So, we have a healthy breastfeeding baby...And a mom with very sore, bruised nipples....Ouchies... She breastfed a marathon 7 hours after birth, took a two hour break, and then went back for more. She self-burps. How awesome! BUT....I have previously inverted nipples, and with this being my first child AND with the marathon feeding sessions, my nipples are just terrorized. I called LLL and the leader said she sounded hyper tonus. She held her head up before she was even 24 hours old and holds herself very tensely most of the time. So, I followed all the advice the LLL leader gave, and it's seemed to help. But what would you mommies recommend for a strong-sucking, strong muscle tone baby and a sensitive-nippled worried momma?
my biggest concern for the sore nipples would be making sure that you've got a good latch. if you've got a good latch and are still having problems, it might be a good idea to get some expert help. you had a really long labour, right? maybe there's something that can be done to help ease baby's transition into this world~sounds like she's really tense. i'm thinking about craniosacral therapy or a chiro treatment or something like that. i bet you're already doing baby massage and lots of skin on skin contact, mellow energy environment and all of those kinds of things. ps, congrats! and happy babymoon.
nimh has awesome advice. in my experiance newborns are tense creatures. just do your best to get on her levle and make her comfy.
I strongly secong getting some cranio=sacral. You had a long labour, she sucks her hands, and she was most likely sucking her hands while you were in labour making her come down crooked making your labour so long. When babies are asynclitic during labour, their little head bones get displaced (which is what they're supposed to do in orger to get out) but it can cause a lot of discomfort for baby. Cranio-sacral works amazing I can't sing it's praises enough.
monosphere is the proud papa, he's posted on this board too and sounds like he's amazingly supportive.
Cranio sacrral adjustments can really help a hypertonic baby. Also, TIGHTLY swaddling her, soft "shh" noises, movement (you will have to find out what type or movement helps) and a treatment which includes bending the baby GENTLY at the waist can help relax the jaw. You can also use alternating cool and warm wash clothes on her jaw. This helps send conflicting messages to the brain to relax stuff. Also, see a Board Certified Lactation Consultant. The one at the hospital probably won't be able to help you at all. (I've seen the worst latch ons ever, with the mama and daddy being told "Baby has a good suck.") SUCK has litlte to do with it, when the baby is latched correctly. Someone who KNOWS how to assess latch on like a really good LLL leader (caveat this CANNOT be done over the phone or the internet, even by the best people) can do a digital oral assesment (essensial with a baby with these issues) and watch an entire feeding, while assesing what the baby is doing. This will take no less than an hour or two. THis is not a procedure which can be done in the 8 minutes a hospital LC does you. Also, a digital oral assesment (where the LC puts on a glove and gently puts her finger into the baby mouth to see what is going on in there HAS to be done. One just cannot tell what is happening without this diagnostic procedure. Anyone who doesn't or can't do this can't get to the root of the problem.) Holly, I wish I could be there for you. Babies with Hypertonia usually get more relaxed fairly easily, it may take a few days, weeks or even months. Did you have meconium staining during the birth? Was the baby in "Distress" at any time during the labor? Was the labor long or really short? Were any instruments used to help the baby out? Was the baby forcefully suctioned after birth? All these things can cause hypertonia. Let me know if you need to find an LC in your area. I can find you someone. Congrats on the baby. DON'T GIVE UP. This is workable. My first baby was hypertonic and Sage has a clampdown bite reflex. It hurts but you can get through it. Blessings.
yeah, what they said. If you have a babysling, try nursing her while you walk around. That helped my second baby relax and stop sucking too hard on my nipples. For best results, I'd recommend a simple ring sling with no padding. The ladies at LLL should be able to help you figure out how to use it, but mostly it just takes practice and trial and error. A pediatric chiropractor can be a godsend.
oh my goodness!!! congratulations!! first post I read after a bit of an assignment hell and you are right in there dealing with your new bubba! Very cool! I am not sure about a lot of stuff mentioned in this thread but I do know that my bub sucked me to pieces and I found paw paw ointment in the breaks did wonderful things helping my poor boobies! They also seem to get over it after a bit (your nipples and boobs that is not the bubba!) and I think that they must toughen up or something like that. *runs off to look at other threads to check out your new bub news*
So my milk came in yesterday and I thought my troubles were over. But now, she's acting like she's still hungry after a feeding. Last night, she had us up until 6 am bawling her itty bitty eyes out. And the only way she'd be comforted was by feeding, but my nipples were so sore and starting to swell after a few hours of that, that I was started dreading holding her anywhere near my chest. She'd latch (good latch, but with sore nipples, it still felt bad) suck a bit and then pull away with the nipple STILL IN HER MOUTH! We thought maybe she wasn't getting anything, so around 5ish, we broke down and bought a little bottle and some soy formula. She wouldn't take but a tiny bit, so I know she's not hungry. And so far today, she'll wake to feed, start to suck on her hand, and keep pulling her head away from my breast like she's repulsed by it or something. I'm doubting whether or not she's getting enough because of how she'll act at the breast. But she's wetting enough and she's pooing a lot more than she should. So....what do I do? These questions didn't seem to be answered anywhere in my breastfeeding books!
