In article om,
"cjra" wrote:

I *am* worried she's not latching on well, as my
nipples hurt like hell, but she *is* getting milk because I can hear
her swallow. I tend to help the nursing by using my fingers close to
her mouth/on the breast to stimulate flow.

OK, that is something to work on. Firstly, keep your fingers well back from
the nipple. If you are massaging your breast to stimulate flow, you need to
be massaging the milk glands. These are the oval lumps you will feel when
engorged. If your hand is too close to the nipple, you will only be massaging
the ducts, and you run the risk of distorting your breast slightly, which
might be causing the painful latch. If you can see that you are pulling on
your skin, you are definitely too close! As much as possible, leave your
boobs where they are -- bring the baby to the breast, not the breast to the
baby. The baby's chin should be leading into the breast, not the nose -- ie,
her head and trunk straight, or head a little bit back, if anything. If she
is bending her head forward to eat, she will have difficulty (try it
yourself). DD should have a good mouthful of breast. Her little gums should
be well back from the base of your nipple, out on the areola somewhere. To
give you an idea, the end of your nipple should be against her soft palate (if
your nipple comes out looking squashed, she's not taking it in enough and is
mashing it against her hard palate).

Those are your most likely causes of pain -- what do you think?

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue