Hi, all -- I'm starting the nursing saga all over again... I've
got a 4-day old, and while he's certainly getting plenty of milk and
his latch looks OK from the outside, he's giving me really bad cracked
nipples. The latch-on is agonizing and the rest of the session isn't
much better. I'm trying to get him to open up wider, and I think the
real problem is his tongue -- I don't think it's under the nipple.
I've got flattish nipples which makes it really hard for him to get a
good latch; I've been pumping a bit before each session to raise the
nipples and that seems to make it easier for both of us.

My question is will that just make him lazy and rely on the pumped-up
nipples? Or is it OK to do that and hope that in a few days he'll
figure out how to do it himself? And any tips on getting him to open
up wider and get his tongue positioned properly? It's so bad that I'm
actually reluctant to nurse -- toe-curling agony.

Em
mama to Micah, 11/14/04; Shiloh, 4/22/07