Re: Re: Nursing - Melinda

[Guest guest]

Becky, I'm sorry you had such rough experiences, nursing and childbirth. From what you describe though, it sounds like you had a classic case of Reynaud's phenomenon on your nipples (Reynaud's is basically a poor circulation problem). I'm really surprised that no lactation consultant properly diagnosed the problem. There are things you could have done for it: warm compresses right after feeding, nifedipine (medication) to restore blood flow and take away the pain. When the time comes, if you email me privately, I'll do the research and find for you an experienced smart LC if you decide you want to try again.

Re: Nursing - Melinda

<<It's like the Nursing advocates PUSH really hard for it, but then when you end up against the challenges.. .. you are on your own (or that is how it was for me). They don't tell you how painful it can be. I'm not saying that to discourage anyone, but I think women need to know the truth, all the way around. I was in a fantasy world...I thought, I'm gonna nurse and that is it...boy was I wrong. I never imagined I'd end up with scabs on my nipples...OUCH! It's weird, nursing is so natural and yet, I found it so incredibly difficult. Again, I'm glad my boys got the Colostrum, but that is the best I could do. Hugs, Chelle>>

DITTO. I saw a total of 5 lactation consultants between my two babies and the last one was flipping through her nursing book, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Baby was latched "correctly" and I had plenty of milk, but I was practically out of my mind in PAIN every time I went to feed my baby. My nipple was literally shaped like a slanted tube of lipstick and WHITE in color, which would then flood to a dark purple after the baby came off the breast. She thought the baby was sucking so hard there was no blood getting to my nipple. Believe me, I felt it. It felt like shards of glass were in my baby's mouth. (I was treated for yeast because I demanded it, but it didn't help at all.) It was the most horrible, awful, drawn-out experience of having my newborns (and I had 24 hr. labor and 2 c-sections, no food for 60 hours, a catheter in for 48 hours) and made me feel emotionally like I was a terrible mother and inadequate woman (not that I needed any help with all my V issues). Double-pumped all day long like a cow, shed millions of tears, and lived in miserable pain just from shower water, sheets, or someone at church giving me a hug. The let-down was painful and breat pads suck because you can see them through your shirt. Milk soaking my nightshirt and dripping on my toes (because of course my breasts point down now) is gross but sleeping in a bra is not good for your breast tissue either. Plus I felt like I LOOKED like a cow because my breasts were so enormous. I normally wear a 34-Triple D cup anyway (UGH), so when I was breastfeeding, I had to wear a G cup. I felt so fat.

So I will not be attempting to breastfeed my next one. I HATE that my next baby won't get that immune-system boost. I hate that I won't have that same closeness. But I have to do what's right for my own body before I can take care of anyone else's.

Sorry to be so bitter! But it was rough.

Becky

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[Guest guest]

When I was a little girl we lived on a farm and my father would milk the cow

every day. One day I asked him if I could milk and he showed me how to do it.

He told me to squeeze the nipple and pull down on it. I tried and and tried and

for the life of me couldn't get any milk. I never did learn how to get milk

from the cow.

Thinking back I remember that I was squeezing and pulling down but if you

compare it to a balloon full of milk, you would need to actually squeeze the

milk out of the balloon, not merely squeeze it. I should have been pulling down

and squeezing, but I was doing it backwards - squeezing and pulling down.

Maybe some babies just suck on the nipple but don't get enough milk to get the

flow going and keep going. That can cause a lot of irritation to the nipple but

not get the proper results.

It is rather hard to describe and comparing it to a partially filled balloon is

the only way I know to do so.

Ora

On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:25:27 -0400, " Rosen "

wrote:

>Becky, I'm sorry you had such rough experiences, nursing and childbirth. From

what you describe though, it sounds like you had a classic case of Reynaud's

phenomenon on your nipples (Reynaud's is basically a poor circulation problem).

I'm really surprised that no lactation consultant properly diagnosed the

problem. There are things you could have done for it: warm compresses right

after feeding, nifedipine (medication) to restore blood flow and take away the

pain. When the time comes, if you email me privately, I'll do the research and

find for you an experienced smart LC if you decide you want to try again.

>