Terrible Time with Breatfeeding!! Need Serious Help!!

Have you gone to the pump station. There is one at the corner of Vine and Fountian and one in santa monica. They have classes there for breast feeding. I loved it because when my girl was little i felt good knowing that it was pretty germ free and they had changing tables and everyone was breast feeding. THey even have a scale so i could weigh her. DOnt give up i listened to so many with trouble and you can do it too!!

Hi C.,
I used to be a post-partum doula and this is not as uncommon as you may think. But, keep committed as it is possible to get the swing of things if there isn't something physically wrong (lack of milk for instance). There are great lactation consultants to be found through Pump Connection. Common problems-baby isn't facing mommy (bellies should be touching); baby doesn't have mouth open wide enough (you should push down on the chin once they're latched on--a big wide open mouth is the goal); mommy doesn't have enough milk so baby gets frustrated and gives up (if this may be a problem-get help-it can be fixed).

Best wishes!
K.

Don't give up!! You are doing great!!! I went through it as well (my girl is 11 weeks old). I cried at every breastfeeding until week 5. I would curl my toes and cringe. Please go to the Pump Station and see a lactation consultant to make sure you are doing everything right. When I went they told me that I was doing it perfect. I just needed to heal. Don't be hard on yourself!

I took a breastfeeding class and thought I was ready for it. I was completely unprepared for the pain though! The infant nurse at the hospital freaked out on me for not making enough colostrum as my daughter lost 10% body weight. The lactation nurse had me pumping between feedings. So I fed & pumped for 2 days straight. My nipples were sooooo painful, bloody and blistered! After that it took until the end of week 5, maybe even through 6 to where I didn't curl my toes anymore at feedings. One of the things that helped me tremendously, and I wish I would have seen it earlier was this video: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/

My nipples had huge scabs. I tried the Lansinoh lanolin cream, but the best thing that there was to let my nipples air dry after I put some breast milk over them. The lanolin kept the scab wet and prevented it from healing. Also get some sunlight on them if you can as it kills bacteria and will help you avoid getting mastitis. Keep the flaps of your bra down between feedings when you are at home.

The Pump Station also had a nipple cream that was organic and had calendula in it. It was awesome! I know they say that if you are doing it right it shouldn't hurt, but until you heal it wont stop hurting. The nipples take time to adjust. At week 7 my daughter and I became professionals!!!

***Don't be afraid to hold your son's head (at the base of the skull, your thumb and pointing finger should fit in the little indentation behind his ears). You have to help him learn to do it right.
***Take your hand that will support your breast and hold your breast near the areola (about a pinky width back). Squeeze your breast to make it flatter and hold it at an angle that will match your son's mouth. I always think of making him a boob sandwich -flat, or oval that is.
***With your thumb you can pull back a little which will pitch your nipple upwards. You want the nipple to go up and back in his mouth so he sucks it down far and doesn't chomp down on it. (Oh I cringe at the thought).
***While holding his head, tease his lips with your nipple. He will open a bit....wait...tease again and wait for a really big opening -maybe 3/4 of a yawn. He will do it.
***Move HIM to the breast with the bottom of the areaola going into his mouth a bit sooner than the top. Almost all of the bottom of the areola should be in his mouth, but not all of it on top. (This varies with the size of your areola of course. Mine is really big and the lactation nurse kept telling me to that she had to have more in her mouth, but it was just not possible. We were fine.)
***If you miss and he didn't get all of it, BREAK THE LATCH ASAP! Don't let him fiddle around with it. Take your pinky and pull back the corner of his mouth until the suction breaks. Then take a breath...smile because you have the ability to feed your little precious bundle...and then try again. The first 10-30 seconds will hurt right now because of the state of your nipples, but it should abate as he feeds. If he slips back, releases, slurps, etc., break the seal and re-latch.

If you can't get to the Pump Station, the ask for an in-home referral. It was pricey, but worth it. Please email me and ask me any specific questions you have. I would love to help you. Do watch the video.

Go to The Pump Station in Hollywood. They are wonderful there! Be patient and things will work out.

http://www.pumpstation.com/pumpstation/text_1.asp?s_id=0

Hi.. I am seven months and I havent called her yet, but she is supposed to be great, and comes to the house and serves the West Hwd area... I pasted this off a web site, so here is her info. She also has a class next Sunday (Sept 13 at Golden Bridge Yoga in Hwd) that is on breatsfeeding. I pasted a link for that below her info. Good luck and feel free to email me off list and let me know how it goes. ____@____.com

Cynthia Epps, MS, IBCLC
MotherWork
Phone: ###-###-####
Geographical areas served:
Santa Monica, WLA, Hollywood, Silver Lake, Los Feliz
Cynthia Epps, MS, IBCLC is a board certified lactation consultant and infant feeding specialist in private practice in Los Angeles, CA. She offers in-home lactation consults for new mothers, nutritional consults for transitioning babies to solids and infant friendly programs for gentle weaning. She may be reached at ____@____.com's info on class:

http://www.socal.com/events/ShowEvent.aspx?eventID=130777...

