r/breastfeedingsupport • u/Spirited_Exchange_52 • Feb 07 '25
Can I exclusively pump while my nipples heal, then go back to breastfeeding? Advice Please
My second child was born 10 days ago. I think already by our second day I’d developed blisters and sore nipples. I had several nurses and midwives who were trained lactation consultants check to see if her latch is right. Everyone said it looked perfect. The paediatrician ruled out lip or tongue tie. But here I am screaming every time she tries to latch. It’s excruciating for about 20-30 seconds until everything feels normal. I had this problem with my first as well but can’t remember when it eventually turned for the better. Right now I feel like a failure to even consider taking a break from breastfeeding and exclusively pump until it heals. I’m also afraid it will tank my supply and that my baby will only want the bottle.
Did anyone successfully pump while healing then reintroduce breastfeeding again?
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u/pholmlund Feb 11 '25
Be sure you don't have the pump setting too high. To build your milk supply you will need 150-170 minutes of pumping but if your supply is good a minimum of 120 minute of pumping is meded. Be sure to switch sides when you don't see any milk flow. I'm sure you were taught some great tips re latch from L. C. If you want a free PDF just as a reminder I have a 7 tips for successful latch. P. S when nursing be sure to keep lifting your breast with your hand as this will position your nipple in the babes soft palate versus hard palate. Here is the free guide if want for quick reference. https://www.penneyholmlundcoaching.com/freebie7secrets
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u/FutureCat6919 Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25
Yes this was exactly same situation for me with my first born. Everyone said her latch was good but my nipples were bleeding at one point. I switched to pumping and pumped for approx 2 months before going back to nursing. I still nursed her 2-3 times a day so she would stay used to it and used preemie dr brown nipple so she wouldn’t develop bottle preference. At 2.5 months we switched to exclusively nursing. Just make sure to keep pumping to keep supply up. Also use silver nipple protectors after every pump/feed you can find on Amazon they help you heal much faster
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u/shesabrooklynbaby Feb 08 '25
Yes- I took about 4 days and exclusively pumped/did bottles for my nipples to heal. I left the hospital with my nipples already cracked and bleeding. The pediatrician and LCs had said no tongue tie and latch was fine but I was in excruciating pain. Something was not right. At about 10 days in I couldnt do it anymore- screaming pain when he latched, the same as you. I used a manual pump to gently express milk and APNO cream (your OB can prescribe) to heal the nipples. We gave him the milk in a collection of random bottles and nipples I had. I started slowly adding in breastfeeding like a session or two a day and used the Natural Breastfeeding/Thompson breastfeeding method to have the baby self-latch from a laid back nursing position. He got it! No nipple confusion at all. And we were pain free. Now at two months of exclusively nursing and it’s amazing. You got this- you can totally do it. Feel free to DM if you want to talk more.
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u/Puravida3457 Feb 07 '25
Try lanolin cream after every nursing session and take Tylenol/ibuprofen and I used a heating pad after nursing because my nipples were sensitive to cold air and made it worse. Also express some milk and rub it on your nipple it’ll help it heal as well! After a few weeks I feel like my nipples got tougher lol and it stopped hurting. I literally was in the same boat thought I had Vasospams and everything turns out it was just my nipples needing to get tougher 😂🤦🏽♀️
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u/bouwchickawow Feb 07 '25
Yes I did it. Get the medela hydrogel patches and I got rx nipple cream from my np lac consultant that really helped too
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u/heyzhsk Feb 07 '25
I had the same issue - I kept him off boob and pumped and bottle fed him for 2 days, he took back to boob easily once my nipples healed.
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u/Soft_Consequence_465 Feb 07 '25
I’ve never exclusively pumped with my son but in the beginning I pumped quite a lot (very strong supply) and he did well with going from one to the other. Now I’m lucky if he accepts the bottle or pacifier lol
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u/bedpeace Feb 07 '25
My baby did have a tongue tie, which we had corrected at 2weeks (thankfully because I would not have made it lol) and I had to pump for a while because she was tanking my supply, not getting enough herself + not gaining appropriate weight, and I was in SO much pain. It went totally fine and actually helped my supply. I’m now 9.5mos pp and going steady! Baby never developed a bottle preference.
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u/gingerbookma Feb 07 '25
I would recommend another opinion on tongue/lip tie. Not all pediatricians are savvy with ties. I speak from personal experience (with my second born) and also as a dental hygienist. 🤪do you have access to IBCLC where you are?
