Help with Breastfeeding - Elm Creek,NE

Hi, A.. I went through the same thing with the extrememly cracked nipples too and soreness with my son. The best thing for you to do is be patient with it and just keep trying. If there is a nearby WIC office near you, I'd try and talk to their employees, they can help give you tips on how to make things go smoother too. Hope this helps.

Breastfeeding can be so difficult. It was next to impossible with my first son but Milk Works In Lincoln REALLY helped me. If it weren't for them, I'd have stopped trying. I'm not sure where you're from but there are probably other similar organizations in other towns.

All I can say is keep trying. I know the cracked nipples really hurt, but for me that went away after the first couple weeks. And it is sooo worth it. There is nothing like breastfeeding to bond you and your baby. I took a breastfeeding class at my hospital. You should see if your hospital offers one. And while I was still in the hospital after giving birth, I was having a hard time getting my daughter to latch on, so I asked the nurse, and shew had a specialist come to see me and help. Oh, and buy a Boppy. They're the best! Good luck!

First, congratulations on continuing to make the effort to breast feed after two difficult experiences... it really is best for your baby (and it helps you lose weight as well). Next, it may be difficult. With my first daughter, I thought I was doing fine my first night home from the hospital, but then she didn't pee for 24 hrs. I went to the lactation specialist and she taught me how to get my daughter to latch on. It really seemed kind of mean (my breasts were gianormous by this point) because she sort of shoved my baby's head into my nipple, but it worked and I finally had let-down. My nipples also became really dry and cracked for the first week or so, but that passed and then it didn't hurt at all.
It's a really beautiful thing to be able to nurse your child and be the only person who can do that for her, so definitely keep trying. The both of you will figure it out.

Hi A.,
Breastfeeding is suppose to be the best for our children, but sometimes it just doesnt work. Try to relax and not to worry about it. I've had 4 children and tried to breastfeed 3 out of 4, and I mean tried. I was young with my 1st son and did it because my doctor and mom encourged me to do it I tried for a week and wasn't comfortable with it, so I switched to baby formula. My 2nd son was better at it, but he was so hard on my breast that they were black and blue,cracking and so sore for almost a month after I stopped. My 3rd child was 8 weeks early and was told I couldn't breastfeed her, she is my healthest child, and my last one wouldn't latch onto myright breast, so I couldn't finish breastfeeding her. I bonded with all my children even tho I couldn't breastfeed them.My husband was real supportive. I have a stepdaughter inlaw who used the breastpump for her twins and it worked great.As for the size of your breast try and breastfeed in an upright position and it should be fine,wear your nursing bra at all times when your feeding her and it should be ok. Talk to your doctor he or she will be able to help you also. Try to breastfeed, who knows it might just be ok. But in the mean time relax and don't think about it, concentrate on that little girl growing inside and the other two girls and everything will fall into place.

Soothies are great, they help with the dry cracked bleeding nipples.

I am a Registered Nurse and an certified Breastfeeding Educator. If you would like to be successful at breastfeeding here are some great tips: first off if the baby is not properly latched then just one time of feeding you could develope sore, cracking, bleeding or bruised nipples. Both lips need to be flanged out and the tonge down. The cross cradle(search what that hold is) hold is easiest for helping to guide the babies head and your breast in the right direction. Always support your breast even after the baby has latched, their mouth and jaw muscles are not that strong to try and suck and keep a latch at the same time. Nose and chin are touching the breast tissue(not pushing your babies head into and smothering). Waiting for cues your baby is hungry is the easiest..not when she is way mad and crying. Some cues are starting to root even if her eyes are closed, licking lips, trying to put her hands in her mouth. I wish you the best of luck. When breastfeeding goes well it is the best experience ever!! I have nursed 3 kids.

First congratulations! :) Second, I think it is wonderful that you are willing to try bf'ing a third time!

You have recieved SUCH great advice thus far, but I thought I'd recommend a resource I haven't seen mentioned yet; la leche league, which was founded 50 years ago by breastfeeding mothers for breastfeeding mothers. They are such a wonderful resource, they are so well informed and go through so much training - often they are more helpful than the hospital's lactation consultants! (I had 2 bad lc's where my daughter was born... luckily lll was a huge help, and I stuck with it through 4 weeks of pain and tears (mine).