Try the La Leche League. Go on-line and find out where they are in your neighborhood--they are fantastic and will help you solve the problem.

I had a very tough time with my first baby. It took me 5 weeks to finally get a hang of it. She was also an insomniac so I was exhausted. I imagine you are very tired to. Call a lactation consultant and her come to your home. She will work with you. Call the Pump Station on Vine in Hollywood. They can recommend some lovely ladies that can help. There are also great support groups at the Pump Station.

Good Luck and hang in there. It get's easier and if you have another baby it will be so darn easy for you you won't need any help. Big Hugs!

D.

So sorry that you are having such a hard time :o(

Try to go to WIC, I'm sure there's a website. They are so helpful over there and they see babies all day long and mothers with the same situation, I'm sure they can give you some helpful advise.
Good luck - I really hope this works out for you!

I also believe that there are 'courses' at your hospital - call them up and ask.

Quick! Go see the ladies at the Pump Station! There's on on Vine and DeLongpre.

C.,
I know what you are going through. My son is a year now.
I cried every day for 8 weeks and finally with proper help
breast feeding became easier. I live in the San Fernando Valley, but here is the number for your closest La Leche League representive ###-###-####. These are regular women like you and me who just help each other. If you would like to send me a private e-mail, I will give you my phone number and try to trouble shoot with you on the phone.
PS I am still breast feeding--now he does not want to stop!

Dear C.,
Greetings!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW ARRIVAL!!!! : )))

I truly want to commend you on nursing your 3 week old son. I sooooo love nursing my dazzling son, Dylan Orion. And....don't laugh, but I call him my LUSCIOUSLY VORACIOUS MILKY MONSTER! Nursing is the most amazing communication I've ever experienced with another being before.

And please know........ that in the beginning my nipples cracked and bled, and it was so painful. But, I was determined to continue nursing Dylan. Then, on day 4 I discovered MOTHERLOVE'S NIPPLE CREAM. This amazing product was a lifesaver! It literally healed my nipples almost instantly and the great thing about the NIPPLE CREAM is that it is 100% natural so it is not harmful if your baby ingests it.

Here's the website for MOTHERLOVE:

http://www.motherlove.com/product_nipple_cream.php

And, this is what they say about their NIPPLE CREAM:

"The only nipple cream certified USDA Organic
Use on sore, cracked nursing nipples to quickly soften and heal skin, and relieve pain. This creamy salve goes on easily and also serves as an excellent diaper rash ointment. All ingredients are safe for ingestion, so it does not need to be washed off prior to nursing.

Does not contain lanolin, which contains several pesticides; or Vitamin E, which should not be ingested by infants."

I bought my NIPPLE CREAM at WHOLE FOODS and THE PUMP STATION, but to find a store close to you go to:

http://www.motherlove.com/storelocator.php

And, C., I truly love the LA LECHE LEAGUE for all the help they've given me, and I highly recommend calling them! If you haven't checked them out already...here's their website for California: http://www.llli.org/Web/California.html

Hope this helps! Please free to call me anytime: (323) 906~2784 or e~mail me at ____@____.com

Hang in there with the nursing, C.! It will get easier and you are doing AMAZING!!!

LOL,
L. (Mama to 48 week old Dylan Orion) : )))

i went through the same thing, almost gave up.. i would give one breast and pump the other then swich to let the other recover until it got better. IT WILL GET BETTER though, trust me :)

Oh, C.. I truly feel for you, because I had a very similar experience. It was week 6 or 7 before I was successful in getting rid of my nipple pain and was in the "comfort zone" of breastfeeding. The first couple weeks were not too bad, and around week 3 (when my husband came home with a cold from work and gave it to me and baby, so it was hard for her to nurse with a stuffy nose) I started getting toe curling pain. I mean, really excruciating pain, not nipple soreness. So, I enlisted the help of a lactation specialist in week 4, which I am so thankful for. The first problem was my little one wasn't getting a deep enough latch. So, she helped show me how to get the baby to latch on starting with putting below my nipple in baby's mouth and then putting the nipple in her mouth. It's hard to explain in words. I also got the greatest book called "Breastfeeding Made Simple" by Nancy Mohrbacher who is a licensed lactation consultant. I think I bought it at Borders. Chapter 3 specifically addresses latching on and has some great pictures. I am still using this book as a reference and my baby is 5 months old. There are also some videos on YouTube that show the latching on process of breastfeeding. Yes, some of them are helpful and look like they were used in educational videos. Just search under breastfeeding. The other piece of advice that I got, which helped me with the painful nipples, was to put a warm compress (like a warm wash cloth) on my nipples after each nursing session. Do it EVERYTIME after you nurse. It really eases the pain. And, then for a 24 hour period, I would switch between directly breastfeeding and pumping with my Medela electric pump to give my nipples a rest. The added benefit was daddy got the opportunity to give baby a small bottle of breastmilk a couple of times that day. But, the biggest help was working on getting a deep latch. Oh, and yes, the nipple cream is also very helpful. I used Lansinoh (I think that is how you spell it). Good luck. Stick with it. You are doing a great job.

