Breastfeeding is very, very new to us. I wasn't able to breastfeed Moo for a number of reasons so Bear has been a total learning curve, they are like chalk and cheese, only sharing reflux and good sleeping habits (the latter of which I am SO grateful for, and have probably jinxed now).
I feel like you are flooded with advice on breastfeeding, at least in our NHS trust...too much, perhaps and not all of it terribly useful or practical unfortunately, but for all the leaflet, vague health-care professionals and propaganda on health centre walls, the missed out one incredibly important fact; it hurts.
I had no idea that something so natural could hurt so much (aside from giving birth, actually, as women, we get a bit of a rough deal)! It didn't for the first couple of days and thn suddenly, BHAM! Pain, so much pain in the nipple department. Turns out Bear had slight tongue-tie and in the first few days of life, did quite a bit of damage to me. Apparently it's quite normal for it to hurt and doesn't necessily mean that you're doing it wrong, he was gaining weight like nobody's business so we had certainly cracked it. His tongue-tie was corrected nd we carried on with our feeding though the pain remained.
It was at this point that I was reminded that I had been sent some hot and cold breast pads by 3M Nexcare to try. They can be used either hot to stimulate milk flow before a feed (not a problem for me, I'm stimulated enough, I over-produce) or cold to ease pain and sooth after a feed. Brilliant, those bad boys went strait from the package and into the fridge to chill.
Just before the next feed, I went and got a chilled pad from the fridge, popped it in it's little cotton cover and kept it to hand for when we had finished. With Bear fed and winded, I gave the pad a try, applying it to the breast I had most recently used it did offer some comfort and relief from the soreness. The instructions say that you can pop it into your nursing bra and so because I don't have the spare hands to go around with one pressed to my bosom, I did just that. The instructions recommend that you do it for no longer than 20 minutes which I can understand as it did strt to ache in an overly-cold way. They did the trick though and my breasts definitely felt less tender after I'd used them. Here are my pros and cons...
Pros.
- Sooths sore and swollen breasts after a feed.
- Easy to use, simply pop in fridge to chill and once used, put back again.
- Clear Instructions.
- Soft, washable covers.
- Diverse product (did not use hot as wasn't needed).
- Wearble comfortably in bra.
- Clear instructions.
Cons.
- Packaging is only cardboard and quite flimsy, I would be concerned that they could daily get upturned by an inconsiderate postman.
I would highly recommend these to anyone just starting out breastfeeding for the first time or to anyone suffering from a lot of pain. I feel that they provide relief and reduce the need for things such as nippe shields.
Clare
Please note I was sent these for the purposes of review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Labels: Baby, Breastfeeding, feeding, product review
