breastfeeding mothers help please…..?
My little daughter is 4 days old today. and i already have sore breasts! my nipples are bleeding and my breasts are hard as a rock…. today i noticed a nodule in my underarm… is this due to engorgement????
i pumped, cause my breasts were tooo heavy, but the nodule is still there…! what is this??
i think she’s latching on properly, but why are my nipples soooo sore and bleeding? what can i do to relieve the pain?? i do use linsolin on my nipples… it does keep them soft and hydrated but what can i do to be able to continue breastfeeding??
please help me….
Ohhhh…I have been there. The first few days are the most uncomfortable. When your body decides to make milk, it makes enough to feed the whole Nicu. I went from an A cup to a DD during a one hour nap a couple of days after I had my son. And I also had the hard nodes under my arms. It’s milk ducts that are happily over-producing…there is no need to be concerned, and your body will figure all of this out in a few days.
Most of the discomfort I experienced was caused by engorgement…which is a fancy way of saying that my daintly little teacup breasts were now housing half gallons of milk. 
The good news is, after you feed your baby, you can pump off the rest. Your baby is the best ‘breast pump’ known to man, so even those under the arm ducts will get emptied out and will figure out quickly that their help is not needed. You’ll get more comfortable soon. In the mean time, use heat or cool packs for your comfort.
The nipple pain is probably caused by your baby latching on to just the tip. I think it’s too soon to be concerned about thrush. More than likely, it’s latch related. Call the hospital or your OB, and get a referral for a lactation consultant, or if you have a close friend who has breastfed, maybe she can help you with learning how to latch your baby on where it won’t hurt. The baby should have the entire nip, and some (some books say ‘all’) of the areola (darker ring around nip) in their mouth when they latch. Your nips will heal up quickly if your baby is latching correctly, but it will be uncomfortable for a few days.
It will get better and eaiser, I promise. As long as you have your lansinoh, some good breast pads to absorb leaking milk, and some patience. You’ll be thankful in a few weeks that you hung in there! And your baby will be lovin’ all that great milk you’re making. You’re lucky, as some Mama’s struggle with milk production, and that is way frustrating.
For the nipple pain, I would try fresh Aloe. It has natural and incredible pain relieving and healing properties. Take fresh leaf and split it open along one side, exposing the inside gel. Put that puppy on your nip, and hold it in place with your breast pad/bra. You should feel instant relief. Aloe is completly edible and safe, but it is kind of bitter tasting, so you’ll want to wash it off with a warm washcloth before feeding baby.
P.S. Mastitis is when a milk duct becomes clogged, and it can get hard, infected and warm to the touch. I’ve had this too, but I really think yours is just engorgement/overproduction, which is totally normal. Thrush is a naturally occuring yeast that can overgrow and usually causes white dots and splotches on baby’s toungue and inner cheeks. Mama can also get it on her nips, which may cause redness and cracking. But this early on, I think it’s a latch related problem.