OMG, the pain! The pain!

Ok, girls, I need serious help...

I'm about 5 weeks pregnant with #2, #1 will be one year old on Thursday
and is not ready to wean, and breastfeeding her HURTS. It hurts as bad
as it did when we first started nursing. I wince every time she
latches on, I suck in my breath and try not to swear whenever she
moves, and she bit me last night (with all eight of her beautiful
little teeth) and I really thought I was going to die. It doesn't help
that she likes to nurse funny (with me on my side on the bed, she likes
to nurse the top breast, sometimes while she's standing up!) and
occasionally she'll slip off. Owie owie owie! I've been trying to
limit this and/or hold her better so she doesn't take my nipple with
her...

I don't like to take a lot of pills (Tylenol, etc.) when I'm pregnant,
but I may have to! Does anyone have any suggestions? Lansinoh never
did a whole lot for me, and it's not a chafing issue, anyway. I can't
really think of anything that would help... Maybe orajel? Should I
just smear it on my boobs? Should I find one of those water bras, and
freeze the water parts, and wear that instead of a nursing bra?

Can't ask my OB - he would say, "Just wean her," like he did almost
year ago when he grudgingly wrote me a prescription for Reglan. *sigh*
HELP!!

Thanks!
Amy

"Amy Austin" wrote and I snipped:
I'm about 5 weeks pregnant with #2, #1 will be one year old on Thursday
and is not ready to wean, and breastfeeding her HURTS.
HELP!!

Ack. I feel your pain.

There's not much on kellymom to help:
http://www.kellymom.com/nursingtwo/f...renipples.html

but maybe _Mothering Your Nursing Toddler_ by Norma Bumgarner has more tips.
Unfortunately, I don't know what happened to my copy, or I'd look it up for
you. She definitely addresses ways to limit nursing acrobatics. I never
allowed it.

Perhaps those comfort gel discs that you cool and put in your bra would
help.

I think it will get better as you move further into your pregnancy.

-Patty, mom of 1+2

Amy Austin writes:
: Ok, girls, I need serious help...

: I'm about 5 weeks pregnant with #2, #1 will be one year old on Thursday
: and is not ready to wean, and breastfeeding her HURTS. It hurts as bad
: as it did when we first started nursing. I wince every time she
: latches on, I suck in my breath and try not to swear whenever she
: moves, and she bit me last night (with all eight of her beautiful
: little teeth) and I really thought I was going to die. It doesn't help
: that she likes to nurse funny (with me on my side on the bed, she likes
: to nurse the top breast, sometimes while she's standing up!) and
: occasionally she'll slip off. Owie owie owie! I've been trying to
: limit this and/or hold her better so she doesn't take my nipple with
: her...

: I don't like to take a lot of pills (Tylenol, etc.) when I'm pregnant,
: but I may have to! Does anyone have any suggestions? Lansinoh never
: did a whole lot for me, and it's not a chafing issue, anyway. I can't
: really think of anything that would help... Maybe orajel? Should I
: just smear it on my boobs? Should I find one of those water bras, and
: freeze the water parts, and wear that instead of a nursing bra?

: Can't ask my OB - he would say, "Just wean her," like he did almost
: year ago when he grudgingly wrote me a prescription for Reglan. *sigh*
: HELP!!

: Thanks!
: Amy

Caveat: These are predictions based on the experience of most
mothers who nursed while also pregnant.

Hmmmm. I think I talked about this when you asked about tandeming.
I will repeat myself. It is going to be hard for the first trimester
or so. You are probably facing the worst of it now, with it easing
slowly until the 13th week or so. It will then be rather easy sailing
until you start to dry up and you milk changes back to colostrum.
This could happen anywhere from 6 to 7 1/2 months. Monika was always
able to produce a couple of ounces, even at the end. However, around
7 to 8 months it will start to hurt again, building up until shortly
before birth. If you can get through this, than tandeming will be
easy. I still remember Monika talking about how much it hurt the
night she nursed Clara to sleep when she was in labor. Fortunately,
she only had to do that once.

So I can offer much in the way of practical advice any say that if you
can make it another 6 weeks, you should have soem respite before it
becomes difficult again.

Good luck,
Larry

Ooh! I feel for you!

I think usually the first 3 months of pregnancy are
the worst for that type of pain.

It can probably help using good positioning: that is,
have the child open her mouth as wide as possible and
put as much breast as possible into her mouth. It will
probably still hurt but maybe not as much.

Remember that you do have the right to refuse to
breastfeed. Under these circumstances I think it's
certainly reasonable for you to insist on whatever
is the best positioning for you. Greatly limiting
the time is also very reasonable. You can limit
nursing to only in a particular chair of your choice
that works best for you, for example (that she
can't easily fall out of).

You may find some useful suggestions in my article
"Mother-led Weaning/Tantrums"
linked near the bottom of my parenting page
http://www.ncf.ca/~an588/par_home.html

Maybe it would be nice if there were a hormonal
product you could smear on your nipples to
make them feel more like non-pregnant nipples
(though the child might be affected by it).
Maybe there's an herb that would do that.
I don't even know which hormones are involved.

Good luck.

Amy Austin wrote:
Ok, girls, I need serious help...

