Breastfeeding frustrations?
2008-3-1 17:14:34 by Skinskin
im super worried i will no longer be able to breastfeed my son. he is 3 1/2 wks old and has developed thrush. hes had it for about a week now and it seems better in him but my nipples are killing me. they were sensitive and pink when he got diagnosed but they're worse now, the skin is peeling etc. I've been using nipple cream for cracked dry nipples and canesten cream for the yeast infection, but it is SOOOOO painful feeding him. literally, i did not even experience anything close to this pain even when i began breastfeeding him. it's like a sharp pain, and the friction from his sucking on my raw skin stings like crazy. i feel so bad because i want to breastfeed him sooo badly its the healthiest thing i can provide him with but im scared that if this continues, my milk will dry up or he'll refuse my nipple because i can't feed him longer than 40 min-1 hr each feeding and he's still hungry so we've been supplementing with formula :( i cant even pump, i only yield an ounce or two
Breastfeeding frustrations?I've had problems with my first and started her on the bottle which ended up being the only way of feeding her and made me feel very sad. My third, a boy, also had a very difficult time. My nipples were so sore I wanted to cry. I called a lactation consultant to come to my home. It cost me about 150 dollars, but was so worth it. She spent the entire morning with me, showed me different ways of latching him on and it worked. After 4 weeks of tearing out my hair and crying, she solved my problem. Of course, your situation seems a bit worse because of the infection. Once your son realizes how easy the bottle is, he might not want to breastfeed anymore. I would seek a consultant right away. See what you can do about the sore nipples and his thrush. I wish you well. Hang in there. It is so worth it to breastfeed.