can you call your LLL leader again? get some hands on feedback? those LLL gals live for stuff like this ps, soy is sooooooo allergenic, goat's milk formula is a better option if you can find it, but best of all is to get some real live help from someone with lots of experience with human milk. all the best, and milky blessings, nimh
consider the first two months of her life to be one great big growth spurt. She is supposed to be nursing non-stop, around the clock right now. That's normal. Get yourself a nursing station set up with everything you might need close at hand, a huge bottle of water, some healthy snacks, the tv remote, books, and such. And just settle in for the long haul. If your partner wants to eat, he can cook. All you should be doing right now is nursing that precious baby. Every now and then, you might be able to get up and pee, and maybe take a shower when baby is asleep. Other than that, just nurse her when she's awake, and sleep when she's asleep. Welcome to the wonderful world of motherhood!!
IF she can pull her head away, you need to hold her closer and support her head more firmly. She shouldn't be able to move or bob her head at all. Also, alternate your positions, cradle hold, cross-cradle hold, football hold, so she's not irritating the same spot over and over again.Please, see a chiro or a cranio-sacral therapist! Most of them do not charge for newborns.
Perhaps you can breastfeed with a silicone "shield" attached to your breast. Some mothers with sore nipples highly recommend it. Perhaps it's worth a try.
not a good idea. not unless she has much more major issues than just sore nipples. Sorry, don't mean to downplay how horrible it is when your nipples hurt, but that isn't really what I'd consider a major problem that would justify the possibile problems that nipple sheilds can create, things like an even worse latch and low milk supply. And those problems are much harder to fix than anyone who has not experienced them can imagine.
I read that baby would be feeding almost constantly. I prepared myself for that end of it. I even tried to prepare my nipples. But now that it's real, it's different. I'm dreading every nursing session. My nipples aren't just sore. They're raw and bleeding with every feeding. In fact, to be quite honest, I've been nursing her a bit less than I know I should. It's too much. I try to feed her and by the end of the feeding, we're both so stressed out that everyone in the house is in tears. I bought a pump to try and maybe bottle feed her my milk, but I'm getting nothing out. Not surprising. I see a LLL leader monday but until then, I feel sunk. I just can't seem to get the hang of this at all.
Have you tried lanolin between feedings? The pump may make it worse, it did for me. Leaving your nipples exposed to the air will help them heal quicker too.
I bought lanolin and use it between every feeding but its not doing much. i'll start calling about cranio saccral on mon after the meeting.
Oh Holly! CONGRATULATIONS! What a wonderful back-from-vacation surprise! Your birth and delivery and first few days sound eerily like what I went through! My poor nips got just about mangled! I never heard anything about hypertonia, but now I wonder if that wasn't a very big part of Jims problem. They crammed tubes down him and pounded on his back, then yanked him away for hours it seemed like, for breathing treatments. He cried for DAYS straight after birth. We'd put the nipple in his mouth and he'd frantically suck for a second then pull off and just scream! We did the soy formula thing like you, out of desperation. I guess the only thing I can suggest is to stay calm. It seems like eternity but it will pass. Put some ice on the nips, grit yer teeth and do your very best. It's so tough, what you're going through. I'm sitting here crying for you, it's so fresh in my mind! If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here. I'm sending all the love and support I can muster your way. You are such a brilliantly beautiful person! Good luck! P.S. That babe is the spitting image of you SO purty!
Hey there you new Mama! I'm still here if you need me... you have my # I went through the exact same thing - sore, cracked, bleeding nipples and it hurt like HELL but I got through it and went on to nurse for 2 1/2 years. Just hang in there. She's getting plenty. Have confidence in your body's ability to nourish your child. You CAN do this! My advice to you: chuck the bottle. It might be hard for a while, but you'll both get the hang of it and before you know it this will all be behind you. I sooooo know what you're going through right now. Oh, and for me I found that ditching the lanolin helped heaps. Keep those puppies dry! Skip the bra and carry a towel around to catch leaks. Just live around your house without a shirt. Take care and a big congrats to you!
