Over coming my breastfeeding difficulties with Elle was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever faced. Now that sounds very dramatic, but when the health of your child is involved, and you’re feeling fragile post-birth, it really is all-consuming. Lansinoh sent us these products to try out, but I honestly wouldn’t be writing about them here if they hadn’t really, really helped me get through the blood and tears, and then go on to feed my baby for 12 months.
I’m by no means an expert, but I thought I’d share some of the issues I encountered, and I how overcame them to help those of you who are hoping to breastfeed and those of you who may be struggling right now. Please feel free to add to the comments below if you can think of anything I’ve missed and if you want to share the love for Lansinoh products 🙂
The Lansinoh Brand
Lansinoh was founded by a breastfeeding mother, looking for solutions to things she’d encountered while on her breastfeeding journey. Which to us is where all the best brands start – with passion, authenticity and a desire to help other people in similar situations. Lansinoh do some great products for breastfeeding Mums, so once you’ve read my top tips and reviews of their products – head over to their website to check out things which might be able to help you.
Buy a breast pump
I didn’t buy a pump prior to giving birth because I assumed that breastfeeding would be completely easy and natural. I was wrong. Definitely get a pump, just in case. The Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump is great – really easy to assemble, and the funnel that sits around your nipple has a comfortable soft plastic guard, which FYI is much more comfortable than my Medela Swing Electric pump. Yes, it’s slightly harder on your hand getting milk out with a manual pump BUT the angle of the funnel of the Lansinoh Manual Pump is actually at a much better position than the Medela Swing (which gave me very tired arms every time I used it). Also, don’t underestimate the usefulness of being able to pump on the move – there have been several occasions where I’ve had to pump in the car (not while driving, obvs) and it’s been a life saver.
If you are planning on pumping daily, if you’re back at work and you want to keep breast feeding – I would recommend an electric pump, but for the recreational pumpers out there who just want to be able to do an occasional bottle – get the Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump, it’s great value for money.
(And as a side note, the mOmma bottle & teat that came with the pump is the only bottle my little one would drink from).
Try not to let your nipples get too damaged
I know, I know – when you’ve got a baby feeding hourly this is practically impossible, I really have been there – my nipples were ripped to shreds, I’m talking blood, blisters and actual chunks of flesh falling off and I had to keep feeding the baby as she was dropping weight and had jaundice. But you need to fix the problems, and apart from getting a decent latch (which took us weeks and a tongue tie snip) – the only thing that helped me to heal was to apply Lansinoh’s HPA Lanolin cream, then allow my nipples to ‘air’ (can’t believe I just wrote that), following which I’d stick a gauze dressing (recommended for bad burns, called Jelonet) over them before putting my bra back on. I cannot describe to you the relief I felt as this began to work and my nipples began to heal.
HPA Lanolin is an ultra-purified grade of lanolin, refined using a unique process to make it the world’s purest lanolin with only one ingredient – that means no additives and no preservatives, so there’s no need to remove it prior to breastfeeding, giving you 24/7 nipple care. It’s also 100% natural, naturally hypoallergenic and has the British Allergy Foundation seal of approval for both you and your baby. It’s very soothing and will make you feel instantly better.
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Have lots of cuddles with your baby
Skin-to-skin time really helps you bond with your baby, which helps your milk to come in. It also allows time for you and your baby to learn to feed (trust me, it’s not always instinctive). We went to a baby massage class (which if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’d recommend) BUT it did mean I could give Elle little massages at home, followed by a cuddle, and it usually resulted in a decent nap, for both of us. I used the Earth Friendly Baby Moisturising Shea Massage Oil, a part of the Lansinoh family, Earth Friendly Baby contains a natural blend of more than 28 different botanicals. All of the products are free from SLS, parabens, artificial colours and fragrances and are certified as natural and organic by Ecocert Greenlife and are never tested on animals. Using it also helped with those little random dry patches babies seem to get, and it made my hands lovely and soft too 🙂
Give yourself a break
Once you’ve got breastfeeding going, and you feel a bit more comfortable with it, I’d definitely recommend expressing a bottle of milk so that your nipples can have a break and that you can have a much deserved nap. Breastfeeding is a huge commitment, no one else can do it for you, especially not in those early months and weeks while you’re getting your supply going. You can’t share the night feeds and there are definitely moments when you wish you could just leave your baby a bottle of formula and escape on you own (and it’s totally normal to feel like that). But I promise it is one of the most rewarding things you can do, and if you can stick with it – it really does get much easier. And I say that having come from a very dark place where I used to feed Elle while sobbing and googling ‘is it normal to hate breastfeeding?’
