Let's be real. Breastfeeding hurts! At least at the beginning. True, there are some mothers that had no pain EVER in breastfeeding and that if the baby is latched properly it SHOULDN'T hurt. But, reality is there are several factors involved in pain-free vs pain-full breastfeeding.
Let's start with your baseline. Anyone's breasts get sore during their period? Mine did! And, my nipples have always been sensitive (even with the hubby), so is it a shock that when a hungry creature latches on and sucks as hard as they can that it hurts? No. I often have Moms whose breasts and nipples are tender for me just to touch even before baby even gets on because of the excess fluid in their bodies and the hormone rollercoaster they are on.
And let's say Mom's breasts and nipples feel perfect at their baseline, then what about baby?
Baby has to have had a normal well-timed pregnancy and delivery free of any stress, trauma, or tools; cannot be tongue-tied (which I am seeing almost weekly these days); and be perfect from a cranio-facial perspective though their little bones are still soft and taking shape plus have a perfect suck reflex.
Then, hopefully you are in a hospital where they help the baby breastfeed within the first hour after the much needed skin to skin time after the birth, so baby has the opportunity for their little instincts to kick in to latch and eat perfectly BEFORE the difficult 24-48 hour period of difficulty sets in when baby Will NOT wake up to eat and the nurses are frustrated because they will have to take baby's blood sugar at 5 hours and YOU have not fed your baby every three hours, so now they are discussing formula or pumping. The lactation person helps you get baby on FINALLY, but it hurts your nipples because "the latch is wrong" and the inevitable tears of failed motherhood flow as hormones, sleep deprivation, and confusion set in.
Wasn't this supposed to be easy? Wasn't it supposed to not hurt? Isn't this natural and beautiful? Why isn't it working for me like everyone else? Reality is - EVERY Mom and baby are different. I have had very few first time Moms have NO difficulties. Second times Moms have difficulties too, but they already know how to handle them.
So, is there hope? Yes!
First things first. If you have sensitive nipples and breasts to start with just know from the beginning you may have a challenge, but it should resolve within a couple weeks as the nips acclimate (it took me three weeks this last time); and then if all else is good, not only will it not hurt, but can feel good and be one of the best experiences between you and your baby. You can tell that this is the problem if the soreness is only there at the beginning of breastfeeding and then disappears while baby eats. As long as it disappears, it should resolve. But if it doesn't, it is probably THE LATCH.
If you are offered lactation help in the hospital - take it! The sooner you can understand and know what a good latch looks AND FEELS like, the quicker you will be to pain free nursing. The latch is the most common reason for pain. No one knows what they are doing at the beginning, baby and Mommy are both learning, so there can be some damage to the nips that may take some time for healing. You can tell if this is the problem if the pain persists throughout the feeding and even gets worse. Once you have resolved the latch, it will still hurt as you heal up (and there are tricks to help speed up that process), but should be decreasing and may resolve within a few days.
The majority of people will find themselves in the upper two categories and will be so happy they pushed through to the other side. I have never heard of a mother unhappy that they persisted. Its worth doing. Not just for your baby, but for you :)
If the pain persists beyond those first few weeks, there are other less common causes to discuss with your pediatrician or local lactation counselor:
-tongue-tie (which they should have seen in the hospital)
-thrush
-cranio-facial issues (which largely can also resolve in a short time as baby further develops and compensates)
-Rayaud's Syndrome
-Nipple confusion
-Improper use of Pump
-Engorgement
-Hyper-reflex which causes baby to clamp
- and more that I can't think of right now :)
We will discuss all of these at a later time. In fact, if there is anything you want discussed, tell me! It may show up :)
In the meantime, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We don't want people to quit just because they had false expectations. Know that it will likely be difficult at the beginning, BUT almost all causes for nipple pain can be remedied quickly and send you off to enjoy the land of milk and honeys within a few weeks :) As one of my Moms said, "You got to soldier through, girl, soldier through." And you won't regret it!
