The soreness seems to be unrelated to the length of time your baby is at the breast or whether you prepared your nipples before birth.

Your nipples may remain a little sensitive for a few days after the birth. Fortunately, this problem tends to disappear quickly.

Try to find out what may be contributing to your discomfort, and make the necessary changes.

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Sore Nipples Possible Causes

1. The baby isn’t taking enough of the areola into her mouth or isn’t latching on correctly because

•    of the way she is positioned

•    the breast is engorged

•    the nipple is retracted

•    she has nipple confusion because of a pacifier or bottle

2. Your nipple is pulled out of shape on one side.

3. Your let-down reflex isn’t working well.

4. Your skin is not supple enough.

5. Your skin is sensitive.

6. Your baby has a strong suction.

7. If time passes, your nipples are still very sore and your areola is tingly or itchy, you could have a thrush infection. If so, your baby will probably have the same infection in his mouth. Both of you will need medical treatment.

Sore Nipples, What Can I Do?

What you do depends on what caused the problem.

1. Pay attention to the way you put your baby to the breast

•    is his head in the curve of your arm, his tummy against yours, and his bottom cupped in your hand?

•    is your nipple lying in the middle of his mouth, or is it pulled to one side?

•    Is your baby sucking just the nipple, or is he taking in the areola too?

•    Do you press on your breast with your finger, causing the nipple to tip up in the baby’s mouth?

2. Don’t use soap on the nipple or areola. it destroys the natural acidity of your skin, making the entire area less flexible and more brittle and encouraging cracks to develop.

3. Don’t wipe off the milk. Instead, allow milk and saliva to dry on the skin. Both have a softening, sterilizing effect.

4. Contrary to popular belief, women with sore nipples should nurse more often, not less. If the baby is put to breast more often, for shorter periods, he will not be starving at the beginning of the feed and will grip the breast with less intensity, When the baby nurses more frequently, he can grasp the nipple together with the areola more easily because the breasts are not as full. Women who breastfeed on demand have sore nipples half as often as women who feed on a 4-hour schedule.

5. The baby’s initial sucking before the milk lets down can be the most uncomfortable part of the breastfeeding process. You can relieve your child of this job by expressing a little milk by hand before the feeding. This way, he doesn’t need to suck as strongly at the beginning and can latch on to the breast more easily.

6. Put your baby to the nipple that is less sore first. The let down reflex will make the milk flow to both breasts, When she is moved to the sore breast, your baby won’t need to suck as strongly to get the milk.

7. If your let down reflex is not working well, your baby has to suck hard without getting good results. The strong sucking can hurt your nipples, which can inhibit the milk ejection reflex further, Then you need something to help you relax!

8. Alternate the positions you use to put the baby to the breast, to change pressure on the nipples.

9. Some women I know have had good experience using inexpensive plastic tea strainers to heal sore nipples. They cut off the handle and put the strainer over the nipple, inside the bra. The strainer lets air circulate, and the nipple heals in a couple of days. You may also use breast shells with air holes for this purpose.

10. Use breast pads made from natural fibers (for example, cotton and silk), Plastic liners may aggravate the situation.

11. Modified, purified, allergen-free lanolin can be left on the nipple during breastfeeding to heal cracks in the nipple. Vitamin A and D cream and vitamin E capsules also speed healing. A midwife I know with decades of experience has found the application of almond oil helps heal sore nipples quickly.

12. Centrally heated homes have low humidity and this dries out skin more easily. A humidifier can help.

13. If you start taking preventive or therapeutic measures for your sore nipples soon enough, you probably won’t have to interrupt breastfeeding at all.

14. Keep in mind that nipple problems are temporary.

Rose Water Compress
-  1 lb. (454g) cottage c
-  50m1 rose water
-  1 drop rose oil
-  1 drop each, sheep yarrow and chamomile blue essential oils, optional
Combine cooled ingredients and apply to breast.

14. If your cracked nipples seep a little blood into the breast milk, don’t worry it doesn’t hurt the baby, and you can continue breastfeeding. It looks worse than it is.

15. Use nipple shields during feeding only as a last resort, never to prevent a problem. Nipple shields cause many problems of their own.

16. Homeopathic remedies may aid healing. You might try one under the guidance of a specialist. Let the practitioner know you are breastfeeding. Some homeopathic remedies typically used in this situation are Castor .

17. You may want to try Bach Flower remedies. Could there be internal, spiritual reasons for the sore nipples? What might they be? A trained therapist may be able to help you choose an effective remedy based on your answer. Agrimony, Aspen, Beech, Centaury, Crab Apple, Heather, Holly, Larch or Pine might help.

18. Aromatherapy: Rose water inhibits infection and encourages healing. Cool, damp compresses placed on the breasts can be helpful. Try the recipe I like for a rose water compress appearing in the box above.