So anyway, back to expressing – it isn’t always easy, I never produced gallons, but these things definitely helped…
– Expressing first thing in the morning
– Drinking lots of water before and during
– Eating lots of oats
– Having a hot bath or shower first
If you can’t jump in the shower, try using the Lansinoh Therapearl 3-in-1 Breast Therapy Pack. They are like little hot water bottles for your boobs and they’ve also got a hole in them so you can express while wearing them! Genius. And honestly, anything that makes you feel less dairy-cow-like while expressing milk gets a big thumbs up in my books.
(They can also be chilled and used as relief from mastitis – a delightful inflammation of the breast tissue. Honestly, it’s just a barrel of laughs being a new Mum).
Your breastfeeding tips…
So there you have it, please do join in the breastfeeding chat – share the love for Lansinoh, recommend breast pumps, even have a moan about breastfeeding if you like – it’s what we’re here for 😉 x
(Image pinched from Charlotte’s post about the wonders of Lansinoh HPA Lanolin cream over on Rock My Style, where you can read about all of the different uses for the purple tube of magic).
Really good advice. I found breastfeeding so SO difficult in those early weeks even MONTHS. Everything was against us. Emergency c section meaning I was pumped full of drugs stopped my milk coming in for over a week, my little boy had tongue tie meaning a very painful latch. He became jaundice and lost lots of weight and I honestly thought that our breastfeeding journey was over, everyone was telling me to stop being hard on my self and to give up but I was determined, I felt like I had failed my son somehow with the dramatic delivery and I was sure as hell not going to fail him on this one. I joined a breastfeeding support group and booked breastfeeding lessons with a lactation consultant. 13 months on and we are still going strong with the feeding. I consider breastfeeding my little boy to be my greatest achievement. If you can persevere through the tough times it just suddenly becomes the easiest thing ever and the cuddles are unbeatable. So although it’s not a product, can we add ‘Ask for help’ to these breastfeeding essentials?
It sounds like our experiences were very similar Georgina! (And like you’re stubborn like me too!!!) Ask For Help should definitely be on there – I wouldn’t have been able to stick with it without the support of specialists and other mums! There are lots of great groups out there to join. Well done you, I consider it one of my greatest achievements too ??
Really good advice Fern! Lansinoh was the only thing that kept me going in the early weeks, after about day 3 my nipples were cracked and bleeding and I would cry during feeds, but I so wanted to breastfeed. Luckily my midwife told me about Lansinoh and I bought a tube straight away (you can also get it free on prescription but I couldn’t wait) and the relief was almost instant! It definitely got me through the first month, after that her latch seemed to improve a lot and I found I didn’t need it anymore as I stopped being sore. So I would say to other mums to buy a tube before you give birth, use it from day 1 and try stick with it if you can as it really does get easier for most women. It annoys me when you read that ‘if you’re doing it right it doesn’t hurt’ – I don’t know one mum who says it didn’t hurt in the very beginning! Of course you should get help with the latch if it hurts and if it persists then there may be a problem, but equally it does take most women a few weeks to get used to it and for the discomfort to go away completely. I struggled with expressing last time but definitely going to make more effort to do a bottle a day with my next baby so that daddy can help! X
Totally agree, every single person I’ve ever spoken to about breastfeeding says it hurts initially!!! Next time around I think I’ll try to express more too, and I think we’ll probably have to, given that we’ll have an older one to look after too. Thanks for commenting, I think it’s so horrible in those early days that it’s important for new mums to hear from lots of us that it really does get better x
I really struggled to persuade my son to even go near my breast when he was born, he would just yell at me! I think it was mainly because I was so exhausted after a long labour and emergency c-section, so my milk took ages to come in and he was one hungry boy!
Two tips which I always give to new mums and which I wish I’d been told straight away, they seem really basic but they are crucial to breastfeeding –
1. Drink loads and loads and loads of water
2. Try to relax your shoulders and take a deep breath when your baby is latching on. Your milk won’t come down to the nipple if you’re all tense.
