As a FTM, I didn’t know what to expect from BF. I was told constantly that it will be painful at first but you just have to power through. Well I didn’t know what a bad latch felt like because the lactation consultant at the hospital (Orlando Health – Winnie Palmer: DO NOT RECOMMEND!) was not helpful and was dismissive when I tried asking questions for more help. So two weeks in I find out he’s still not returned to his birth weight so they tell me come back in two days, and find he’s lost more weight. I’m devastated scared that I’m doing something wrong to hurt my baby & found out my baby has had such a bad latch that he’s been outright chewing on my nipples like jerky, causing excessive tissue damage & my milk supply was almost gone. Like droplets almost gone. The pediatrician told me I need to supplement with formula immediately & stop putting him to the nipple, which every FTM mom knows that absolutely crushed me. I found a remarkable lactation consultant (she’s in Central Florida & works in Merrit Island, but I’m not sure it’s safe to put her name here for those who may want to use her services) & she helped me with modifications for his upper lip tie (found out that was the source of my boys bad latch) & had us start using the even flow balance bottles because she said they kind of auto correct his mouth to fix his latch to minimize nipple confusion. While my nipples we’re heading, she had me use these. Omg. Omg. The picture you see is after a few days of consistently using these to pump, that’s how bad the tissue damage and pain was, and y’all. Seeing that much milk in one pump, I WAS IN TEARS! My supply has recovered and baby boy is back BF but I still use these on the boob he isn’t actively feeding from during feeds so no milk is wasted. They are such a great investment & I cannot recommend them enough! Only downside is EVERYTHING clings to the material so if you have pets, be wary.
