Latch fixed but what to do about the pain?

[@llli*sawyerchic28]

So i saw my LC and we went through the latch and we are working on getting it right. My one side still hurts very bad and i know it will take a little time to get better. I was wondering if i should continue nursing on that side while it gets better or pump that side and bottle feed her the EBM if she is still hungry after feeding from the good side? The pain is slightly better when i get her to latch good but she doesnt always causing more pain. When i feel the pain i cannot tell if her latch is wrong or if it is still very tender. Please help.

[@llli*lllmeg]

what did your lc suggest?

Are you wondering if the breast can heal while baby is at the breast? the answer is yes, assuming the latch is really better and not causing further injury. pumping and bottles come with its own set of problems. including that bottles may cause/exacerbate latch issues. And pumps can injure mom as well so you need to be very careful or it defeats the purpose.

however, some moms do find the pain is simply too excruciating to nurse and so pump while nipple heals. My biggest concern is that, if the pain from nursing is still that bad, the latch is not actually fixed. even with an injured nipple, once latch is better there would typically be at least some relief.

[@llli*mommal]

What LLLMeg said.

[@llli*sawyerchic28]

Pumping really does not hurt because i pump on the weekends while i work. I am just afraid her latch still is not perfect and i will not know because i am still injured. If i wait until i am healed and it hurts i can work on correcting it. What was annoying is while we were latching with the LC it was good and hardly painful but when i got home and we did it i felt pain. Im nervous we will never get it and the next few months will just be painful until we wean her.

[@llli*lllmeg]

What was annoying is while we were latching with the LC it was good and hardly painful but when i got home and we did it i felt pain.

that is annoying! I have heared of this frequently however, from both moms and lcs.
if it was less painful with the lc but more painful at home, then something is still off and waiting for it to heal is unlikey to help much in the long run. i suggest you call the lc back and go in for a refresher. many lcs offer some followup protocol. it is really mportant that you learn how to get baby latched comfortably. this will probably take some fiddling and practice, which is another reason why only pumping and hoping for the best may be counter productive. since a more comfortable latch happened with the lc, it can probably happen without her, but you have to learn how.
of course you can pump and wait for it to heal if you prefer. i am just saying, generally there is no need to do that. many moms figure out latch and heal from injury while continuing to nurse. what works 'best' would be very individual. i assume baby will continue to nurse on the other side, which is good.