrusiating pain. Is it really that bad? Lately my nipples are very sensitive and a little painful. Will the baby make it much worse?

K_babybump

Hi, i have been breastfeeding my son for 15 months. While I was pregnant I thought I would be in a lot of pain as well as my nipples were very sensitive. I can honestly say it was not the case. it was the most beautiful feeling in the whole world. My friend breastfeed for 12 months and in the beginning she was in excrusiating pain as well. she said it felt like a 1000 needles going into her nipples. She got help from a nurse and she found that wearing nipple shields took all the pain away and successfully breasfeed her baby to 12 months. You might like to reccommend your sister in law to try using the nipple shields to see if the pain will go away. They are not expensive. It is worth a try for a few dollars.

You can buy them at the below link

http://www.amazon.com/s/?tag=kmontag...12&Submit.y=11

times4

On a couple of my children it was moderately painful; one of them, I was having problems getting him to latch on correctly. The other was just that I was unfamiliar with breastfeeding and trying to get him positioned right. The pain in my uterus was the worst though. On 2 of my children, when they nursed and the uterus contracted, it was a sharp pain like I was going to deliver again.

smiler

I always say that it's like learning to play the guitar. If your nipples are normally tender then they will have to harden up before the pain goes, just like tips of your fingers when you first press on the strings. It's worth the pain in the beginning though because once you've passed that point it feels wonderful!

Momof9

Everything they've said is true. The uterus contracts with the nursing; that's the worse. The nipples will hurt depending on how hard the baby sucks; how your treat your nipples after nursing and whether or not your baby latches on correctly. Get a good salve for your nipples and take the time to wash them after each nursing and rinse off the salve before nursing; don't let them get dry and flaky. Switch often if he sucks hard. Don't miss it. It doesn't hurt long enough to miss it.

Mom2JDS

MOST of the time, pain during nursing is due to one of two things:
poor latch
infection

To adjust a poor latch, you might want to contact an LLL (La Leche League) member, since they are usually well versed in the most common "poor latch" issues and how to fix them.

In case of infection, it will depend on which kind it is. Mastitis or plugged ducts are often best treated by extra nursing, even though it hurts. Yeast/thrush should be treated with gentian violet or a prescription anti-yeast, depending on whether you prefer homeopathic treatment or standard medical.

And, what someone said above is true - your first is likely to be a little painful at first simply because your breasts are not yet used to feeding a baby