No related posts.

If your baby’s eyes shine, he has healthy skin and at least 6 to 10 wet diapers a day, then he is probably getting enough milk. If he is lively and gains weight steadily, his discomfort may come from something besides hunger.

Are you misinterpreting the baby’s crying as a hunger signal? (Very quiet babies risk not getting enough milk more often than do those who cry a lot) Are you interpreting the normal changes in your breasts (getting softer) as signs of insufficient milk?

There may be several possible explanations for this fear. Possible Causes:

1. Your milk production is not being stimulated sufficiently because

•    You and your baby are separated for long periods of time.

•    The hospital does not have a 24-hour rooming in policy.

•    Your baby’s hunger has been satisfied with supplementary formula (or glucose water) and he is less eager at the breast.

•    Your baby is often given a pacifier to satisfy him, so he demands the breast less often.

•    Your baby is too weak to suck at the breast right now.

•    Your baby is very sleepy or doesn’t announce his need to nurse often enough.

2. Your let down reflex is being affected by

•    stress, fatigue, insecurity or anxiety

•    ambivalent feelings about breastfeeding

•    tension in your household (for example, if your partner is opposed to breastfeeding)

3. Your baby is not correctly positioned at the breast .

4. Because of a growth spurt, your baby needs more of your breast milk. You can’t satisfy him until your milk supply increases to meet his new demand.

5. Your daily habits are influencing your milk production or the milk flow.

•    Do you rest often enough?

•    Are you taking medication, including birth control pills?

•    Do you smoke?

•    Do you drink alcohol ?

•    Are you doing too much or having too many visitors?

•    Are you drinking enough fluid ?

•    Are you eating well-balanced, nutritious meals ?

Although eating well does not generally affect your milk supply, it can positively affect your health and well being.

Increasing Breast Milk

1. Breastfeeding is a matter of supply and demand. The more you nurse, the more milk you will have. If your baby doesn’t ask to nurse often enough, you may have to wake him at certain intervals (for example, every two or three hours) for a while to “condition” the baby and your body.

2. Many babies are especially restless in the late afternoon. This restlessness may have nothing to do with breastfeeding and everything to do with too much activity or some new stimulus, Your baby may be “processing” the many impressions he had during the day.

3. If you have nursed your baby on both sides, go back and give him the first breast again before ending the session. Do this for a few feedings to increase your milk production.

4. If you can’t stimulate enough milk by the baby’s sucking, increase your milk supply by hand expressing or pumping .

5. Sometimes, between the sixth and tenth days, mothers worry they don’t have enough milk. There is some reason for this. Leaving the hospital, having total responsibility for the baby at home, maybe having a lot of visitors to the home who want to admire the baby all these create a stressful situation that coincides with the baby’s first growth spurt. It’s possible your milk supply is temporarily not meeting your baby’s needs. Don’t supplement! Instead, breastfeed more often. In 48 hours your breast milk production will increase.

6. You may be afraid you don’t have enough milk when you notice your breasts have gotten smaller and softer again. Don’t worry! It means the milk ducts have stabilized. The right amount of milk is being produced.

7. At 6 and at 12 weeks, babies have growth spurts. Follow the same advice as before: Breastfeed more often, don’t supplement, and your milk supply will increase again.

8. In many cases there is enough milk, but the let-down reflex isn’t working.  Try to find your inner balance through a massage, a warm shower, a foot bath, a warm drink, music, a comfortable atmosphere, harmonizing fragrances, breathing and relaxation exercises, or visualization exercises to “nurture” the breast and release the milk flow. Allow yourself times of quiet and contemplation to “turn off.”

9. Find a doula to help during your first days with your baby. Spend a day or a weekend in bed and let yourself be nurtured, even spoiled, without feeling guilty.

10. Arrange for outside help for your household.

11. Find support from a breastfeeding group or from other nursing mothers in your area. You can even find support over the telephone or on the Internet.

12. If something worries you, talk with someone you trust a friend, minister or rabbi, therapist or counselor. “Getting it off your chest” may bring relief.

13. As soon as your baby gets a bottle, the weaning process begins. Your milk supply will be reduced, Even glucose water spoils the baby’s appetite for mother’s milk. The fine balance of supply and demand is disturbed. If you have already given one or more bottles and want to reverse the trend, gradually replace the formula feedings, one at a time, with breast milk. If you have decided to continue to offer formula at certain meals and nurse at other feedings, there may be a consequence: Your baby may suck less and less well at the breast as a result.

14. Be sure you get enough fluid (more than two quarts or liters a day) and eat a balanced diet (rich in calcium, protein and vitamin B-12). Many women can increase their milk supply by drinking milk-enhancing teas (three to six cups a day) or by taking a vitamin B rich, brewer’s yeast supplement.