Hope this helps someone!
We had a couple of weeks of screaming too as Elle clearly wasn’t getting enough milk at each feed (bad latch and tongue tie) and was just hungry, it’s horrible isn’t it?! Breathing out and relaxing your shoulders is a great tip, thank you! It’s definitely easier to feed when you’re relaxed, but unfortunately this is definitely something which comes with time and experience ? But the more you do it the more it becomes second nature x
A Saturday post! Exciting times!
Another person with a tough start. It did hurt, but there are levels of pain- I ended up with severe mastitis and a badly blocked milk duct (as delightful as it sounds) because I was determined to persevere and kept telling myself it was normal. It wasn’t! So do Google the symptoms of mastitis and make sure that’s not what’s making your feeding agony. The antibiotics cleared it quickly but it took until Silvia was 10 weeks for the plug to go- with the help of lecithin tablets.
Lansinoh in the hospital bag so you can apply from the word go!
It’s hard, but so worth it! I know perhaps not so cool for sponsors but please can we have something about the other end of feeding as well. After 11 months we are starting to tail off and my poor boobs are really not coping.
Have a great weekend RMF and readers xx
Hi Lucy!!! I found the docs were really reluctant to give antibiotics and one of my NCT friends ended up with an abscess despite going to her HV, GP and even the hospital, which meant she stopped feeding due to the pain and her supply drying up! So I definitely agree to really push early if you’re worried you’ve got mastitis.
I’ve also heard good things about lecithin tablets for blocked ducts – so if anyone is suffering do try them! (I think you can buy them in health shops?)
It’s actually my ‘turn’ to share my breastfeeding experience soon and I’ll definitely be covering stopping, as I only stopped a few weeks ago ? And quite a few readers have suggested it! x
Suggested the post idea, not stopping breastfeeding just to clarify!! ?
Great, honest post! I have to add to the recommended products my love/hate relationship with the Lansinoh breast pads. I have gone through boxes during the last four months!! I really didn’t realise the amount of leakage that comes with breast feeding. Initially, I was waking up in sticky, milky puddles and wanting to cry! I soon resigned to the fact that bra wearing, particularly at night, with pads, was the only way forward and Lansinoh pads are by far the best. They are my saviour product- Discrete, soft and highly absorbent, they do the job and make life more comfortable and less embarrassing! I can’t lie, the day I can whip those pads out though and sleep bra-less is something I am really looking forward to!! ?
Jenny it comes around much quicker than you think I will – I remember dreaming of not having to sleep in a bra and not waking up in puddles of milk too. And yes, the leakage shocked me too…post shower always used to be particularly epic. Thanks for the Lansinoh breast pads tip too – they really are a great brand for supporting breastfeeding Mummies X
I can’t agree more with the Lanisoh breast pad recommendation. I have tried a few cheaper alternatives and haven’t found any that are as good. I find the cheaper pads quickly feel damp next to my nipple which is not at all pleasant, so they have to be replaced fairly frequently through the day. The Lanisoh ones really seem to suck away the moisture inside the pads so the surface stays relatively dry. I have now decided it’s just not worth trying to save money on them.
Apparently I can’t spell Lansinoh even though it’s all through Ferns post! Oops
Totally agree – the breast pads are AMAZING 🙂
Fourthed – they’re the only pads I used throughout feeding my daughter, even though they’re considerably more expensive than own brand ones – they’re genuinely worth it. I’m stocking up already for this baby!
Great post. I’d also add, if in doubt, ask for help. Like you, my nipples were ripped and bleeding and the advice given by friends was just to apply nipple cream. After ending up at the hospital with some infected nipples and mastitis cysts (where’s the warning about this in ante-natal classes?) I was told the cream would do nothing but I needed some sterilised gel pads and manduca honey. Like the other commentors breastfeeding became by biggest achievement but was by far the most challenging and mentally draining part of new mummy hood.
