This is for my cousin again. Since you were all so great with the c-section question. She has inverted nipples and so the baby can't latch on. She is not producing much milk right now any way but would like to breastfeed the baby. Don't ask me why she didn't know about the inverted nipples until now.. I guess she never thought about it. She is trying to use a mechanical pump but that is not too easy with her being post c-section.
Any ideas/suggestions from those of you who have been there would be greatly appreciated! Any ideas for a possible baby #2 nursing will be welcome for me to tuck away in my memory. Thank you as always, moms!!
The good news is she can breastfeed quite successfully long term with nipple shields. They are now made of soft silicone that don't cause the problems they did in past years. It does require some teaching however. I would be glad to help. Pumping may help also to break down the adhesions that cause inversion.
If she would like to speak with me please have her email me off line or via www.thenestingplace.net or call me.
K. @ The Nestingplace
RN, IBCLC
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L.S.
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Congratulations to your cousin! I didn't have inverted nipples, but did have other issues. Have her get in contact with her local La Leche League's leader to discuss the problem and see if she has any suggestions or knows a good lactation consultant who might help. LLL is free and the meetings are invaluable especially if you are running into problems nursing. I found the advice I got was far better than anything I got from most medical staff. I also found these links from www.kellymom.com (a really great resource for breastfeeding) that might help:
I also had great success using a nipple shield. My daughter absolutely would not latch on, even with trying to squish my nipple and putting it in her mouth. We tried and tried, believe me! (I even pumped for 5 minutes to stimulate let-down, then tried to have her latch on to no avail, then I'd pump for 15 minutes and give her the milk in a bottle.) When I finally learned about a nipple shield, I was over-joyed!! A lactation consultant came over and helped me learn how to use it, and before the lactation consultant left the house, my daughter was breastfeeding!! The nipple shield was a God-send!! I tried periodically to have my daughter latch on without the nipple shield, but ended up having to use it for 4 months. After that, my nipples must have been formed better and my daughter was a pro at breastfeeding. I ended up breastfeeding her for 8 more months without the nipple shield.
I bought my nipple shield at Babies R Us. Here's more info. on it:
I had this problem with my first. You can use silicone breast/nipple shields in the beginning. It helps pull out the nipple. A warning though - tell her to try and switch off of them as soon as possible, because it can cause the milk supply to decrease over time, and my daughter never could switch to just a normal breast because I didn't try soon enough. I would also suggest a lactation consultant if she's unsure. Her hospital can probably refer one to her.
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K.D.
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I had the same problem. The hospital or docotor gave me a small latex almost cone like that cups around your nipples to give the baby a better grip. It worked great, i guess my body adjusted and after a week or so i did not have to use anymore. the hospital will give them to you, sure you can buy them somewhere to, think they are called nipple sheilds. Did wonders, I breastfed for a 8 months and only used those for a matter of days.
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M.F.
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This happened to a friend. She used the nipple shields successfully for weeks, maybe even months, then transitioned off of them for a successful year of nursing. It's hard to get anything out when using a pump at first. I remember the frustration of working so hard to get a half ounce!
When pumping, it was best to sit in the rocking chair in the hospital room. The more upright she can sit, the better.
Also, you have to pump for 20 min or so to be effective.
She should definitely get with a lactation consultant or La Leceh league person ASAP. Regardless of the C-section, learning to breastfeed can be hard work. It really doesn't come natural to most women. If she can get help right away, and hang on for a couple weeks through the learning period, it will pay off in the long run.
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G.A.
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I also had inverted nipples and never knew. I did not know what to do and the nurses in the hospital did not know. I had a nurse come out regularily to check up on us. We used a soft regular bottle nipple on top of my nipple. The idea was to keep cutting the end off until he took me. But what I found with my second child was that if you just smash the breast and shove it in the babies mouth they will take it. My daughter had no trouble nursing. I also think that when he was circumsized that he was gone a long day and they bottle fed him and he just did not want the breast. My daughter did both no problem. I produced just enough and not to much and bottle fed when it was not convienient to nurse. Just hold the breast and sweeze it into a pile between the thumb and first finger then force it in. Once they learn then it will come out for them. My breast do not look any different then any except not big and mostly flat no nipple. G. W Hope this helps
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C.M.
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My sister in law had this problem as well, at the hospital they gave her a nipple shield to put over her nipple to nurse the baby. Her baby could not latch on either unless she had this on. She struggled with it for about two months but finally they both got used to it and she could nurse without the shield. For some reason her nipples got inverted after she delivered but after a couple of weeks of using the shield they went back to normal. She was determined to breastfeed and never gave up, it was a struggle but she stuck with it and now he is so glad she did. Good luck.