15. Above all: Have faith you can increase your milk production at will. You can do it

16. You might try a homeopathic remedy under the guidance of a specialist. Let the practitioner know you are breastfeeding. Some homeopathic remedies typically used in this situation are Bryonia C6, Calcium Carbonate C6, Ignatia C6, Pulsatilla C6 and Zincum metallicum C6.

17. You may want to try Bach Flower remedies. Ask yourself what emotional condition might be inhibiting your milk production or flow. A trained therapist may be able to help you choose an effective

remedy based on your answer. Plausible remedies for this situation include: Agrimony, Cerato, Clematis, Crab Apple, Elm, Holly, Hombeam, Impatiens, Larch, Olive, Pine, Rock Water or Star of Bethlehem.

18. Aromatherapy may help. To stimulate milk production, you can make a massage oil with which to gently massage your breast.  While your baby is still a newborn, do not apply the oil to your breast
too close to feeding time, because the fragrance will be too strong for the baby’s sensitive nose. Also, avoid rubbing the oil into the nipple and areola.

Related posts:

1. Breast Milk Pumping
2. Dealing with Breast-Feeding Problems
3. When It Is Better Not To Breastfeed

Today we know breastfeeding is possible in all these cases and even with hepatitis B (with some limitations). We realize even tiny, premature babies, who were once thought to be unable to drink from the breast, can do so, 

Mother’s milk is even more crucial for them than it is for mature babies. Very rarely, babies have to be fed with a mother’s milk substitute because of galactosemi an inability to digest lactose.

There may also be situations in which breastfeeding is contraindicated on the mother’s side.

These situations may include:

-  when she needs to take medication that is absolutely contraindicated for the baby is better not to breastfeed

-  if she has AIDS  better not to breastfeed

-  mental illness or other serious illnesses that weakens mother so much she cannot care for her baby better not to breastfeed

-  current drug use or drug-treatment therapy, such as methadone, that could get into the breast milk better not to breastfeed

If more than two years have passed since a woman has had successful treatment for tuberculosis, it is generally OK to breastfeeding. All medical and psychological reasoning speaks in favor of breastfeeding. This makes some mothers feel they have to breast feed otherwise they won’t be an “ideal mother,” Pressuring our selves this way can backfire.

It can lead to tension in the relationship with our child. That greatly burdens breastfeeding. Children have sensitive “antennas.” They can sense their mom’s reluctance very well, and they will respond with reluctance of their own. Sometimes they even go on strike! Perhaps you decided to try breastfeeding despite genuine ambivalence about it. If so, difficulties and an inner resistance may crop up.

At that point, you might ask yourself:

-  What messages were passed to me about breastfeeding?

-  How influenced am I by the people in my environment who want to talk me out of breastfeeding or who may even ridicule me?

-  Am I torn between my child and my partner, who may be openly jealous?

-  Does the closeness, the intimate contact with my baby during nursing confuse me and create a conflict for me? As a result, do I have trouble letting myself simply enjoy my child?

-  Is it difficult for me to “give myself” to my baby as a source of food and comfort? Where could that reluctance come from?

-  Am I afraid my baby is taking something away from me, is “draining” me?

Or:

-  Do your breasts hurt so much that you become tense during breastfeeding? Has this reaction burdened your mutual relationship too much and for too long?

-  Has your baby possibly become used to a bottle and now finds it easier to drink from a bottle than from the breast (maybe throwing a fit whenever you try to feed him)? If so, has this undermined your self confidence?

You may only have to deal with a few “technical” breastfeeding problems. Or you may be bothered by emotional problems primarily, which frequently turn into technical problems. You can find help to overcome these problems from a La Leche League Leader, by attending a support group or by talking to a counselor or therapist if you suspect the problem is more deeply rooted.

In some cases, a woman may offer her baby better mothering if she isn’t breastfeeding. Don’t demand something of yourself that overtaxes you (and your child), To decide, look deep inside yourself look at your vulnerabilities and strengths, assess your present situation with a clear mind and an honest heart.

If the circumstances are too difficult to overcome, it may be better for you to feed your baby lovingly by bottle. If that restores peace and harmony, then it will be better for you to bottle  feed halfheartedly with anguish to both of you. Since I’ve stopped breastfeeding after weeks of struggling, I’ve been able to have an anxiety-free, loving relationship with my child for the first time.

Make a well considered decision, and then stand by it. Above all, free yourself from unrealistic expectations and guilty feelings that create new problems. As important as breastfeeding is, the quality of your relationship with your child, and his relationship to you, is even more important.

Related posts:

1. Increasing Breast Milk

It requires relatively little effort or cost to manufacture. The most distinct difference between cow’s milk and mother’s milk is that cow’s milk is suited for cows and the development of a baby calf. Mother’s milk is composed of things suitable for a human infant.