This is a great post, thank you. Another one with a nightmare start to breastfeeding – my little one didn’t latch at all until almost 6 weeks old, just screamed when anywhere near my boob! About a week in when my milk had come in and I was scared if he didn’t hurry up and feed my supply would dry up (and of course the hormones had flooded in leaving me feeling wretched) a lovely support worker at a baby cafe breastfeeding drop in saw how gutted I was at the prospect of never breastfeeding and gave me the best advice. She told me to hire a proper hospital grade pump, try to express, but most of all just go and enjoy my new baby. After being told by everyone to just stop the bottles, he’ll get it (erm no, he just screamed more as he was starving!), this was exactly the right advice and I’ll be eternally grateful. Within a few days I was pumping enough to exclusively feed expressed breast milk and with lots of attempting and a tongue tie snip he eventually got the hang of it with nipple shields! So, not the easy, instinctive process you might expect from those Nct classes, but gosh when he looks up into my eyes mid feed and gives me a huge loving smile, it feels so worth all of the tears and effort. My proudest achievement too! He’s 12 weeks now, a proper chunky monkey, and I swear I’ll feed him forever if he’ll let me 🙂 hope some of this helps someone, and sorry for the essay!!
Aw well done Bec!!! It sounds like you’ve overcome a big personal battle and you should be really proud of yourself. Those big smiles do make it all worthwhile, and there’s nothing funnier than a ‘milk drunk’ baby.
Once I’d mastered BFing I was determined not to stop and fed for so much longer than I thought I would too.
Congratulations again x
So so glad we persevered with feeding. I would second getting help early. The feeding groups locally were good and I had home visits on 3 occasions from a local families charity that was big on breastfeeding support. After 3 weeks of pain, crying, stressing and being too stubborn to switch to bottle feeding it all clicked and it really did become easier. My tip would be in the early days when milk first comes in you can get really full and engorged. Hand express some off before you feed because in my experience baby will NEVER latch on to a rock hard boob.
Also, it was exhausting, painful and mentally draining and there are no judgey pants here re switching to bottle feeding which I nearly did on various occasions. For some people it’s just not going to work and ultimately happy mum = happy baby.
Completely agree with everything you have said!
I am 7 weeks into my breastfeeding journey and my word it’s not easy. You would think something so natural would be a piece of cake!
I have just gotten over thrush and torn nipples and we seem to be back on track. Finding it very draining and I have to say I am looking forward to solids!
Can I ask why you would not recommend baby massage?
Hi Jill,
I must admit I found moving on to solids a bit of a relief. It was nice to be able to give Elle food when we were out and about rather than whipping a boob out, plus if they take to food well the feeds start to drop, which does make things easier on you. It is very draining, so make sure you’re looking after yourself with eating and drinking lots, don’t worry if your appetite is never ending either, just go with it!
Hmmm, the baby massage thing I just felt was a bit expensive, for something which seemed quite common sense, and that I could have figured out myself at home. Maybe I just didn’t go to a particularly engaging class?! Like I mentioned in the post, Elle would nap really well after a massage at home, but more often than not during the class, I’d just end up cuddling her because she didn’t want to be put down, or she’d be hungry and need feeding, or upset because she should have been napping. It’s always difficult because getting out to classes is so good for making YOU feel better, but sometimes it’s not the right time for the baby. I wish I’d just had my friends round and eaten cake or gone out for coffees, because it’s really not that chilled once they can move!!! (Hope that makes sense/helps!)
Well done you on sticking with feeding 🙂 once you’ve got it going things really should get easier x
Thank you! Your kind comments have made my day and seeing responses for others makes me feel less alone and I can do it!
Us mamas are super heroes I have decided!
Ah I see, I know what you mean about time of day all our groups and classes are in the morning as his lordship loves a nice long nap in the afternoon at home. Some people think I’m being too strict but it’s him that has set the rules and I have no problem saying to people come round to mine I’m not going out – nap time is a must! I’ve booked into baby massage in a few weeks so will see what happens, my health board gives a month free baby massage so hopefully it’s useful and if not at least it was free!
It can be terribly lonely at first – I think that’s something all Mums feel. You’re doing a great job, I promise.
Ah it sounds like you’ll be fine then, mine loved (and still does) a morning nap, so it was bad timing really.
And don’t worry about people perceiving you as being strict – I’m a firm believer in going with what your baby wants, and some babies just love routine! A friends baby naps so regularly you can set your watch by him and she did nothing to encourage it! It just happened x
Hello all -I’m on day 14 of breastfeeding and reading this article and comments has really helped me. I’ve been lucky to not be in too much pain, I’ve found it hard to get my head around how much work breastfeeding is. I’m worried I’m not concentrating enough when she’s feeding to check she’s getting the ‘fatty’ milk at the end. It’s so hard to understand and know you are doing the right thing – posts like this really help new mums!
