frustrated and discouraged

[Abigail3]

Hi everyone. Well I took a 3 day break about a week ago (since I was away and also so that the hickey marks would go away)...well once I started back up to pumping again the hickey marks came right back....and I noticed that I had them in areas that I didn't notice before (meaning: they were there before but didn't realize it. till after I started pumping again..so they never went away during 3 day break). One is underneath my boob (serious hickey mark bright red:.....they're super saggy so I have to lift my boob up to look underneath it)....and one is on the side of my other boob......very light but there. I'm discouraged because I feel like I can't do this without getting all these marks and if I stop...then I'll have to start back to square one again and lose the small fullness I'm starting to get. Should I keep pumping? Or should I take time off...again....and let my skin heal? I guess I'm very sensitive to hickey marks. This is so frustrating.

 

[BooBoo]

I'm very easily bruised myself and have struggled with the marks a great deal. I considered taking time off, but the simple fact is that it takes a lot of sustained tension to even induce growth and then a whole lot more time after that to actually generate the new cells. Stopping before you've even gotten into the growth phase puts you back at square one. Taking a break while you are growing slows or stops the process at that point until you begin again. So, I have decided to just push through until summer comes and I either find a way to cover them or, if I cannot hide them anymore, I will be happy with what I have throughout the summer and begin again in the fall. Maybe not the ideal, but it's the most logical and productive route I've been able to come up with. At the very least, know that you're not alone.

 

[Dixieland]

Abigail,
Read my post to Monica about the big red dots...
Hugs and :-*
Dixieland

 

[Jen21]

I have the same issue. Can't pump b/c of the marks and as Dixeland posted it is becoming warmer, so I can't wear most of my clothes with the marks. You're right it is frustrating. I wish I had an answer for you. When I pump I do it very gently and as we all know that doesn't produce instant results, but I'm hoping the pace is only being slowed down instead of not working at all.

 

[mojo]

Hi Abigail3

The only time I get red "hickey" marks (rings) is when I don't use my "yoga mat" padding. I'm sure I read about the yoga mat idea on one of these threads, and the lady had posted a picture, which helped me get a good idea of how to do it.

I'm so incredibly boney that noogling without *some* kind of padding under the edges of the hard plastic dome is just too painful (and leaves bruising on my boney parts, as well as hickey rings. I did try noogling with the soft foam rings that came with the domes (Medium size) which was okay ... a bit irritating against my skin, and sometimes if I applied a little more suction the domes squeezed the soft foam rings off anyway.

But when I tried with the yoga mat it felt soooooo much better. Basically it's just a piece of yoga mat with a hole in the middle - cut about an inch smaller than the diameter of the edge of the dome itself - plus plenty around the outside, as you have to allow for quite a bit of the mat getting suctioned in, too, when noogling.

I've also found that by using the yoga mat - to cover the areas of my breast that I don't want to swell so much (such the top part) and allowing it to suction more of the area of my breast that needs fleshing out more (the lower part), I get fullness where I really want it. And so this way, so far, I've managed to get more "natural" looking female breasts (ie. with a nice "teardrop" shape). I've also managed to avoid the "nipple pointing down" effect - as I like my nipples pointing up! ;D

It took me a few hours of experimenting, to get the right size piece of mat - with the right size hole. The mat I used is about 1/2 inch thick (non-breathable, of course) and smooth. But a mat that's a bit thinner (about 1/4 inch) might work just as well, if not better. (I just cut up the yoga mat I had - actually it was a Pilates mat, which is why it was so much thicker. But I'm very pleased with the result - no more pain or hickeys, yay!)

I had tiny little bits of yoga mat all over my bedroom floor, as I sat and trimmed it down to the perfect size, and got the hole (and shape) just right.

I tested it each time, in front of the mirror. Then my husband walked in, saw me noogling with the mat, with tiny, bright coloured bits of yoga mat all over the floor, and a big smile on my face ... and he laughed, saying: "I'm not even going to ask!!"

But that's what worked for me. Glad I tried it in the first week, otherwise don't know if I would have lasted much longer. And now I absolutely *love* noogling.

