Hi everyone, quick bf'ing question. I started to pay less attention to how she was latching on and ended up with a cracked and bleeding nipple (just on the left). That was around Thanksgiving. One word for that...ouch! Since then I've been very careful when latching her on and the nipple is doing much better now. It's still a little painful when she first latches on, but the pain soon goes away as she continues to nurse and we're fine after that. Is that normal for during the healing process or is it a sign that she is still latching on incorrectly? And how long does it normally take to heal? I'm also using lanolin (sp?) which seems to be helping.

I'm thinking of calling a local Le Leche League leader and going to a meeting. Is anyone here involved with them?

Hi Donna,

I just had a little girl on October 13th. I had the same thing happen at first because my daughters lower jaw was too weak. It did hurt like that for me until I healed - and man did it hurt. I used lanolin when I was in the shower to keep them from getting worse, it's just so hard to get it to heal when they are nursing every 2 hours! One thing I did was I just nursed on one side when I was healing so each side had a little extra time off. I made it though and now it is just a distant memory. I hope you get to that point soon. I'm not involved with Le Leche League but I've heard nothing but good things about them. I wonder if you could even email them to get a quick disscussion or for me the nurses where I delivered were really good to help when I called with a question.

Good luck hun, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Heather

Thanks Heather! You have given me hope

I went ahead and called the leader. The next meeting is this Monday and I'm planning on going. She was really nice and offered additional suggestions that I will try (not wear bra 24-7 and warm/cold compresses).

I went through that with Hayden, I let a little of my milk air dry on my nipples and let them get as much air as possible between feddings, it healed really quick. Good luck mama!!

It has been a long time since I have checked in and wanted to say congrats on all the new babies! Nursing is going great for us. Kate is now 8 1/2 months. We got thrush again (5 times now!) and it makes me thankful that the bad latch and other painful problems are over. The first 6 weeks were as painful as thrush for me and now it is usually such smooth sailing.

Congrats and happy belated birthdays to the new nurslings!

You know, I'm real lucky. No nursing problems this time around. I'm so thankful for that.

I'm getting back into the swing of things slowly. My scale was briefly resurrected, so that's how I figured out I lost 14 pounds. That's just stuff that was hanging out after birth, I guess. Thankfully I tend to get rid of my pregnancy weight fairly quickly, 'cause I've still got 30+ pounds to lose after that!

Hi everyone. I had my baby on November 26 and we've been breastfeeding ever since. She's a good latch so I've been really lucky so far - no bleeding nipples and they aren't as sore as in the beginning. Her feedings have been a little erratic lately - lots of 10 minute sessions where she falls asleep or gets distracted. It's been frustrating. But she has 2 or 3 good sessions of 25 - 45 minutes every day. And she's still loading her diapers so I guess she's doing okay...

I haven't been dieting or exercising yet, and I've lost 27 pounds so far - but I've still got 33 to go...

Hey, congratulations! If you're concerned she's not eating enough at a time, when you're at home, undress her before you feed her to make sure she's awake. That's what I had to do with Bobbie in the very beginning. She'll get a tiny bit chilly & it will wake her up, but she won't get overly cold. Might help to space out the feedings some. I know all about needing to get a break, believe me. It seems like half the time just as soon as I get to lay Esther down, Linda decides she needs to nurse now.

Hey thanks for the tip about spacing the feedings more. I'm going to try to let her nap a bit longer - I was waking her up every 2 hours in the daytime to feed her (and she's usually hungry). Maybe I'll let her go 2.5 - 3 hours and see what happens...
I did strip her a couple of times to get her to stay awake - it was pretty funny - she was like a little monkey in my arms - made my heart melt

Last night was really weird - she wanted to feed from 10:00pm to 2:00am. As soon as I laid her down she wanted back on the boob. I was exhausted and my breasts were so sore - I wonder if she's having a growth spurt already?

She might be. Or she could be comfort nursing. Some babies have a real need to have something in their mouth. I learned that the hard way with these last two. One thing I remember reading that has helped a lot: their little arm acts sort of like a fuel gauge. If it's stiff and especially if it's held up by their face, they're still hungry. It'll relax and lower slowly as the tummy gets full. Doesn't always work though, but a lot of the time it does. Just try to keep the baby within arm's reach if you can (I seem to remember you saying somewhere you didn't want to co-sleep), so the nursing interrupts your sleep as little as possible. It'll get better at around the three-month mark, as I recall.

(Oh, & keep in mind, "sleeping through the night" means something like sleeping 5 hours at a stretch, so the mamas bragging about how early their baby slept through the night weren't really getting much more sleep than you.)

Thanks! I'm going to watch her arms now to see if your theory works for her - LOL
I'm using a bassinet and LOVE it - it's so handy!

(I'll take 3 hours right now for a good stretch of sleep - LOL)

Well, I've been very successful with other forums and this was the next logical step. Like my name says, I have 7 children, 6 girls 1 boy, Number 7 arrived november 12, five weeks early, IVY is her name 5 lbs, 15 oz, and had to spend 5 days in the NICU. I'm going to just lurch around awhile. I really need to get going at getting my body back. Before number 7 I was a very nice looking size 6, now can't even squeeze in a twelve. Breastfeeding is like second nature to me now, but would love some help with the weight loss thing, since my blood sugar hits the bottom if I try and cut calories at all. Any suggestions.

Wow, congratulations on number seven! Half the time I want that many, but I had a hard enough time convincing my husband to have three. (The other half I want an even dozen. ) I love the name too; Ivy's one of those underused classics. She sounds like she was a pretty good size in spite of her early arrival.

As far as losing weight...The only thing I can think of to suggest is to pick up a copy of one of the many books on the Glycemic Index. I do SugarBusters myself, but the South Beach Diet is also predicated on low-GI carbs, and there is a series of books called The New Glucose Revolution that might appeal to you; you can pick up their guide to dieting for about $8 if memory serves (it's a paperback). Building your meals around low-GI foods should help regulate your blood sugar as long as you don't cut your calories too far down. If that's the sort of thing you're already doing, though, you probably need to discuss the issue with a doctor. Good luck!

Hi! Congratulations on your 7th baby!
I would suggest eating lower glycemic foods, balanced with protein at each meal - I know that has helped me in the past keep my blood sugar levels from crashing. I'm not following any plan yet, as I'm still losing and haven't hit a plateau yet...

Hee hee... you all made me smile for the first time today.. I'm doing the one-hand typing thing now too... glad to find you ladies! Cant wait to get to know you!