Sore nipples are some thing every female experiences at some point of her life.But if the sore nipples are due to breast feeding believe me there is nothing more painfull,emotionally and physically.I had a normal delivery and I thought the pain at least the physical  is over but to my shock there was much in the store for me.

I can’t forget the first time I fed my little baby it was a mixed feeling of joy and anxiety.Joy of being a mother and anxious if I was producing any milk for him.While he was trying hard himself to learn the tricks of trade, I was busy counting his toes, fingers totally unaware of the battle that was ahead of both of us.

The second day we were home and I could feel the pain in my nipples already,I thought since it is new and there are lot of hormonal changes I am feeling the pain and it will go away eventually.During my pregnancy I read a lot about breastfeeding and was aware about the basic facts like latching and since my baby was feeding properly I never thought that latching would be an issue.It was the second day, every time my baby latched I felt the pain and slowly my nipples were sore.As it was only the second day and my baby was feeding on colostrum every one said that it will be better once the milk starts coming and it will start in a day or two.

It was the third day my nipples were sore and bleeding and I could see the blood on my baby’s lips while he would feed and was cursing myself for not being able to feed him properly.That night I cried while my husband was consoling me and asking me to be patient as it is a new beginning and was motivating me to fight with the teething issues at the same time saying sorry as  I had to go through all this alone.Honestly I did not cry that night because of the pain I was going through I cried of the guilt that every time my baby woke up I dreaded feeding him ,I felt guilty for being selfish ,he was completely dependent on me and all I thought was about the pain and not about him.But honestly today I don’t feel guilty at all and would suggest the same to all mothers out there fighting the same issue, Don’t feel guilty its ok if you are unable to do a certain thing your baby will just do fine, feeling guilty will make it worse. Believe me feeling guilty is the worst thing you can do to  you as well as to your child.In guilt you might just jump into conclusions and give up trying, thinking yourself as a failure.I wanted to give up too but it was the family and my husband who made me believe and stick to it.It is important to have  support system , don’t shy away from sharing your plight everyone goes through it ,sharing helps.

It was the fifth day when the milk started coming and it made my situation worse as I experienced hardness and pain increased.I would cry and feed the baby and just remember my mother saying ‘it will be alright’.I had options I was aware and they were readily available but honestly I wanted to breastfeed my baby.Now when I look back I wonder what came into me and why I didn’t give up.When you are a mother you are a different person,thats not you in my case I can say the mother part of me is not me but  some selfless creation of nature which forgets me when it comes to my baby.

So while we were struggling I was introduced to nip shield by my Doctor.By 7th day I started using it.There are many pros and cons of nip shield .But I remember just one thing while using it ” Feeding through Nip shield is better than no Breastfeeding”.It took us 7 more days by the time my baby was 15 days old he mastered the skill of latching and slowly  my nipples started recovering.We used the nip shield for a month almost and unlike the popular belief associated with nipple rejection my baby just did well with and without it.He never rejected be it with or without nip shield.

I can never forget the emotional and physical pain I went through but I am happy I sticked to it and is still breastfeeding happily till now.

Also read  WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK.