Breast feeding letters from readers.Readers may answer these
letters. Q & A, feedback and questions from moms and others about breastfeeding and
nursing babies and infants.
Q & A.
Letters, Feedback, Questions, Answers...
About Breast Feeding from Readers.
| Hi, I have been trying to breastfeed my
second child for 11 days now. Things are slowly improving but I'm looking for a little
more advice. I have had cracked/bleeding nipples and mastitis even though these problems
have nearly cleared up I'm still getting pain with most feeds-I average about 2 feeds a
day without pain - Yeh! I saw a Lactation Consultant who suggested I might have thrush
which seems to have almost cleared up also, my only other problem is too much milk which
is slowly settling down.
Alyssa, my baby, seems to have trouble getting on even if I express a little
before her feed and after 10 minutes of taking her off because of the pain she goes to
sleep and won't eat again for another hour or so. I am doing everything I can think of:
right positioning etc.
The lactation consultant suggested she was pulling off half way to try to
control the flow - her weight gain seems to be fine. Can you help?
I fed my first baby without any problems at all - why is it so hard this time?
ND |
Answer
ND
My second child is now 7 weeks old. I too, nursed my first child with
only a minimum of diffuculty. I suffered from mastitis during my first week
home, and cracked, very sore nipples for the first 3 weeks. My son still has
some difficulty latching on at this point, however all else is going well. My
lactation consultant told me that getting sore nipples from improperly
latching on--is a myth. Most mothers experience sore nipples. I had such
terrible pain during the first three weeks, I had to use my breathing
techniques in order to focus on something else whenever my son nursed. I also
bought a very good breast pump to relieve the engorgement. I have found that
doing Kegel exercises during this time was also a great way to distract myself
when the pain was otherwise unbearable. Depending upon your feelings about
taking pain relief, you might want to ask your ob/gyn or nursemidwife for a
perscription of Motrin and if you don't already have some Pure Lan (or similar
product) for the cracked nipples--get some! Tanactic acid, which is present
in ordinary tea bags, is also great for toughening up your nipples. Just let
the tea bags cool off and put them in your bra (tea stains so be careful).
The tea bag trick worked the best for me, but a combination of techniques is
probably best.
Just remember that you and your child are a team. Your teammate is doing
her part for the first time--so don't be too hard on yourself for having some
difficulty.
CDM
| Could you please tell me where I can find out more information
regarding the benefit of breast feeding in relationship to reducing the incidence of
insulin-dependent diabetes. Thank you for your help.
JR |
Answer
Whenever you need to know something specific about breastfeeding, try
contacting La Leche League International. You can call them at 1-800-laleche.
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