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Breastfeeding was sooo hard for me the time time around. At 6 weeks it was easier but I still preferred pumping/bottle feeding for 80% of feeds. Nursing finally clicked for me around 4 months...of course the same time I went back to work.

I didn't have nearly as many issues as you and I didn't start to heal at all for five weeks. At 8 weeks things were finally improving and by 10 or 11 I was mostly pain free. We are 12 weeks now and there are still struggles but it's overall not as stressful or difficult as before.

I feel like it's a really individual decision as to whether or not it's worth sticking it out because there are just so many important factors. For me, my number one reason for bfing is cost, and I have the supply so I just kept going one day at a time. But I've got other factors in my favor that help (ie, I'm not going back to work until January or even though I frequently get mastitis, it resolves quickly without antibiotics).

@Mae: Maybe a little. She became a more efficient eater at four months so I stopped bottle feeding at home!

I'm sorry you're having a rough time! I remember those early days...I had a lot of problems with oversupply, engorgement, and leaking. I'd say things felt really good and automatic by 5 months or so.

@Mae: Hugs mama! I went through many of the same issues, at least with regards to the TT and the major nipple trauma. The BEST thing for my nipples was APNO--do you have any? if not, I REALLY recommend getting a prescription for it. If your OB doesn't have the formula, it's on jack newman's website. It needs to be made at a compounding pharmacy, but it is pure magic! Healed me up in like 3 days.

The pain/discomfort lasted until about 9 weeks for me, so I would bet that you are almost at the turning point! Their mouths also continue getting bigger, which helps improve the latch, in addition to all the other work you are doing. Hang in there!

@Mae: oh no! I found that stuff to be so enormously helpful. I am sorry it isn't working that well for you I really hope things get better soon! I have heard 12 weeks being the absolute max that most people say it is painful so I would really guess that you are right at the cusp! As for her discomfort while nursing, could she have gas troubles? are you using super slow flow nipples (I've heard the dr brown's preemie nipples are good) so she doesn't get used to the faster bottle flow?

I'm so sorry, it is SUCH a struggle in the beginning! We had unusual circumstances, in that she had a poor latch etc and lost weight at the start, but then she had to wear a medical device to correct hip issues for four months that made her into a kind of stiff, starfish shape and nursing was a nightmare. At six months, it got a lot easier and she became a boob monster who still asks for it daily, even though we quit over two months ago..

Have you tried a nipple shield at all? I don't know if it would help. and some people try avoid them because they're another thing they have to be weaned off, but the made latching so much easier for her and were great for protecting my nipples from pain.

We battled Thrush twice, so it didn't get easier until 12 weeks, and then I got mastitis. After that, it was smooth sailing.

I never had a supply issue, but breast feeding was terribly painful for me for eight weeks. Then it magically got better. My son will be four months old next weekend, and nursing is now my preferred method of feeding him. I spent a ton of time pumping during those first eight weeks though. It was the only way I could get a break to recover from sore nipples. In hindsight I don't really know why I never quit. (My son is EBF.). I guess I was just never quite ready to throw in the towel, and then it got better.

I hope you find a resolution soon. I have been there. It sucks (no pun intended).

I do think that nursing adds a dimension to my relationship with my child though. I am glad I stuck it out even though in hindsight I think the rational thing to do would have been to quit.

We never got there and I ended up exclusively pumping. I didn't finally give up until 12 weeks because I figured out that if LO was still having trouble and screaming at the breast at that age, that it was time for me to quit forcing it.

I was sad but it was also a relief.

Things started to turn a corner for us around 8 weeks and gradually became better. She became a more efficient nurser and my nipples began to heal. I'd say everything was "normal" by 12 weeks or so but after 8 weeks I didn't have the toe-curling,
Fight back tears pain every time she latched. Hang in there mama, you are doing great!!

@Mae: also we had some nipple confusion and exactly what you're describing with the fight when I went back to work at 5 weeks. I just continued to nurse him and he stopped doing it within a week so I think that should abate as well

We're only 13 weeks in, but it's definitely gotten much better since 9-10 weeks. We used a shield for four weeks and then it took us a few weeks to get used to the nipple. I was so frustrated when everyone said that by 6-8 weeks they were getting the hang of it. It started clicking for us a few weeks later.

i would say around 3 months. before then i pumped a lot. hang in there! i never would have dreamed we would have lasted 26 months. it is much easier than pumping, and it really takes a long time for some to get the hang of it!

A loooong time, unfortunately. You and I have had very similar struggles. It finally became easier when DS was 3.5 months. I too couldn't see the light of the end of the tunnel for a long time, but we ended up successfully BF until he was 13 months.

So sorry you are going through this....

It was very hard for me too in the beginning but it was a very different set of problems for me back then. I don't have enough supply, it hurted me tremendously when LO latches, so I got afraid and pumped half the time when husband supplemented with pumped milk or formula....etc.

It turned around the corner for me at around 4-6 weeks? I could have remembered it wrong, but I remember it was when we were at the pediatrician 1 month well visit when the ped gave me an "order" that if I were to plan to BF exclusively, stop pumping and BF exclusively. No supplements. Hang on for 1 week. I also had an appt with an LC the next morning at home and learned some latching techniques. After that I got a hang of it, and my supply matched to LO's needs. I remember 6 weeks to 3+ months was the honeymoon period of my BF journey, and it went down from there when our nanny started and I started pumping. *cue nursing strike* Sigh.

Best of luck and wishes to you! Thinking back, BF is really a mind and soul torturing journey. I was really die hard on no supplements and exclusive breastmilk back then, but now I am over it (LO is 2+ years old!), I just think it so wasn't worth it for my situation. I think I literally lost my mind back then. I was in the ER and stayed at the hospital for a day because I was too stressed out because of breastfeeding. And I didn't realize I was hurting my relationship with LO, when I would have enjoyed his infanthood so much more if I were just pulling out bottles of formula back then. I was proud that I made it to 10 months (although my goal was at least 1 year, and I did beat myself up for it back then), but the process was a dark and long tunnel for me. I would have quitted much earlier if I were to do it again.

I just wanted to tell you that I did not have an exceedingly difficult breastfeeding journey, other than a 6 week bout of thrush, and it STILL took until about 10+ weeks to get into a groove. There were times when he would just scream and scream at me and I'd hand him over to DH to give a bottle to because I just couldn't take it.

At 6 weeks we finally got the thrush under control and at some point between 6-10 weeks the cluster feeding stopped, as well as a lot of the screaming at me. Then around the time I went back to work at 10 weeks I was able to start EBFing, including the 2 pumps at work.

On the whole, I loved BFing for several months. But with all that said, don't kill yourself to do it. We had to switch to EFF and DS is happy and healthy.

@Mae: have you tried switch nursing when LO won't latch? You basically just keep changing sides until she latches on, you could also try giving her your finger to suck on just to remind her that sucking is good?

Have you checked out the LLL message boards? They have some amazing ladies over there who really know their stuff when it comes to the more complicated nursing issues.