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I know your pain! I had my daughter January 31st and as a result of breastfeeding my nipples were cracked and sore. I ended up pumping and feeding her through a bottle until my nipples were healed enough to try feeding her again. When they felt better I started feeding her with the breast about twice a day and slowly increased the amount of times a day until I didnt need to use a bottle anymore =). Though the bottle is a nice break if I start getting sore again. Keep at it and use the lansinoh lanolin breast cream! That stuff works wonders!

buy soothies! They are gel pads that you keep on all the time except when nursing. I wore them about 2 weeks before everything had cleared up. They are expensive but you can get a pair to last more than 3 days if you are not leaking much. They really saved me, I had such a bad crack that I have a scar on that side but I breastfed through it and of for 7 months after it healed. Good luck!

SO SORRY! I had the same problem and I ended up having luck with the Soothies. I also looked online and found a video of a properly latched on baby and determined that my daughter wasn't opening her mouth wide enough. Once I figured out how to get her to open up and take more of my nipple into her mouth, the cracking/bleeding/pain cleared up REALLY FAST. I'd say the Soothie/proper latch combo fixed everything in a few days. Good luck to you! Don't give up! Once you get the hang of it, nursing doesn't hurt at all and it's a wonderful experience for you and your baby!

We had a rough start with breastfeeding also... it was extremely painful (I would stamp my feet and swear for 5-10 seconds every time my baby would latch!). Some things to consider - possibly using a nipple shield so the baby can still feed, but hopefully it won't be as painful. Also, pumping or hand expressing is not as effective as the baby nursing directly from you, so try to get the baby back on ASAP. And make sure you are drinking a lot of water and eating well... both of those things can have an impact on your supply. If you can, go back to a lactation consultant for more help... if you are having pain and cracking, the latch probably isn't quite right. Also, I'm not sure what creams you are using, but I was able to get a prescription one (it had to be made at a compounding pharmacy - it's not something you can buy over the counter) and that finally helped my nipples heal. I used Lansinoh for months and it didn't help the cracking. Despite pain and cracked nipples (which persisted for a while), things eventually did get better, and my 9 month old is still bfeeding. Best of luck to you...

My mom swears by renting the HOSPITAL GRADE pumps. She said that it was a life saver for her. It helped to establish her milk supply. Maybe you can alternate between the pump and your lo until you're able to breastfeed most/all the time. If you're interested in the rental call your MD for some contacts.

I remember crying in pain for the fist week or two. The best description I can come up with is that my nipples felt like hot razor blades were scraping them every time I nursed my dd. Your not going to like what I have to say but i think you just have to get through the pain in the begining and let your nipples toughen up. I would get some soothies like the other ladies suggested. The baby will help your supply so much better then a pump. Stick with it, it gets sooooo much easier and pain free.

Hi Nemo, I have been through what you are going through and I got amazing advice from a wonderful lactation nurse. Your nipples do not need to toughen up - they need to heal before you start breastfeeding again - especially if there are cracks and they are bleeding...thing is - if they are cracked - and you put the baby to your breast - you could end up with a breast infection (mastitis) this is what happened to me. The best way that has worked for me (for cracks, blisters etc..) is to pump exclusively while the nipples heal BUT you need a hospital grade pump that will keep the supply going. Put it on the lowest setting. Pump every 3 hours if possible. Buy lansinoh and put it on your nipples after every single feeding OR if you have a cool doctor - get him/her to do a script for Jack Newman's nipple cream (just look up those keywords and you will find the recipe) - it has everything in it - so you avoid a bacterial infection while your nipples heal. Don't lather your nipples in breast milk right now - just to avoid a yeast infection on them (thrush/yeast loves breast milk)...anyways..after each pumping session put on the cream and I swear - after about a full week of doing this your nipples will heal and be back to normal - my mangled mastitis breast took 7 full days. You want to heal your nipples and get well. The only other thing I would recommend are the breast flow bottles by the first years. We have had SO MUCH success with them re: having to go to bottle feeding while my nipples heal. It creates the same latch and suck needed for the boob. In canada you can buy them at Baby's R Us - online. I did just like another poster too - once my nipples were healed we slowly worked our way back into f/t breast feeding - although we still give about 2 bottles a day. Also - if you feel pain when your baby is on your breast and your gut says...that doesn't feel right - pull your baby off by putting your finger in there mouth and gently opening their mouth (so your nipple does not pull when you do this) and re-adjust the latch. I made the mistake of not listening to that inner voice and that's how my nipples go so damaged in the first place. You can use a breast shell but just DON'T use it full time 24/7. Don't sleep with it either. Sorry for the long response but after two rounds of cracked/blistered nipples - I am getting better and better at figuring out how to treat them!

my big sister's lactation consultant told her to express a tiny bit of milk and rub it on her nipple to keep them soft and keep them from cracking because they are very much against lotion.

How are you doing Nemo?