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Is there any advice for making breastfeeding less painful?

Hi! My baby boy is arriving via scheduled c section on September 23rd and I am scared of the pain of breastfeeding as I had a LOT of cracked/bleeding nipples with my first child. Besides the nipple shield, ointment and making sure latching is good, is there ANYTHING you guys can suggest to ease the pain? I remember it being a brutal experience, although it got better with time with my first. Any ideas would be great! Thank you!
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134578 tn?1693250592
It does sound a bit like a latch problem.  You've got to get that nipple deeply into the baby's mouth, so he or she won't gum it.  Did you take a breastfeeding class last time or talk to a lactation consultant?

You could try going braless in a rough cotton shirt for a while, it might help toughen up your nipples.

The thing that worked best for me was the 100% pure lanolin they sell at the baby stores.  It heals the nipples fast.  

My breastfeeding instructor also suggested taking a standard tea (like Lipton's) and putting about 8 teabags into a cup and making one cup of concentrated tea, then putting that concentrate into a jar and saving it in the fridge to dab on the nipples with cotton balls.  Don't know why it soothes, maybe it's the tannic acid or something.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for that advice. I'll definitely be giving that position a try!
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Avatar universal
Sometimes if u change your hold it can help. Try the lay back position so u r laying back but not flat on ur back and have the baby on top of u so he can latch. It helped me a lot last time.
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