Hi Emily, it sounds like you’re doing really well, if you can keep going, I promise you it will be worth it 🙂
It is really hard work, I’m not going to lie to you, there will be days when you literally feed the baby every hour, evenings where the baby is constantly feeding, but it does begin to get more evenly spaced, and fall into more of a pattern. Sometimes Elle used to feed for 40+mins, which the HVs and midwives said was too long…but I just ignored them and let her feed. Don’t worry too much about timing it, she will either stop when she’s had enough, or fall asleep on you 🙂
It sounds like she’s got a good latch if you’re not in too much pain, so I’m sure she will start putting lots of weight on nicely and those feeds will become more efficient too, so you’ll know when she’s had enough.
The more you do it and the more weeks go past, the more your confidence will grow and you’ll know exactly what she needs and when.
I’m so glad you found the post helpful. Good luck with everything! And please just ask if you need any help or advice on things x
This post is so well timed and it is great to hear so many stories of everyone’s experiences. After struggling with breastfeeding during an extended stay in hospital after the birth I was so relieved when my milk came in and I was able to exclusively breastfeed my baby once we got home however this has only ever been using nipple shields as he cant latch on well without it. I find myself occasionally trying to get him to feed without but it is more stressful for both of us than productive although I’ve read nipple shields shouldn’t be used as a long term aid – does anyone have experience of this that they can share? I don’t think I’ll be able to feed successfully without it and I also like being able to see the milk is coming through and having a good idea of how much he is getting. The shields also saved my nipples in the first couple of weeks as they were very cracked and sore and through a combination of the Lansinoh cream and the shields they healed really quickly.
Hi Ali,
I’ll let you into a secret – I fed Elle for the ENTIRE period of time she fed for with shields! (After the first few hideous weeks). It’s my turn to share my breastfeeding experience in more detail on RMF soon, so I didn’t mention it here, but yes, I literally couldn’t have fed her without them. As long as your baby is putting on weight ok, I’d just keep using them to be honest. I thought about stopping, but just couldn’t face getting my nipples into such a state again and like you it was far more stressful for both of us when we tried without. My HV was happy for me to keep feeding her using them, and it was the county’s top Lactation Consultant who recommended them to me in the first place!!! If you want to chat more about it, or ask any questions I’m happy for you to email me (fern@rockmywedding.co.uk) x
Hi Fern, that is so reassuring, thank you so much for your honest response and I look forward to hearing your breastfeeding journey soon also. Thanks for your kind offer also, I’m sure I will be shooting you an email soon! X
My little one isn’t very little anymore (28 months) but I had a similar story and actually gave up breastfeeding and decided to start using formula at 7 days as I was so distressed by the shooting pains every feed, a bout of excruciating mastitis and my sore bleeding nipples! I also got fed up of midwives and health visitors briskly showing me the ‘correct latch’ as they always did it so quickly I could never replicate it myself. I really felt that I was a rubbish mum already, which is ridiculous in hindsight but newborns and sleep deprivation can do strange things to you.
It all turned around for me when my hubby suggested we go to a breastfeeding clinic the day after I’d decided to start using formula. The lady there took her time with me and was very patient showing me the latch and getting me to practice. For the next couple of days I always prepped formula and had it on hand in case the feed didn’t work. This really took the pressure off and suddenly it seemed to be working and wasn’t anywhere near as painful. I ended up breastfeeding my girl until she was nearly one, at which time she self-weaned (which really upset me at the time but in hindsight it did make it easy). I loved the convenience of breastfeeding, and we saved tons of money too. I also felt incredibly proud of myself for persevering.
I did have one lovely honest doctor who I saw while I was still pregnant who warned me that she’d had 3 kids and breastfeeding had always been very painful for her. She told me to breathe in for 10 seconds when they first latch on, and I always found that worked well. I also used Lansinoh cream, which was a dream, and nipple shields until mine had healed.
I’m due my 2nd in June, and am feeling positive that I’ll fight through the pain whatever happens. But I’ll definitely have some formula in the cupboard too, just in case!