Also, for a little encouragement; a friend of mine is wears a bra cup size J (yes, as in jello, that is not a typo) and still successfully breastfeeds her baby and her toddler, sometimes together. :) You can do it too!

A.-
First of all if you have any additional questions you can e-mail me at ____@____.com I can be successful at breastfeeding anybody can because I had ALOT of problems. To start from the very beginning I was so sore, I would cry in the first weeks when my daughter would nurse. Nothing really helped except time and the breast cream helped a little. I did not know much about breastfeeding so I introduced a bottle right after she was born. My nipples were very sore until she was about 4 months old, just something I had to get used to. My nipples even got a little sore after my son was born and at that point I had been breastfeeding my daughter for 2 years. My sister on the other hand has never had problems with sore nipples, some women just do. Since I used bottles from my daughter's birth instead of introducing them at 1-2 weeks she eventually started to prefer them. She absolutely refused breastfeeding at around 4 months. I tried everything and pumped exclusively for about 2 months. Finally I just did not give her anything else and after a couple of hours she latched on and I never used a bottle again! I think you should find another ped if they have that attitude about breastfeeding, it is absolutely worth all the trouble and most women have a lot of it! It never would have been the same for me if I would have just gave up when my nipples were sore or when my daughter refused to breastfeed. It is an incredible life changing experience for me. Nature doesn't make mistakes, God made your breasts for feeding your babies mine were a 44 DDD and they were not too big. You need to be determined and confident, formula has only been around for just under 100 years. How do you think the billions of humans before that survived? The women did not have a choice, they worked out the problems. If you research the benefits of breastmilk they are astounding and well work any extra effort, the effects are life long!

Ashely,
I had problems with my first two boys and nursing, the first one I didn't produce enough and the second just didn't want it. I was afraid that with the third I wouldn't get the experience either but he was completely different, I nursed for almost 11 months with no problems what so ever. It was like he knew what to do and I produced as was needed.
The third time seemed to be the charm.... Good Luck and don't give up..

Well first, congratulations on your new baby. And I think it's great your still wanting to breastfeed after 2 bad tries at it.
I too, had a terrible time with my first child. So I was committed to being sucessful breastfeeding my second. The best advice I got was to put the baby to your breast within the first hour after birth. I did this with my second and she latched right on and breastfed for about 20 to 30 min. You do need to tell your nurse and or doctor your wishes to do this before hand, so they don't wisk the baby away. And they should be more than happy to do this as long as the baby is healthy and has no complications. Also I have large breast and I fed with her on my lap, me sitting criss crossed, and kinda cupped my breast. So it was a little different than how most people breastfeed but it worked for me. I breastfed for 14 months.
Hope all goes great for your birth and everyone is happy and healthy. Good Luck!

When you go to the hospital, ask to talk with a lactation consultant. They are there to help you. Our son had trouble latching correctly. We even when back after during the first week, because he wasn't gaining much. and they weighed him b4 feeding then had him eat then weighed him again. Then they worked with us in getting him working better. They can show you lots of different ways to hold and how to handle larger breasts. I am one of those also. It's a wonderful resource for you, use it.

Relax. You don't actually have to do anything until baby gets here and then the nurses can guide you. They have pumps you can rent/buy until you decide which way to go. If you thinking you need this or that, wait till you start trying to see what's goin going to work for you. That way you don't go and buy a bunch of stuff that you end up not needing or using. Tons of moms go in with nothing and breastfeed successfully for as long as they want.

Hi A.!

I was just reading through all these wonderful responses and I'm not sure I can add much more but thought I would let you know my own experience. I have three little girls as well, and with my first I was not very successful with breastfeeding. The next time I had TWINS and I was determined to breastfeed them, and I did so for the first year of their lives. I think I experienced every breastfeeding issue one could experience; cracked bleeding nipples, clogged ducts, mastitis, you name it! But, I have to say, it was well worth it. Every time I took them to the Dr., and saw that they gained weight, and it was all because I fed them, it made me feel so wonderful!

