Organises antenatal classes, offers breastfeeding advice and postnatal depression counsellors)
tel. 0300 33 00 770
Breastfeeding helpline: 0300 33 00 770 (open every day from 8am to 10pm)
After just a few days of breastfeeding your nipples might become painful and cracked. Remember that this is pretty common and it will just get better with time. This might happen when your baby is not latching on properly. If that’s the case, take your baby off your breast and try again making sure that the baby’s mouth is wide open and your nipple is touching the upper part of your baby’s mouth.
If your nipples are very sore and painful keep your t-shirt and bra off whenever possible to give your breasts access to fresh air, this will help to alleviate the pain and redness. Rubbing on some breast milk or lansinoh lanolin might also help and some women swear by cabbage leaves ( not a very pleasant feeling from my experience!) If the pain is very strong and you feel tempted to stop breastfeeding you may want to try silicone nipple shields which are available in most high street retailers.
Another major cause of painful nipples might be thrush. It is a fungal infection in your baby’s mouth that can spread to your breast, especially if they are already cracked and sore. Look out for white patches on your breasts and in baby’s mouth. Your nipples might also be red and shine. If you suspect a thrush infection you should seek advice of your practitioner about further treatment.
In the beginning of first trimester you might still be your old self or might already gained a few pounds. Use what you can from your wardrobe: flowy tops, A-line or empire dresses or tunics will perfectly hide your shape before you are ready to share the good news. However trousers might not be as comfortable and a maternity flexi-belt can let you get away with it for a while. You can cover it with your top.
You don’t know it yet, but you are already pregnant as pregnancy is calculated from the first day of a woman’s last period. As the ovum is released, it travels inside your fallopian tube where it is fertilized by the sperm. The ovum and the sperm creates a zygote which divides into two parts containing equal amounts of male and female genetic material. The zygote travels through the fallopian tube and constantly divides until it forms a little ball called morula. This mass of cells then embeds itself in the lining of the womb, and the miracle of conception has started its course.
