Holly Hagan left in ‘excruciating pain’ as part of her nipple ‘FALLS OFF’ as she opens up on breastfeeding struggle
HOLLY Hagan says she has been left in ‘excruciating pain’ while attempting to breastfeed her newborn daughter.
The Geordie Shore star, who gave birth last weekend, told fans that part of her nipple had ‘fallen off’ after spending 12 hours feeding the newborn.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Holly opened up about struggling to breastfeed, admitting there was something stopping her from being able to feed comfortably.
Sharing how it currently feels like ‘glass’ going through her breasts, the reality star said she had been through a night from hell with daughter Madison-Darci.
The mum-of-two, who also shares son Alpha-Jax with her husband Jacob Blyth, wrote to the platform “Apologies for the lack of update but we had a BADDD night.
“Little missy awake for like 5 hours 3-8, nothing would settle her, she’d just fall asleep and wake up again.
“My nipples honestly feel like they have glass running through them. I worked out I fed her 18 times for an average of 40 minutes that’s 12 hours of my day sat feeding! I have zero time to think about eating which is WILD for me I think about food 24/7.
“My bum hurts so much from constantly sitting down, my body hurts so much from being so tense when she feeds through the excruciating pain.”
Holly continued that Madison-Darci – who is sweetly named after her late sister – has been checked by doctors, who have confirmed there is no issue with her.
“Yes she’s been checked twice for a tongue tie. It’s not her latch that’s actually so strong, it’s my anatomy.
What are the recommendations around breastfeeding?
The NHS recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively (feeding them breast milk only) for the first six months, but it’s completely up to you to decide when you want to bring it to an end – and there’s really no right or wrong way to do it.
The NHS says weaning often happens gradually as your baby begins to eat more solid foods.
They note that solid food shouldn’t replace breast milk, as there is evidence to suggest breast milk helps a baby’s digestive system when processing solid food for the first time.
“Once they are eating solids, your baby will still need to have breast milk or formula as their main drink up to at least their first birthday,” recommends the NHS.
“Cows’ milk isn’t suitable as a main drink for babies under one, although it can be added to foods, such as mashed potatoes.”
You can also combine breastfeeding with formula, too and the NHS says “phasing out” of breastfeeding is often the easiest way.
For example, dropping one feed in the day or at night time.
After around a week, you can begin to think about dropping another.
“If your baby is younger than one year, you’ll need to replace the dropped breastfeed with a formula feed from a bottle or (if they are over six months) a cup or beaker, instead,” they say.
You can breastfeed for as long as you want, and while the NHS recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively for the first six months, you shouldn’t feel like you cannot continue for longer.
The World Health Organization says: “Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond.”
“It’s still excruciating with a nipple shield, still can’t get any more of my nipple in her mouth after expressing a bit off. Thank god I’d caught quite a bit of milk and stored it in the fridge so Jacob could take her this morning.
“But wow hats off to anyone who breast feeds it is more than a full time job!”
Despite the agonising pain, Holly, who didn’t breastfeed the first time around, said she is going to keep trying in the hopes it will get easier.
She ended the story: “I thought I wouldn’t care about adding formula especially since I only did formula with AJ but I REALLY want to breast feed this time!
“Not going to give up just yet, trying some bigger shields and seeing if my nipples toughen up.. a physical piece of my nipple fell off today LOL”.