One of the things that seemed to really help me was that I went to a "breastfeeding class" that the local hospital provided. I learned a lot there. I met with the lactation consultants every day that I was in the hospital, as well, and they were really a great resource. Not everyone I talked to had good luck with them, though, so it seems like the luck of the draw. I did get some good advice, though. For example, one of the things they suggested was to rub a little breast milk on your nipples after your done feeding and let them air-dry. This helps the cracks heal and helps prevent cracks. Breast milk has healing properties. I also made sure not to put any soap or lotion on my nipples while I was breastfeeding. Only water, while showering. This helps keep them from getting irritated as well.

I also have huge, ginormous, boobs, and I never had any problems feeding the girls. I fed them both at the same time, the majority of the time, and put them in the "football position" using a breastfeeding pillow and the arm of a couch, sitting cross-legged, or with a breast-feeding stool. This worked really well for me, to have my knees up a little more. I created my "breast-feeding area" at home on the couch, next to a table, where I kept everything I needed (and always had something to drink with a straw so I could drink with no hands if needed, breastfeeding makes you thirsty!).

The one thing that I always kept in mind was that it wasn't a contest, and it didn't make me a failure if things didn't work out. I work full time and have an older child, so around 9 months I stopped pumping during the day (I pumped around 6 times a day up to that point), and introduced formula so that I could get a break. That's what worked for me, and you have to figure out what works for you, your baby, and your family, and not compare yourself to anyone else. My girls didn't have issues going from bottle to breast or formula to breast milk, so I had a lot of flexibility.

Anyway, I wish you lots of luck with your new baby! I have faith that you guys will do great! Let us know how it goes!

Hi A.,

Breastfeeding is hard, but can be so worth it! I have two boys and breastfed the first one for 15 months, the second one for 22 months (he would still be on the boob if I hadn't weaned him.
I did not have an easy experience my first time around, but knew much more my second time.
Also, I have large breasts, and I can guarantee that no mother has ever smothered her baby with her breast, so relax.

Here are some tips:

Buy "The Nursing Mother's Companion" by Kathleen Huggins. It is an invaluable resource.

Get with your local hospital and find a good lactation specialist. Breastfeeding has to be learned by both you and your baby. Even with my second son, it took a good two months to get it down.l

If you live too far away from a lactation specialist, then call your local "La Leche Leage". You may want to call them anyways. I found you can use all the support you can get.

This is important: Your pediatrician and doctor have to be "pro breastfeeding". This means that they don't give you advice like "it is silly to continue to struggle". If it is important to you to be successful, then you need to give it more time, and you need to have a supportive doc. I switched from my first doc when I was having problems, because he told me to give my son the bottle. From everything I had read, I knew if I followed his advice, that would have been the beginning of the end of breastfeeding.

Join a breastfeeding support group! Talking with other moms, who are in the same boat, makes you feel less alone. Remember, as a whole, our society is not supportive of breastfeeding. Surround yourself with people who are.

Learn to relax. Don't beat yourself up too much. Any time spent breastfeeding your baby is beneficial to both of you. Breastfeeding takes time to learn and time to do. The important thing is the time spent holding your baby, bonding, etc. Get help with the older girls, so you can spend time with the baby.

Take care of yourself. Eat healthy, make sure you get lots of fluids, and sleep when you can.

Also, off of the breastfeeding subject... Sounds like you have alot on your plate. Raising three children while working and going to school... Can you put some things on the back burner? Remember, your girls are only little for a short time, so spend time with them while you can.

Good luck! And may you have an easy labor and delivery!

T.

HI A.,
Good for you for wanting to try again. It is a very rewarding to be able to breastfeed. I strongly recommend you call Milkworks in Lincoln. They have a website, MD on staff, and several LC's. It was totally worth the drive to see them. You can start off by calling and just talking with them a little bit about your situation and let them guide you from there. Good Luck and Congrats early!
C.

