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Usually the baby "bites" or bears down onto the nipple because they are trying to get the milk to flow faster, try pumping/hand expressing until you let down so your LO gets milk immediately upon latching (usually it takes a few sucks to get the flow started, and your LO might be impatient!). Sawyer did it to me, I think because I have flat nipples, so he would "grab and pull back" to get himself latched deeper. It only lasted a few weeks until the fibrous tissue broke down and my nipples came out more (although mine never blistered and bled, but the "pull back" hurt a lot).

We had to use a nipple shield for the first 3 weeks or so- lifesaver!

Hugs and good luck!

@Mrsdaredevil: Oh it was extremely gradual! My LC told me to try not using it when we were both calm and relaxed (so when he was not crying and just starting to give hunger signs).

So it went from trying without it once a day when I felt brave and evolved to only using it at night when I was exhausted, to forgetting all about it. I think he was a month old when we stopped needing it at night.

Ultimately he started getting stronger, and I started getting more confident. Breastfeeding truly is teamwork with your baby, you get to know and trust each other. It still was a real effort until 8 weeks, then it got easier.

Can you maybe start pumping just one side and letting her nurse on the other side? Or maybe even alternating? The biggest thing with pumping is keeping up with it so you don't ruin your milk supply. Basically your supply is established depending on what the "demand" is during these first few weeks.

I used a nipple shield also for the first couple weeks, because I had one side that just got pretty roughed up. It allowed me to heal and then I gradually started going without it (I would use it every other time, and then less and less). I didn't try taking it off halfway through a feeding, but that sounds like a great idea.

Have you tried squeezing your breast while nursing? PP said that they bite down when they're trying to get more milk, so maybe that would help?

from my experience, because the pump can't remove milk as efficiently as the baby, I had supply issues when I started pumping more over nursing but my nipples were bruised, bloody, cracked, etc.
If I had to do it over again I would've tried the massaging, heat/cold compress, lanolin over the pump - and also, after we got through the painful period, breastfeeding has been really, really awesome, DS is 6 months old and we're going strong!