Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m determined to stick with it, though, despite a few hurdles I’ve had to jump through in the three short weeks we’ve been at it.
1. I have a flat nipple.
The first thing the nursery nurse said to me when I was reunited with baby TTT after my c-section was, “Oh! You have a flat nipple!” This was the same nurse who told my husband he couldn’t have skin to skin contact while I was in recovery, so you can probably tell she wasn’t our favorite person. Before I became pregnant, I worried that my nipples were flat, but I didn’t really know for sure. Then, they sort of popped out during pregnancy, so I thought all was well. However, my left side is quite flat, which means it is extra painful when Baby TTT latches on that side. In the hospital it became so sore that for one feeding I had to pump on that side while he nursed on the other, because I just couldn’t take it. However, after that, I was able to push through and now I only wince a little bit each time he latches. I’m hopeful that eventually it won’t hurt at all, but we’ll see. I chose not to use a nipple shell or shield because most of what I read said that those things don’t really help things in the long run, and that it’s best to just keep it all natural.
2. One side produces much more than the other.
Unfortunately, the more painful flat side is also the side that produces more milk. I know this because I pump and usually get less than half of the amount from my right as my left. The left side is also much bigger, which makes the flat nipple that much more difficult to deal with. I still nurse equally on both sides, though, because I don’t want the supply on my right side to get even lower.
3. I feel like a milkmaid.
It seems like all day every day all I do is nurse or pump. Baby TTT’s pediatrician wants me to pump after every feeding to increase my supply because she doesn’t think he’s gaining enough weight (a whole other issue I will write about soon, I promise), but I just don’t know how that’s possible. I’m lucky if I can pump twice a day, what with the whole taking care of a baby thing getting in the way, not to mention somewhat taking care of myself – I mean, I do have to pee and eat every once in a while. Nursing every 2-3 hours doesn’t seem like a big deal, but that’s from start to start. Which leads me to my next point…
4. Baby TTT is one slow eater.
They say that some babies are barracudas and others are gourmets, but baby TTT is just plain slow. Each feeding takes at least 45 minutes to an hour, which means I get about an hour break between each one. During that time, baby TTT is rarely happy to be put down, which makes doing anything else at all rather tricky.
5. I can keep my baby alive.
It’s pretty darn cool that I am able to feed my baby with my own body. I don’t really have to worry about going places with him because I can feed him anytime, anywhere, with nothing but a cover up.
Here are some of my favorite breastfeeding resources:
Nancy Holtzman of Isis Parenting
Dr. Sears
KellyMom.com
What have been your challenges and triumphs with breastfeeding?
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
I had issues with my right nipple and milk production.
It wasn’t fully flat but Mavrick would latch and unlatch off of it. Would be fussy and wouldn’t want it. (even if I presented it to him) it was super frustrating for him and me (especially a first time around) so naturally even if i was pumping… my production reduced considerably and in the end i was breastfeeding just with 1 boob.
kiwi / 691 posts
I used a nipple shield for the first couple weeks because I had so much pain on one side. The nurse gave it to me in the hospital when I was having issues with latching on one side, without a single mention about how it could affect nursing in the long run! After I got home and researched it, I panicked but I honestly think I would have quit if I didn’t have it. I just tried to use it sparingly so Olive wouldn’t get attached and I weaned us off it when she was a few weeks old. I know it’s not for everyone, but it was a life (boob?) saver.
pea / 10 posts
You’ve probably heard it a million times, but it really does get better. I am 4 months in bfing my daughter, and she is much quicker and much more efficient now. I had to pump from one side to begin with due to a cracked nipple, that was agony, but I pushed through to the other side. I am far too stubborn to give up on anything!
Keep at it!!!! x
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
it used to take me up to over an hour as well in the beginning. olive is still a pretty slow nurser and will comfort nurse forever if i let her, but 15 min is enough to get her full.
liam will definitely get much faster with time. i promise it’ll get much easier. you’re doing great!
clementine / 889 posts
I have flat nipples and DS had a tongue tie. The “lactation consultant” at the pediatrician’s office told us to use a nipple shield when DS was 2 days old, so we did. Turns out she didn’t know what she was talking about and it didn’t help and was a pain to wean him off of it later. (Ever try to nurse your crying, hungry 5 week old in an airport and drop the damn nipple shield on the floor? Not fun!) Anyway, we did eventually wean from it.
DS did get much more efficient at nursing and soon was down to 20-25 minutes for each feeding (nursing both sides). It was a pain to pump in addition to nursing and caring for a newborn in the early days though.
It does get a lot better and your LO will get better at nursing as well.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I don’t have any advice or experience, but I hope it gets better for you!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
I love that Nancy Holtzman is active on Twitter! It seems like she gives some really good advice.
I hope it gets a little better for you. Do slow-eating babies get faster at it, I wonder?
guest
Good for you for keeping it up and for not using the shields. I had the same problem with my first, both of mine are flat, and the shield was such a pain to deal with that I ended up pumping exclusively (well that and lots of other booby traps contributed). I had a horrible LC at the hospital and she was the one that actually recommended both the shells and shields. Now that I’ve done more research I know most professionals agree they really don’t help.