There are many, many identifiable proteins, enzymes, and other minerals in breast milk that help sustain, protect and grow the babies who drink it. Breast milk also contains many as yet unknown components. Infant formula is created to resemble mother’s milk. But we will see it is a poor substitute for the real thing. What’s in mother’s milk, and what are its advantages?

Water

Human milk consists mainly of water: All its other ingredients are dissolved in water. Breast milk preserves an ideal, flexible relationship between water and its other ingredients. For example, the first milk the baby gets at a feed is watery and thirst quenching, while milk toward the end of a feed is creamier and more filling . An exclusively breastfed child doesn’t usually need additional fluid, even in hot weather, as long as she is put to the breast sufficiently and her mother takes in sufficient fluids herself. (A mother would have to be seriously dehydrated to affect her milk supply.)

Protein

The main proteins in milk are called casein and lactalbumin. Casein is a protein that curdles coarsely (it’s the basis for yogurt, kefir,cottage cheese and other cheeses); lactalbumin, on the other hand, is a much smoother protein similar to the clear, water like part of cow’s milk that separates from the curd. In cow’s milk, the casein to lactalbumin ratio is higher than it is in mother’s milk. That means cow’s milk based formula has a lot more coarse, curdling milk protein than mother’s milk does. Casein sticks together in the baby’s stomach and is much harder to digest than the finer lactalbumin. Because of this clumping tendency, formula companies dilute, homogenize and add emulsifiers to infant formula.

Even so, we observe that bottle-fed babies are more prone to digestive problems such as stomach gas and constipation. Apparently a newborn can only partially digest cow’s milk protein; the remainder is eliminated in the form of large stools. Because human milk is fully absorbed by babies, breastfed babies gain more weight on less breast milk than they would if they were fed the same amount of formula. The large amount of lactalbumin in mother’s milk makes it easier to digest, and it empties more quickly from the baby’s intestines. For this reason, it is normal for breastfed babies to be hungry sooner than bottle fed babies; in the beginning, every two to three hours.

Fat

About half the nutritional value of mother’s milk lies in its fat content. Fat is especially important to the newborn because it is used to develop new nerve cells. Mother’s milk has many more unsaturated fatty acids than formula does, Fatty acids are particularly indispensable to an infant. They are critical for digestion, protection against infection and possibly intelligence. Infant formula adds vegetable oil in an effort to duplicate the fatty acid combinations in mother’s milk. This oil cannot make formula the same as the species-specific, healthful milk you produce for your baby.

Carbohydrates

between breast milk and formula can be made up to some extent by adding lactose and other types of sugar to cow’s milk based formula. However, some other carbohydrates present in human milk, such as the bifidus factor, are absent in cow’s milk and cannot be Milk sugar (lactose) is present in different amounts in both mother’s milk and cow’s milk. This carbohydrate is the second most important energy source for the baby. The difference in lactose content duplicated in formula.

This beneficial substance is necessary for the growth of lactobacillus bifidus, which helps protect the baby’s intestines from disease producing bacteria (such as certain coli types and streptococci families). It also protects against infant enteritis (inflammation Medical literature describes epidemics of infant enteritis before the discovery of antibiotics. These cases were only brought under control by feeding the affected babies fresh, untreated mother’s milk.

Minerals

Levels of sodium, calcium and magnesium are many times higher in cow’s milk than in mother’s milk. Infant formula companies artificially try to reduce these levels, but they cannot duplicate the exact mineral composition present in mother’s milk. These minerals may be low in mother’s milk, but they are still better absorbed by the breastfed baby than are the same minerals in infant formula.

Vitamins and Iron

During pregnancy, deposits of vitamins A, D, E and K are  stored in the mother s body. For a healthy woman who nourishes  herself sensibly this supply is often enough to cover most of her baby’s entire  vitamin requirement during the coli bacteriat. Mother’s milk contains relatively little iron, but it does contain the enzyme lactoferrin, which binds itself to iron in the baby’s body.

Lactoferrin permits the baby to absorb at least half of all iron present in the mother’s milk. Without lactoferrin, which is not in cow’s milk, a baby absorbs just a fraction of the iron available in his food, even if this food has added iron! In the first six to nine months of life, a full term baby still has the large iron reserve he got from his mother during the pregnancy. The small amount of iron he receives through his mother’s milk is enough in this early period.

Antibodies
In the womb, the baby receives antibodies against germs and organisms to which his mother has been exposed. These are called immunoglobulins certain kinds of protein. The time immediately after birth is critical for the baby; The antibodies he receives from his mother during pregnancy are available, but start to disappear. He can’t produce his own antibodies yet. His immune system gradually matures in the first year of life. Breastfeeding is ideal for bridging this critical phase. It continues to protect him with his mother’s antibodies.

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