breastfeeding experiences?

The midwives are correct. While mild soreness is common even if everything is going well (it's a new skill for mother and baby, and takes some time to master) severe soreness/cracking always means that baby isn't latching correctly. Sometimes just one bad latch can cause a crack. When the LC then checks the latch the next day, everything may look fine, and BE fine, but it takes some time for the sore or cracked spot to heal. Also, there are sometimes issues with the baby -- tongue tie or a high palate can make it hard for baby to latch well.

I would encourage you to take some time to educate yourself about breastfeeding. Get some good books and read them. Take a class if one is offered. Then, when baby is born, get help from the start to be sure that baby is latching well. Then, commit to sticking with it. If you have problems, seek help. DON'T be tempted to give a bottle early on. (Did you give ANY bottles before you gave up completely? Too often mom gives 'just one bottle' because she is sore or baby is nursing 'too often' or she's worried about weight loss, or grandma/hospital nurses pressure her to let them give a bottle 'so you can get some rest.' And that one bottle can lead to poor latch and downward spiral.

Commit to sticking with it for 6 weeks. If, after that point you are still having issues (very unlikely...) you can resassess.

Typically nursing pain is from improper positioning or latching but when all that is fine it can still hurt! I had a lactation consultant who really helped me. Sometimes my nipples would be chapped and sore but I never had much more pain than that but I think thats more due to mind over matter. I just ignored the pain and kept going-you do what you have to do to do whats best for your baby. My daughter is 2 1/2 and has NEVER had that formula nonsense and my second is on the way. I know I'll get thumbs down for this, but I'm 100% against formula. Nursing is what our bodies were designed to do and you can do it! Just mind over matter and good luck!

My son wouldn't latch for anything. To add too it he wanted immediate gratification. Breastfeeding only lasted a month. And at that a miserable month. With my daughter the first 3-4 days was tuff. Not horrible, but tuff. I still got sore with her, but with some lanolin it healed. And now it's been almost 7 months and it only hurts when she bites. LOL

Breast feeding is truly all about the latch. The positioning is key in the early months when the babies are too little. But once a baby is able to control their head a little positioning isn't as critical.

My mother breastfed my sister for 3 months without problems and me for 2.5 months and had bleeding cracked nipples and had to stop.

I breastfed my first for 9 months without problems, my nipples were sore the first few days or weeks but they got used to it and I'm currently breastfeeding my son who is a week old, I had very little pain the first few times and its better already. I had to stop breastfeeding my first because I needed medication. You need patience though and nipple cream helps a lot as well, start using it during your pregnancy already.

I had a truly bad time with my daughter. She refused to latch for the first almost 3 months. I had to pump and give her expressed milk but then she finally was able to latch and started nursing. Ive had a few times where it hurt pretty bad and one time she bit me pretty bad so she couldn't nurse from that side for 3 days (it hurt too much) and its thrown my supply off on that side.

But other than abnormal troubles we've had a pretty good breastfeeding experience, usually no pain.

If it hurts that bad, then baby isn't latched right. After having fed two babies and feeling good latch vs bad latch i can tell you it's common. I know with my youngest ( who is now not quite 4 weeks old) i had cracks. I KNEW he wasn't altched right even though he looked like it. I worked with it and eventually got it right. the dfference it night and day. sometimes its their tongue positioning too. it's normal for it to be a little uncomfortable but not crack and bleed.

My daughter is 2months and 1 week and it's still healing.

I had cracked nipples, engorgement, mastitis twice, and a huge crack even still right now that one day seems to be healing and the next day it looks the same. lol But i'm still hanging in there. I love nursing my little one and would not give it up for anything!!

I breastfed my son until eventually he weaned himself at twelve months previous. I had subjects with him latching on using inverted nipples, I had to apply a nipple shield for 5 weeks and then he ultimately began latching on himself :) It replaced into painful in the commencing up, not insufferable, regardless of if it does make you sore the 1st day or 2, fairly in case you're nevertheless getting to grasp the thank you to get the toddler to latch on. I enjoyed it plenty <3 I felt like i replaced into bonding with my son and it delivered me nearer to him. I cried whilst he weaned himself :( and that i produced a great form of milk lol, i'd desire to have fed an entire military! x) I additionally had a ton of colostrum that I pumped the day after my son replaced into born, i replaced into informed that maximum females purely produce some drops of colostrum, yet I produced approximately 4 oz. lol. all human beings is distinctive regardless of the shown fact that, if it quite is something you strongly prefer to do then do not supply up <3 those 5 weeks of having to apply a nipple shield have been the toughest 5 weeks of my life, regardless of if it replaced into completely nicely worth it!

That is the beauty of mother hood. I suggest get a breast pump. Its still just as good. Its ur breast milk. Good luck:)