So I am going to ask you experts...

So I really want to breastfeed, or at min want my baby to eat/drink only breast milk.  My question is around my breast.  I have noticed the larger I get the less nipple comes out.  (I am sure I am not using all the medical terms here, but not an expert with all thoses).  Here is my concern, I have grown very largely since getting pregnant.  I would actually say they are as big as they were before I had WLS (wearing a 38 DDD-and pushing it).  This is nearly two cup sizes, and I know they will get bigger!  So back to my question---as the area around my nipple is beginning to fill in with fluid, (colostrum), there is no part that sticks out anymore of my nipple...Am I making sense to anyone?  What I am worried about is inverted nipples...I have seen pic on internet when I researched this, but they don't look backward (inward) just don't stick out (Just flat with the rest of the area). 

Any help?  Thoughts?  Anyone similar and had no problems breastfeeding?

Sorry if this is too much detail, but I figured, we all have em! 

Thanks in advance-Stacey

I have large breasts and not a fully erect nipple...I guess you could say LOL!  And I was still able to nurse with the help of a breast shield. This is one.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2403234


The baby latches on to that and it pulls your nipple out. I would keep it on for like 2 mins and take it off and the baby then latched to my nipple. It was a life saver!


Jackie

I did not BF Patrick but I intend to try and BF this baby so although I don't have first hand knowledge about this I have been doing a looooot of research.  From what I understand inverted nipples can be an obstacle but in no way mean that you will be unsuccessful.  I think that nipple shields are recommended in this particular situation.  Here are a few links to sites that I have been reading up on to answer all my questions.  There is also a lot of info out there about exclusively pumping.  I have a few online friends that have gone this route due to poor latch. 

Best of luck to you! 

http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a25215/breastfeeding_ support_and_help

http://www.kellymom.com/

http://www.llli.org/

I have to make a scissor out of my pointer and middle finger. I have my pointer finger above my nipple and the middle finger below my nipple. Then I sort of squeeze to help my nipple stick out more. I keep my fingers like that until he gets a good latch.

I didn't have to do this last time I breastfeed. My breast are bigger this time,so that may have something to do with it.

Speaking of which I have a hungry little man crying now.

Amy

I wore a 42 G while breastfeeding my last three kids and did just fine. My doctor suggested slightly pulling on the nipple just before I started to feed the baby. Although odd, it really worked and after a few weeks of doing that I had a natural response to the baby and my nipples would start to leak and elongate because it was feeding time.

When I delivered my 1st child at 19 years old (my boobies have matured more since then), I was trying to breastfeed my son. I was having trouble getting him to latch. He was 4 weeks early which is sometimes a factor in them not latching but it's an obstacle that you can get past. (I know this now.....didn't then) So I asked the nurse to help me cuz I was lost........19 years old, first time Mom, no help from anyone. So she said, let's see what we have here. So I try to put Tyler on my breast and she said, "Oh, you have inverted nipples. You're not going to be able to breastfeed, you'll never get him to latch on." I think I cried.

BUT......she was stupid. And she was wrong. And she was uneducated. (This was in 1995 and this hospital had JUST started delivering babies. Mine was like the 80th baby born there so the nurses were probably not too educated about breastfeeding)

I wish I had had more support and more educated people to help me. I wish I had done MORE of my own research, although I wouldn't have though to look up inverted nipples since I didn't know I even had them. I wish I had known about the nipple shield and all of the other things that could've helped me successfully breastfeed my baby.

Now, by the time I had my 2nd child, I was 27. My nipples were no longer inverted. They were just big. But I successfully breastfed my little girl. And I was happy! But felt really angry and robbed by the fact that I was given the wrong information the 1st time around.

I got me some nipples now so I can breastfeed normally.......or pretty close to it. Just do some research on it and find out what you can do to make yourself more successful with the boobies God gave ya. I hope breastfeeding is successful for you and you don't get frustrated or told you 'can't' breastfeed like I was. Sorry I don't have a better, more helpful story. I just wanted to tell you what NOT to listen to about inverted nipples and to tell you my experience with it.

thanks everyone for your answers.  Def going to invest in the nipple shield and keep these other tips in mind.   I got only a little more than 6 weeks to put this into practice (or less)...I am working on my wish list for the hospital now.  One item the breastfeeding teacher told me was to ask them not to put a bottle to her at all...I am going to stress this many times to the hospital...only medically neccessary to feed her from the bottle.....I mean I know my baby is going to be a genious  and all but I want not nipple confusion for her in the first days of life!  

Thanks again everyone!!!