Baby G was born a week ago (time FLIES, doesn’t it?) and the first week was marked by a new to-do item on my daily and nightly routine: breastfeeding.
I had gotten some tips from my doula before I started: make sure his lips are covering the entire nipple, what you want is for the tip to be all the way in the back of their throat (soft palate), and play with him during to keep him awake (stroke his cheek, or use a cold wash cloth on his head and/or feet if necessary). Breastfeeding did not have to be painful! A good latch was all it took. All of these made sense. I was ready!
What I was not prepared for was the fact that my nipples WOULD get sore… and remain so for weeks. I started nursing baby G on the day he was born after he performed a flawless breast crawl. It tickled! It didn’t hurt at all! In fact, it didn’t hurt the next day either. But then, at some point, my nipples got so raw that I could see exactly where they were scabbing over just by looking in a mirror. I have also been told that it only takes ONE bad latch to cause some damage (bad latch leads to soreness, which is made worse by the next feeding, and so the cycle goes).
My right one will survive. I think it’s healing as best as it can, but it is still painful every time he successfully latches on. As for my left, well, I hope it’s not a lost cause: it is still pretty raw, and every time baby G latches on, I can feel a nerve being pinched in the back of my left arm! I just hope that one finds its way to recovery sooner than later.
Other than that, I LOVE nursing my baby and being the only one who can provide what he needs. I’m looking forward to doing it without the pain! What a way to ruin such a wonderful moment for bonding.
ina
This post was typed up on my Smartphone while nursing.