breastfeeding with an inverted nipple

In my post about breastfeeding problems last month, I sounded like I was only whining about the difficulties of breastfeeding. This time, however, I want to talk about the bigger problems I had when I started to breastfeed.

Let me start with a very brief description of how I dealt with the most common ones that most, if not all, mothers face. The initial latch is always a challenge. We just dribbled formula on the breast until the baby was sucking continuously. It was only after five days when I actually saw milk of my own, which leads me to the issue of low milk supply. I breastfed as much as I could but there were times when we gave my daughter formula, for many different reasons. She was about two months old when I started breastfeeding her exclusively.

So having a condition known as the inverted nipple just aggravated the situation. I've always noticed it, I just didn't know that there was a name for it or that it would someday lead me to cursing the world in general. I thought it was nothing but an inconsequential feature, much like lopsided ears or something. It was only after I gave birth when I learned about what it is. The condition isn't rare though, about twenty percent of women. There are commercially available products by popular brands (None of which I tried.) to help fix this factory defect, as I once liked to call it. Even the degree of nipple inversion varies. Some are deeply inverted while some are simply flat or what some people call 'shy'. And every mother in my family and even among friends belong in the 'normal' eighty percent. There was no one with whom I could relate. Well, it actually wouldn't have made any difference but it would've been nice to have someone share it with me. Then I read about using a syringe. Basically, the method uses the syringe's suction to draw out the nipple. It did help I must say. Still, my daughter and I struggled for weeks. The silicone breast shields didn't work out well for me. They reduced the pain a teensy weensy bit, so not worth the trouble of holding it while nursing and because there's space between the shield and the breast, milk (and blood!) gets pooled in there. I also didn't rely on the pump because I was still having trouble with milk supply. It was hard to watch her strain and then cry after many unsuccessful attempts. 

What is the nipple for and why is it difficult to breastfeed with an inverted one? Okay I'm not an expert but with my experience I have observed that the baby holds the nipple between her tongue and the roof of her mouth to hold the breast in place so without that, the breast just flops out. I helped her by pushing her head toward me until she's had a good latch on her own. Also, I found it easier to feed her on the 'good' breast first then when she's not so hungry anymore, I would offer the inverted nipple side. That way, she's not very impatient. Eventually, the problem got fixed.