I'm about 5 weeks pregnant with #2, #1 will be one year old on Thursday
and is not ready to wean, and breastfeeding her HURTS. It hurts as bad
as it did when we first started nursing. I wince every time she
latches on, I suck in my breath and try not to swear whenever she
moves, and she bit me last night (with all eight of her beautiful
little teeth) and I really thought I was going to die. It doesn't help
that she likes to nurse funny (with me on my side on the bed, she likes
to nurse the top breast, sometimes while she's standing up!) and
occasionally she'll slip off. Owie owie owie! I've been trying to
limit this and/or hold her better so she doesn't take my nipple with
her...

snip

Well, I am currently nursing while pregnant. From about 5 weeks until
about 8-10 weeks was painful. Then it got better for a while and I was
thinking it wasn't going to be too bad. Then, about half way through,
my milk dried up, I couldn't hand express anything, so I assumed there
wasn't anything left. This period was excrutiating. But, thankfully,
because she wasn't actually getting anything, my daughter was willing
to just nurse for a few seconds and let go when I asked her to.
However, she is much older than your daughter (she was about 2.5 at the
time). This lasted about 3-4 weeks or so, although, at the time, it
seemed like forever. Once my milk switched to colostrum, the pain
improved significantly again and now at 35 weeks, it almost feels
normal.

Unfortunately, I have no advice on how to improve the pain. I just
used breathing techniques and relaxation techniques (much like labour)
to get through it. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Probably discouraging the acrobatics would help. I find that now it is
painful to nurse my daughter sitting up because we have only been
nursing laying down throughout this pregnancy, so that is what I am
used to now. But again, because my daughter was significantly older,
she was able to understand the limits I placed on nursing a bit more.

Anyway, this is not seeming encouraging, I think. But I hope it helps
you know that it should get better.

Good luck,
Stacey

If it helps at all, this is almost certainly temporary. I remember
last time thinking I just couldn't stand it another day and then it
felt better, all of a sudden, then got worse again toward the end.

I know she's young, but you can try limiting the length of sessions as
much as possible, and start insisting on good nursing manners and no
acrobatics.

Leslie

Amy Austin wrote:

Ok, girls, I need serious help...

I'm about 5 weeks pregnant with #2, #1 will be one year old on Thursday
and is not ready to wean, and breastfeeding her HURTS. It hurts as bad
as it did when we first started nursing.

Sorry, no advice, just sympathy. It was
HORRIBLE nursing Pillbug while I was pregnant
with Rocky. We ended up mutually weaning
after two months (just when the pain started
to lessen a bit).

-- Anita --

Amy Austin wrote:
Ok, girls, I need serious help...

I'm about 5 weeks pregnant with #2, #1 will be one year old on Thursday
and is not ready to wean, and breastfeeding her HURTS. It hurts as bad
as it did when we first started nursing. I wince every time she
latches on, I suck in my breath and try not to swear whenever she
moves, and she bit me last night (with all eight of her beautiful
little teeth) and I really thought I was going to die. It doesn't help
that she likes to nurse funny (with me on my side on the bed, she likes
to nurse the top breast, sometimes while she's standing up!) and
occasionally she'll slip off. Owie owie owie! I've been trying to
limit this and/or hold her better so she doesn't take my nipple with
her...

I don't like to take a lot of pills (Tylenol, etc.) when I'm pregnant,
but I may have to! Does anyone have any suggestions? Lansinoh never
did a whole lot for me, and it's not a chafing issue, anyway. I can't
really think of anything that would help... Maybe orajel? Should I
just smear it on my boobs? Should I find one of those water bras, and
freeze the water parts, and wear that instead of a nursing bra?

Can't ask my OB - he would say, "Just wean her," like he did almost
year ago when he grudgingly wrote me a prescription for Reglan. *sigh*
HELP!!

Thanks!
Amy



OH LORDY... i feel your pain honey... im not preggers but my son does
the lovely stand up sit down fight fight fight ritual while nursing...
he is now 18 months... i said id wait till he was a year but i cant
stand to hear his little cries when he says "Peas mommy... Urse!" so i
keep going... i actually just got over an infection in my breast where
my milk duct was clogged... my breast was red and swollen and i couldnt
even lift my arm it hurt so much... guess what the only way to get rid
of it was... it was to let my little climber, acrobat nurser nurse the
duct free... OUCH OUCH OUCH is all i have to say to that. perhaps you
could pump some and that will help her get used to taking your good
milk from a bottle... cuz pretty soon that belly will be in the way as
well.
best of luck
diana

Thanks, all, for the sympathy!! It helps to know that it will get
better. I'm using my labor breathing a lot lately. It seems to be
getting a little better, but maybe that's just because I'm getting used
to it?

I've been doing a lot of lying down nursing, because then I can rest.
I rarely nurse her sitting up anymore, and most of the nursing we're
doing is to get her to sleep - except for one real feed in the morning,
usually. So hopefully the belly won't get in the way too much.

I wish I could limit the amount of time she nurses, but generally it's
"until she's asleep" and until someone invents a way to make babies go
to sleep faster, I'm stuck. Her dad has been putting her to bed at
night, which has really helped. I can survive the naps (usually one or
two a day) if he takes the night shift.

Larry, thanks for letting me know that Monica continued to produce milk
throughout her pregnancy. I've worried a lot about drying up, and I'm
glad to know it isn't inevitable. After all the supply problems I had
in the beginning, I'm due for some good luck, supply-wise!! I doubt
they'd give me reglan while I'm pregnant. Are fenugreek and all the
other "herbal" remedies safe? I'll ask the doctor too, when we see him
in 3 weeks.

Thanks again, and I'll try the cool gel pads - great idea!!

Amy