On Apr 26, 1:25 pm, emilymr wrote:
Hi, all -- I'm starting the nursing saga all over again...

Congratulations!

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.

It may just be the 'getting used to it' first week. But keep an
eye on it for thrush. With DD1 I had cracked and bleeding
nipples for 3 weeks. We chalked it up to nursing problems,
but once I treated for thrush they cleared up. Especially if
you got antibiotics during labor.


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.

The LC with DD1 showed us how to do some suck training with her.
You put your finger in baby's mouth, nail side down and get him
sucking with the tongue down. We did it frequently to help her get
her tongue down. I used to do it before latching her on. Once
latched on (or while latching on if you are so co-ordinated) a little
pressure on baby's chin might help. You can also get better fish
lips doing that after latching.

DD2 seemed to have a much better latch but I still had the cracked
and bleeding nipples for about a week with her. Ibuprofen before
nursing helped, and the nursing "Soothies" that you put in the
fridge were very nice.

Good luck!

Mary W.