Introducing your new breast friend! Nope, that's not a typo, it's me trying to be clever ;)
I had heard over and over how helpful a lactation consultant could be, but with all the research and nosing I had done I didn't think I was going to need too much help. Boy was I wrong.
The second day after Eb was born I was already sore on one side. The sweet consultant who came to visit helped me get a better latch and encouraged me to take Eb off and start over until he was on right. She said improper latch was the biggest cause of Moms giving up. Without proper latch Moms end up with blisters (yep), cracks (ditto) and very painful nipples (that's me!). I had been bracing myself for a very painful experience, but once Eb was latched right it didn't hurt, and the consultant said if it did hurt something was probably wrong with your latch.
Once we had that figured out I didn't think I'd be seeing the lactation consultant again... I was wrong.
Along about 2-3 weeks I came down with mastitis (more on that to come!). At first I didn't know what was going on and was afraid I was getting the flu, but I was also having a lot of pain on one side all of the time and, in spite of trying to do everything right, I had sore nipples again - to the point of being tempted to give up. At Chris' urging I called the consultant and explained my symptoms. She confirmed that it sounded like mastitis and to call my practitioner for an antibiotic. After a few more questions she quickly discovered why I probably got mastitis and that my other symptoms (and Eb's frequent gas) were probably all connected and easily fixed by correcting some nursing issues.
Basically, once my milk came in (about 4-5 days after Eb was born) I was really full! This made it difficult for Eb to latch properly and in the process of trying he was injuring my nipple. That injury probably led to the infection and mastitis. Not only was this extra fullness causing a painful shallow latch, it also meant the Eb was getting full on fore-milk and not getting to the hind-milk (apparently your milk changes as the baby nurses, starting out more watery and getting a higher fat content toward the end). Fore-milk is digested fasted and has a higher lactose content than hind-milk and can cause a lot of painful gas for the baby if that's all he is getting. Apparently all of this is common and referred to as 'oversupply', and is fixed through several methods. One is pumping off some of the fore-milk before feeding baby so that its easier for him to latch and he gets to the hind-milk faster. Second is putting him back to the same side until it is all the way empty. I had been switching at every feeding and not letting him fully empty either side. Finally she told me about a concoction that I could use on my nipples to help speed healing and that was safe for Eb (mix one part neosporin, cortisone cream and miconazole on your finger and apply it after every feeding). After doing this for a week or so nipples were healed, mastitis was gone and Eb had much less gas! All those benefits from just one phone call!!!
Moral of the story - call that wonderful lactation consultant as soon as you have a bump in the nursing road! Even if you think you can tough it out, chances are you don't have to - most problems have a simple fix and talking to someone more experienced can help you find that fix!
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