I think its wonderful to breastfeed your babies, it is such a worthwhile, rewarding experience and as one of the other moms said, the most natural. I too have large boobs and was worried about suffocating my little guy, but he was fine, he latched on and stayed there for 45 minutes each time! Plus he has only been sick twice since he was born, so the benefits far outweigh the discomfort of cracked nipples. I pumped when I had to go back to work and my son came to prefer the bottle and I had problems with cracked nipples from pumping, his mouth never caused them to crack. Just be patient and enjoy the special time with your baby, she won't starve and you won't suffocate her and you will both eventually get so used to it that you will be breastfeeding and doing the laundry at the same time! Also, I found massaging my breasts before feeding helped the milk letdown and having large breasts let me get a good supply! Also, it really helps having someone to talk to about this stuff so I would look into seeing if there is a lactation consultant in your area that you could call when needed. In South Dakota there is a program called Women, Infants and Children or WIC which is a government program designed to help women and kids with nutrition and we have a lactation specialist that calls brestfeeding women to see how you are doing with it and gives free advice and pointers, maybe there is something like this where you live? Breast of luck (hahaha) to you and remember what a wonderful thing you are doing for your baby by wanting to breastfeed her and even if it doesn't work out you tried and that is just as important.

A.,
Congratulations on your third little girl. I have 4 boys and breastfed with all of them. Now I did have problems with my first and fourth. What the lactation consultant at the hospital did was try different positions with the baby. Now you will not suffocate the baby. (Yes, I am large as well.)They informed me of that. It will let go if it isn't getting enough air. A really great website that has tons of info on it is babycenter.com. I hope this helps. Hang in there.
A.

All I can say mama is have no fear. You haven't suffocated your other ones did you? So throw caution to the wind and embrace that tiny soft wiggling body! I had problems also-except my boobs are smaller. My oldest one had problems latching on, and it seemed my second one wasnt getting satisfied. I don't know why my son (and last kid), took to it so well. Maybe it was the fact that I was more confident, and less stressed. You know I'd visited that game before I knew my way around the track. I enjoyed every minute of breast feeding with my little dude.

Good luck to you,
Y.

Hi A., I see that you've already gotten tons of great advice, but I wanted to add my 2 cents as well :-). I guess the best thing I did to make sure I would be successful was to think of breastfeeding as being the only option. Too many people introduce bottles/formula when things get a little difficult, and ends up going downhill from there. Especially in the hospital the nurses had to be told MULTIPLE times that I did not want them giving my daughter a bottle no matter what. Don't even have the temptation available to you- throw out or give away all those formula samples you have probably received so you don't even have that to fall back on. You will succeed. Your mentality is a huge part of it.
I have also found 'The Nursing Mother's Companion' a great help. My doula recommended this book to me before I gave birth, and it is really easy to look up specifics and read one handed....a great help when you run into difficulties :-). La Leche League is a a wonderful network as well. Even if you don't need them for specific problems, being in a room at a meeting with all those other women who are nursing is just amazing. I know you will have the chance to join us! Good luck!

Hey A.! I am a mother of 3 also. I have 2 boys that are 5 and 3 and my third boy just arrived 3 weeks ago. I successfuly have breast fed my first 2 and I have had issues this time with the new one. He had a stiff jaw from being inutero so he could not use his jaw correctly. I had to feed him from a cup for about 10 days, by pumping my breasts and pouring it an ounce at a time into the cup and feeding it to him. We made it through and he had physical therapy to get us there. The best part of the whole thing was the lactation nurses. They were there for me every step of the way. They are very smart and very good at what they do. In the hospital make sure they come in and help you and ask any questions that you have. Also, I think alot of my success with the first two came from using Lansinoh 3 weeks or so before the baby came and vigorously rubbing it on my nipples. I never cracked or bled and I did this both times I was pregnant, right after I got out of the shower and before bed at night....I think it made a huge difference. This new baby was 3 weeks early and I did not get a chance to do that, and my nipples were way more sore this time! Good Luck to you, don't be afraid, cause it is totally worth all of your efforts! (I also have very large breasts...42DD when I am breast feeding, and I never hurt or made it hard for my babies to breath!) Best of Luck!!