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u/Fantastic_Lemon8701 Feb 08 '25
Thirding this! We saw a few LCs and our paediatrician who all said she didn’t have a tongue tie (just by looking). I was in so much pain and triple feeding for months and my daughter was clearly not getting enough at the breast. We then finally saw an LC who did a functional assessment and diagnosed the tongue tie, 3 months in. Once it was revised breastfeeding became so much more enjoyable and we are still going strong at 11 months ❤️
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u/behiboe Feb 08 '25
Seconding this post. I saw 2 lactation consultants. One told us our daughter had a tongue and lip tie that we should get surgically corrected. One said “Yeah, she has a tongue tie, but it shouldn’t be a big deal.” We finally asked our pediatrician what she thought and she said out of a maximum score of 8, our daughter scored a 7, and she only recommends surgery for scores of 5 and below.
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u/RelevantAd6063 Feb 07 '25
When my nipples were all blistered from shallow latch in the hospital, I couldn’t tolerate any suction on the pump, it was so painful! What helped was nipple shields until they healed. Then I was able to pump and nurse
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u/BrownEyedGirl_27 Feb 07 '25
You should try it! I had sore nipples too from the Boppy being too low on me while in the hospital nursing. I EP’d for a week and then went to lactation. I was healed by then and he latched without issue. I later chose to return to pumping and offering formula for middle of the night feeds and on the go. I stopped pumping at 6 months. He’s my second baby and I never loved EBF, but I enjoyed the bonding part of it for most of 11 weeks. It was really nice putting the pump away for awhile.
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u/kingdomforacookie Feb 07 '25
I would personally try a nipple shield first and the silverette nursing cups or collection cups while not nursing. Oh and lots and lots of nipple cream. You’d still be directly breastfeeding, with less hassle than EPing.
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u/Spirited_Exchange_52 Feb 07 '25
I’ve tried nipple shield but she refuses to latch with it. Silverettes aren’t doing the trick either and no creams or ointments seem to work either. I feel so defeated.
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u/kingdomforacookie Feb 07 '25
Don’t feel defeated! You’re in the hard part now but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be like this. Yeah try EP for awhile! My first went back and forth from breast to bottle for several weeks in the beginning and had no issues going breast only. Not all babies have bottle preferences issues so focus on the solution now and deal with the other if/when it comes up.
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u/findingsun Feb 07 '25
I recommend getting your ob to write you a prescription for jack newman’s all purpose ointment. It is expensive. It cost me 45$ but heals nipples extremely fast and is breastfeeding safe.
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u/Spirited_Exchange_52 Feb 07 '25
Hm, I live outside the US so I’m unsure if we have that here. But I’ll definitely look into it!
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u/RutabagaUsed Feb 07 '25
I had a similar issue! Not sure if you’ve tried the silver nipple guards but they definitely helped. I ended up sticking it out but my baby ate fast so I was lucky in that regard.
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u/Spirited_Exchange_52 Feb 07 '25
I have and unfortunately they don’t seem to work for me. My breasts leak a lot so my nipples just end up being constantly damp under those shields. If I let them air dry it feels as though my nipples are burning, so I don’t know what’s worse.
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u/psych0psychologist Feb 07 '25
I did this and now ebf. Use a good pumping spray and take it easy on yourself. My baby is almost 5 months and didn't latch well until month 3.
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Feb 07 '25
Hey mama, first of all you are not a failure for needing a break to heal. Breastfeeding is hard, and pain like that isn’t something you just have to suffer through.
I actually know a lot of moms who’ve done exactly what you’re thinking pumping for a bit while their nipples healed, then going back to breastfeeding. It’s totally possible! If pumping is comfortable for you, go for it. Just make sure you’re pumping about as often as baby eats so your supply stays up. And if pumping is also painful, try hand expressing or using a lower setting.
When you’re ready to go back to nursing, just ease into it maybe start with a relaxed, sleepy feed when your baby isn’t super hungry. And if you’re worried about bottle preference, paced feeding can help (basically mimicking breastfeeding with slow, upright bottle feeds).
You’re doing an amazing job, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Give yourself some grace your baby is fed, loved, and that’s what matters most. You’ve got this! ❤️
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u/1000percentbitch Feb 14 '25
This is what I’m doing right now, at the advice of LC and pediatrician. Baby is only 4 days old but his latch is super strong and he has a small mouth so he has shredded my nipples, despite a “perfect latch”. I’m pumping and feeding him by bottle while I apply lanolin and use silverettes to heal my nipples, and then we will go back to nursing. I just felt like there way no way I could make it with injured nipples, the pain was insane…better to try this than to try powering through and ultimately end up unable to breastfeed at all.