Judie,

Boy, do I ever understand that kind of nipple pain!!!

I have written before about this.  I had one flat nipple, which my OB told me
would be taken care of when my baby nursed.  My LLLL told me to do the
Hoffman's technique before baby was born.  I'm not sure now that that would
have been adequate.

Apparantly the nipple was flat due to adhesions under the nipple.  The tissue
was so thin, that the first time my little "hoover mouth" latched on she
separated the skin.  I had an open sore at the base of my nipple for 6 weeks.
 The pain was so excruciating when nursing that I would do my labor breathing
as tears ran down my face.

We didn't have Lansinoh or LC's back then, and the LLLL's kept telling me
that it would get better.  Finally, at 6 weeks, the sore healed.  I used tea
bags, aloe vera (straight from the plant), vitamin E, breastmilk, the cheap
lanolin in the yellow tube, sunshine and probably more that I can't remember
any more.  I ended up nursing Amy for 3 years, figuring that now that I could
do this without pain, I had no reason to quit, ever.  (She will be 15 on
Monday)

I think that the key here was that I DID have support, and the promise that
the pain would end.  I also think that these difficulties and the support I
received directly resulted in my becoming a LLLL and IBCLC.  I don't want
ANYONE to go through what I did.  (want to see my scar???)

Margie Forrest, RN, BSN, LLLL, IBCLC
West Palm Beach, FL
(getting ready to order supplies for the lactation center)

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