Expert: ruth kraft - 1/16/2011

Question
I have a five week old son who just got his tongue clipped because he was tongue tied.  For weeks after his birth breastfeeding got increasingly more painfull my nipples are so damaged that the middle of them is completely gone.  It's just a deep red hole.  I thought the tongue clipping would fix the problem but it is still very painfull.  He won't open his mouth wide enough and just chomps on my nipple.  Looks like the tip of lipstick.

I want to keep breastfeeding but this is so painfull every time just wondering how I can get the pain to go away.

Answer
Because he struggled with nursing for so long he has been taught how to nurse in a painful way. It is going to take some retraining to get him latched on correctly. The redness you are talking about will go away but only after he relearns how to nurse well. I suggest working with a professional in person locally so they can see the baby latch and find out exactly what they can do to help. It is too hard for me to diagnose over the computer. There are many subtle things to look for that are hard to describe in print.  

There is help, but in person help will be of much more benefit. :) Sorry I couldnt help more but don't give up! It can work!