I’ve heard it gets a lot better and easier so hang in there!
guest
I love the convenience of breastfeeding! I was a little gun shy about nursing in public with Carter so I tended to pump before I went anywhere and feed him the pumped milk while out (or formula), but with this one I’m determined not to let my insecurities get to me (about modesty, supply, etc) and just do it! I also felt like I consistenly was feeding Carter and could never put him down, ever. This one will just have to deal because I’ll also be watching a two year-old!
kiwi / 549 posts
I had cracked, bleeding nipples within 24 hours– so we were given a shield by the LCs at the hospital. We used it for 8 weeks, and weaned off it at that point. I’m really glad we used the shield– it got us through the hard part and I totally credit it with our current breastfeeding success. I don’t know that I would’ve stuck with it otherwise– the shield got us through the hard part. If you can figure things out without it– great! But for us, it was a great tool that was useful for a time, and then it was time to move on so we weaned off of it and life was great then too. I guess I’m saying don’t be totally afraid to use it– you can use it for a short time or sparingly until you get over the hump. Either way– breastfeeding is so much work, but so worth it. Good job getting this far already!
cherry / 187 posts
I just wanted to encourage you since I know how stressful it can be! It will get easier as your baby gets older. We used a nipple shield (recommended by the NICU LC!) and it got us started, but I definitely wish I had weaned her off it sooner. My one side produced WAY more than the other, but I think that’s pretty normal. And finally, my daughter had trouble gaining weight and took forever to nurse too. I had to nurse, then pump, then offer a bottle (or bottle then pump) to make sure she was getting enough. I felt like I had zero time to do anything else and it was so stressful! I am so glad I kept it up as I think it has lots of health benefits. In the end, I stopped after 2 months though because I wanted to make sure she was getting enough (only felt comfortable seeing it using a bottle) and was tired of pumping and feeding her a bottle as I just wanted to enjoy the precious time I had with her. Please know that you should do what is best for you. Give it some time and see what you feel comfortable with. It may just get easier with breastfeeding and you’ll be home free. If not, only you know what’s best for you and your baby.
GOLD / pear / 1845 posts
My first ate slow like that. Sometimes I would feed her on one side, switch and then she’d still be hungry and it would have been long enough that I could switch back to the first side. Brutal on the nipples!
Baby two is much more efficient!
pea / 21 posts
With both of mine, the first few weeks or so (can’t remember exactly how long) was excruciating at latch on. I’m not exaggerating, either. I remember it well! It gets so much easier, I promise. It might seem like your left makes more because you are feeding him more on the right. You can do it! It’s definitely hard at the beginning, no matter what anyone says.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
Oh, the first weeks of BF are so hard. Baby Y would take SO LONG to even latch, it was a wonder I got anything else done. I feel ya.
grapefruit / 4049 posts
We are identical on points 1 and 2. BFing was very difficult for me in the beginning (with both kids) due to these points, and especially because of the flat nipple. A good latch is essential and my first baby and i had the hardest time with that on my left. It wasn’t pretty and I had all kinds of problems with it that …in the end, my supply greatly tanked and I just exclusively pumped for a while until I quit completely to save my sanity!
But what I did differently with #2 (my breastfeeding success story… still BFing at 10 mos and counting) was I used a shell in between feedings. This is different than a shield which *can*, but not necessarily, be hard to wean from. A shell just allows your nipples to be open to air in between feedings. You put it in your bra so your nipples can heal better in between feedings and not rub up against your bra. It helps with soreness, which can help with the pain, which can help with latching, which can help with better flow and supply! A shell can also help your nipple to protrude more so that when it’s time to feed, your baby has an easier time latching on. I would definitively recommend it to moms who have soreness, and especially those with flat nipples!
Hang in there! Good luck!!
guest
Just wanted to throw in my two cents about shields – if I hadn’t tried one out in the early days of breastfeeding when nothing else worked I seriously doubt I would have continued with it. Like other posters before me have said, it’s great if you don’t need them, but I don’t think it’s necessary to avoid them like the plague or anything either. If it works, use it. At least that’s my philosophy.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement!! It already seems easier than when I wrote this, so I can say that yes, you’re right, it gets better!
@red_seattle: @laura: whatever works! I actually asked for a shield in the hospital, but they wouldn’t give one to me. That’s when they said to just pump on the sore side which was enough to get me through.
@NYCaliMama: I read that shells can give you rashes, and since I have super sensitive skin, I’m scared of them. But, I’m glad they worked for you!
grapefruit / 4049 posts
@mrs. tictactoe: oh interesting! I can see that happening especially if you leak a lot. Anyway, if you are doing great without them, awesome!
guest
Try the shell! I had flat nipples for my first son, and using the shell in between feeds totally helped them pull out more. Only had to use it for a couple weeks, and then his latch got much better and less painful. I nursed him for 10 months, and the amazing thing is that more than a year later my nipples never went flat again, so my daughter has had little trouble getting a good latch, and I’m way more comfortable this time. That said, I’m also using a shield for now since she was preterm. I’m looking forward to weaning her off it, but love that it allows her to more easily BF. Good luck!