Hi C.,

You are not alone! I had the same problem, leading eventually to mastitis and the need for antibiotics. My daughter is now three months old, and the breastfeeding is going beautifully, thanks to an amazing lactation specialist, Leslye Adelman. She's based in the Valley, but goes everywhere, and will take your call at almost any hour, and see you in a pinch (she comes to your house). She's also a wonderful person, and just makes one feel so much better about this often challenging part of motherhood. Her tel. # is ###-###-####, and she also has a website www.gentlenurturing.com

Good luck!

BEet,

A.

As soon as you can, go to the Pump Station on the corner of Vine and Fountain in Hollywood. Its in the Office Depot strip mall. I had problems my first time too and they helped instantly (Corky and Wendy are the lactation consultants-both excellent). They also have a weekly breastfeeding support group that I found invaluable the first 4 months of motherhood. It is such a bonding experience that I am still friends with the moms I met there and our kids are now 3 years old. Good luck. I know how difficult and frustrating it can be but it does get easier :-)

Contact La Leche League. They can give you all kinds of help and recommend someone in your area. BF can be tough at first, but as a mother who did extended bfing, it is well worth it. Good luck!

HI C., Congrats on the little one! Please don't give up on breastfeeding - you can do it!

- Here is how to reach Cynthia Epps (a wonderful lactation consultant): ____@____.com, ###-###-####. She does home visits and you can submit a superbill to your insurance company (I think).
- I agree about the MotherLove nipple salve, it is really terrific.
- The Pump Station on Vine near Sunset has a mother's breastfeeding support group every Tuesday afternoon. Your first visit is free, after that it's $15/class. It's so empowering to sit in a room full of nursing women and hear their triumphs and struggles. I strongly recommend you attend!!! Even though it's the most natural thing in the world, breastfeeding does have some serious hurdles to over come (for some of us any way).
- Kellymom.com has some wonderful online articles!
- The Pump Station also has some wonderful online articles!

Best of luck and please know you are not alone!
Warm wishes, L.

Susan Orr is the "guru" of breastfeeding in the South Bay. email her: ____@____.com
if she can't help you herself, she can recommend someone...but i am SURE she can help you. she hosts breastfeeding support clinics every saturday morning at torrance memorial hospital. i know it's a ways away from you but i would seriously recommend going. she can fix any problem - i swear!!!
good luck to you!!!

Cynthia Epps is probably the best lactation consultant around. I found her at cedars, but I believe she does alot with The Pump Station. I also got support from Corky at The Pump station. They have a branch in Santa Monica and in Hollywood also. Please give them a call and ask for Cynthia's #. She has helped me and about 20 other moms that i know. Also Golden bridge yoga has an amazing Mommy and Me class with tons of nursing mommies. Babies must be a few weeks to attend. They also work w/Cynthia and may have their #. i had cracked nipples, mastitis, and plugged ducts to name a few and we ended up nursing a LONG time. Check out motheringforums.com (It's through Mothering magazine) for TONS AND TONS of support. Don't give up. Breastmilk is the very best thing for your baby and if you stick with it you won't regret it!!Please feel free to PM me at anytime. I am here for you. Best H. ps If you want my phone # I will send it to you.

Congrats to you on your baby and your drive to feed him with love!
You MUST go to the pump station the second they open in the morning. All of the women there are soooo knowledgeable and kind and wonderful. If your challenges with your baby are more than what they can offer in a few minutes, they have several highly qualified LCs on staff that can work with you for longer stretches of time.
They are at the southeast corner of fountain and vine in the pollo loco strip mall.
Also, the birth to 4 month support group was the thing that I looked forward to the most each week. We started going when my son was 2 weeks old. The women that I met there, I still get together with on a regular basis.
That place was/is such a godsend.
Good luck and keep up the GREAT work.

Jessica Sacker at the Pump Station in Santa Monica is wonderful. I know you mentioned West Hollywood. The pump station has a location in Hollywood. I don't know anyone specific at that location.

I went through something very similar. I saw a lactation consultant through Kaiser and she gave me a nipple shield. It was the most wonderfull thing for me and I used it for a year with both of my children. They recommend you use it for a couple weeks because it could decrease your milk supply, but I never had a problem with it.

I had the same problem!!! I was in such pain that I'd cry every time I nursed her. (2+ years later, I'm still nursing her!) Call the Pump Station! One of the owners came to my house and showed me the correct latch. Things were better from then on! Keep at it, I PROMISE you, it gets better. Now if only I can wean her. . .

:-)