Only one problem ... is now I think I'm addicted! ;D

I'm sure the long term nooglers here ... people with much more experience than me (I've only been doing it for about 1 month) may have some better ideas.

Best of luck. Once you find a way, you'll be pleased to find it's worth it :-*

Mojo

 

[jinj]

can you show me the shape of yoga mat that you have cut out?
i was wondering. ever since i heard the yoga mat idea..

also, how'd you manage to use it to cover the top part of breast? .. i want natural shape too..
how does your yoga mat look like?

thanks!!!

 

[BooBoo]

Hey Jinj, the following thread explains the yoga mat thing, with pics.

http://www.noogleberry.com/forum/index.php?topic=940.0

 

[sissy2345]

Ok, I read the other yoga mat thread a while ago, and re-read it just now. I was mistaking the "hickey" marks everyone spoke about as the redness of the breast itself, which I had and it lasted. But now I see that you are all really talking about the red rings?? That's my biggest issue, it seems like I get good swelling to last several hours, but kinda takes the fun away to deal with the rings....not like I can show them off that way.

So I had the $10.00 walmart yoga mat sitting unused, and I tried it. Cut the rings just right, but I get no suction at all. I'm pretty good at getting both xl cups on and starting suctioning right up each time, but had that first day awkwardness the first time so I remembered that and kept trying over and over today. But could get no suction.

Anyone who has used the yoga mat have any additional tips? I would love to noogle without the rings, but it seems like everyone else is getting better suction with the mats, and I can't get any.

Thanks!

Sissy

 

[BooBoo]

You said you have a $10 Wal-Mart mat... the only ones I've seen for $10 there are made of a breathable material, which will not allow you to get suction. Is that possibly what's happening?

 

[sissy2345]

Maybe that's it! I guess it's good that I just cut up a cheap one! How do you tell if it's breathable or not?

Thanks for your help, I love the noogle but the rings are a real bummer and my only issue at this time, I would spend $50 on a mat to cut up if it would help with the rings

Sissy

 

[mojo]

Hey BooBoo - thanks for posting your thread with yoga mat idea (and picture).

You ARE a legend! :-* :-* :-*

Hi Jinj - I simply followed BooBoo's discovery, and allowed more width around the mat. As for positioning of the mat to get the fullness where I want it most, I just let the hole surround the area where I want the swelling more. So in my case, as I want fullness more towards the bottom of the breast, I position the hole in the mat lower (ie. so the nipple isn't in the middle - it's higher up, towards the top the hole). And then position the dome a bit lower also. Suctioning will pull some of the upper part of the breast into the dome as you noogle, anyway, but I've found if I don't let the dome "slide up" the chest wall (by holding it in place), it starts to suction more of the lower part of the breast into the dome, thus swelling that part more.

I must add that I use the "pump and release method". Only suction the dome in one position for about 5 mins a time. Then remove to see how things are starting to look (re-position the dome, if needed).

Then, if I want add fullness to another area - say the middle of the chest (eg. to balance out existing fullness near the armpits), I move the hole in the mat and the dome more towards the centre of the chest, to give that a bit more of a boost.

Because I want the "nipple pointing up" look, I always try and position the dome so that when fully noogled, my nipple sits slightly higher than the "nipple" of the dome itself. (But just be aware that this tends to swell more of the area underneath the nipple).

Only possible "downside" to using the yoga mat idea, is that it makes it so comfortable to noogle, that it becomes very easy to overdo it! Trust me, blotchy boobs are not good! Learned that lesson very early on!!! :-[

Worth experimenting to find what suits you. That's just how I do it. And must emphasise that I've only been doing this for a month, so still have a lot to learn myself

Best wishes :-* :-* :-*
Mojo

 

[Abigail3]

Why is blotchy boobs not good? Mine get that way everytime I noogle. It goes away after I take the cups off though. Is it bad for circulation or something?

 

[BooBoo]

Sissy, my mat, also purchased at Wal-Mart, was only $20 and can be used to make many, many rings, so no worries there. As for the breathability, my bf actually put his mouth against it and sucked. hehehe Don't expect anyone to do this in Wal_Mart, but chances are that if you go with the thicker, cushier blue mat (mine was Gold's Gym brand) it will not be breathable. Good luck!

 

[daylight]

thanks will try that

 

[Jen21]

Thought it was established the yoga mat does not help with the hickey marks only the red rings. Is that incorrect? The reg rings are not the same as hickey marks. They are bruises from blood being suctioned to the surface not the rings left from the cups.

 

[Dixieland]

Jen,
When I talk about my "hickey" mark, I am talking a ruddy/brownish discoloration all over my boobies, not the red ring that the edge of the cup leaves. I have had the blotchy red discoloration/ petechiae before, and eventually it turned to this forever hickey mark....perfect alignment with the inside of the cups....my red ring from the edge goes away after a few hours, but the hickey remains....for a few days to several weeks... I still am not noogling because of trying to get rid of the hickey all over both my little girls....here is the really bad part...I am very tan and you can still see it! I don't know if it is ever going to go away.
Hope this helps...
Hugs and :-*
Dixieland

 

[Jen21]

Thanks Dixieland. I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with such terrible marks. I hope they heal soon. I can imagine how you must feel. Hugs and :-*

My hickey marks are similar except they are like purple/green/brown dotted bruises all over my breasts. It takes several days for the marks to heal and sometimes even pumping gently causes them. The good news is I have some progress and I hope it stays by doing a few gentle sessions here and there.

Hang in there Dixie. The marks will heal it just may take a little time. :-*

 

[sissy2345]

Thanks BooBoo! I went to Walmart and bought the $20 Golds Gym mat today. It worked great as far as suction and no rings when I took the domes off! However, it may be an adjustment for me, since it pulls less of the armpit area, which I didn't like, but I seemed to get more fullness that way. I get less fullness when I take the domes off with the mat. I'm going to have to work on it over the next few days and figure out what to do.

I need to do something, because I tried the rings sent with my domes, but they are supposed to fit the large and xl cups, but I can't even get them to stay on the xl for me. I noticed yesterday that I was starting to get indents in my ribs above the breast. At first I didn't worry about it, I loved the swelling and was trying to get in as much time as I can during this time I'm working from home which wont last much longer....but now I'm wondering if I might be causing permanent changes to my breast bone? Also, The area right outside of the armpit was starting to build up, which also concerned me that I might be causing some growth in places I didn't want. Anyone else see this happening?

I'm going to keep trying things, I gotta make this work, since I am seeing progress, but only want to alter my breast. Thanks everyone for all the help and suggestions!

 

[Abigail3]

I went to walmart today to check out the mats and saw the nice $19 that has been mentioned and the thin $10 one. The $19 one sure looked and felt soft and cushiony....anyway, my husband had the idea of using the craft foam in the craft section...since it wasn't in our budget for the nice mat or the thin one. So I bought two foam pieces and will cut them out this evening. I hope they'll work....they're pretty thin. It was only .42 cents each so it was worth a try anyway. I'll let you know if they're worth it or not...lol.

Dixieland....I feel your pain. I'm all hickeyed up too! I think I will try the arnica spray that has been mentioned. Have you tried it? It's worth a shot. I forgot to look for it at walmart while I was there....they probably don't have it anyway. I wonder if aloe vera might help...hmm...I guess some of us are just more prone to marking up than others. I've looked at the photos posted in the photos section and nobody there has any marks! They all have perfect skin...no fair..lol j/k. Anyway, I wonder how they all managed to get that far with their skin staying so nice.

 

[Dixieland]

Abigail3,
Yes, I am using the Arnica cream from GNC and 100 % natural Aloe mixed together and put on the little girls...twice a day. They are getting better, just not fast enough for me! When looking at the photo's I have often wondered that myself...no hickey marks! I guess we are just prone to hickey's...although I can think of a much funner way of getting them!! ;D than by trying to grow boobies!
Let me know if the craft foam works!!! I am in the same boat as far as $ being tight right now, and can't afford the yoga mat.
Hugs and :-*
Dixieland