Does breastfeeding always hurt?

[ClarasMummy]

With my daughter I failed miserably at breastfeeding, having started out wanting to exclusively breastfeed I was just not expecting the terrible, terrible pain and bleeding that came along with it. I saw a health visitor and such and was told the latch was fine. I switched to bottle feeding after two days after seeing blood on my baby's mouth became too distressing.

I am currently pregnant and desperately want to succeed at breastfeeding my son. I was wondering if there were any tips or tricks to moderate the pain, and does it always hurt this much for everyone when they first start?

Thanks in advance for your help :)

I have bf all 3 of my DC's and in my experience yes it does hurt initially - a lot. Probably for the first 2 weeks or so I had sore cracked nipples with all my DC's. I used nipple cream and nipple shields and just persevered.
It does get easier and after a few weeks there is no discomfort at all.

Its normal for it to hurt a bit - remember, you're applying almost constant wet suction to a very sensitive bit of skin.

I bit into a marshmellow for the first week or so every time I latched DS on. But we're still going at 10 months, so believe me when I say it got easier!

Lots of Lansinoh, and good breastpads. Have your nipples exposed as often as possible, and a savoy cabbage in the fridge. Ask for some extra support from the midwives / health visitors / peer supporters to help you be comfortable. Have a breast feeding pillow and try different positions.

Good luck!

I would have to say it does not necessarily hurt at all. I am feeding my third at the moment and can honestly say apart from occasional engorgement at the start and a strong let down feeling it has never hurt at all. I think you should get as much help as possible and good luck!

To answer your question, no!
You poor thing, I am impressed you are even considering giving it another go, well done .

It should not hurt beyond the first 2-3 sucks which is how long it sometimes takes for a tiny new baby to suck the nipple+aureola+some breast tissue to the back of its mouth. It is breastfeeding, not nipplefeeding. If babe chomps just on the tip of the nipple you get pain, bleeding AND poor milk transfer leading to loooooong, even more painful feeds and unhappy babies, often with poor weight gain. And, of course, a very unhappy mother.

Do not accept 'latch it good' from anybody if it does not feel good. A well latched on baby does not hurt mum at all. Please bear in mind that a lot of HV/MW do NOT know a lot about BFing - IME specialist BFing support workers are much better at sorting out feeding problems.
A baby feeds not by applying suction btw, it is more a milking/pressure motion by tongue/soft palate a bit like a kitten licking milk from a saucer.

Look at the videos on Dr Jack Newman's website, also kellymom.com is very useful.

FWIW, after 2 rubbish BFing experiences I have fed DS3 to 14 months and am going strong with DS4 (almost 6 months), so it is possible to have a good experience after a bad one.

Agree with SirBoobAlot - lansinoh was about the best thing ever invented, in my opinion.

BF does hurt, in the beginning. Even if you have a good latch -esp if you have sensitive skin. I do have one friend who found it completely unpainful from the get go and she tends to sunbathe topless, so maybe she has toughened up her nipples?

DD1 would latch correctly and then slip as she fell asleep and caused lots of damage that way. With DD2 I was so much more vigilant and would unlatch her as she started to go to sleep and also had the lansinoh at the hospital with me so it was applied prior and post every feed from the very beginning. I also have enormous boobs so the 'football' hold was easier for me in the early days.

I BF DD1 to 15 months and DD2 is still going strong at 10 months so it is possible.

Good luck! Once you get through the first couple of weeks it really does get easier and then it is much easier to calm and comfort a baby with a boob - esp in the middle of the night!

my daughter is 3 weeks and for the first week it hurt for the firt minute or two of each feed, now it only hurts after a particularly long session and its different sort of pain its more just aching rather than the more intense pain that I had at first.

I have to agree with PacificDogwood, it shouldn't hurt at all.

Deffenlty seek more profesional help. BF cafes are a goog idea if there is one near you, you could pop along before baby is born.

There is a DVD on this site www.bestbeginnings.org.uk/ which shows how latch should work. You should have been given this while PG, but I haven't been so I'm not sure all MW's are giving them out.

And in reply to ShrimpOnTheBarnie, I have sensitive skin and had no pain feeding only the initial letdown reflex (which was more of a toe currling sensation then actualy painfull) which seatled down after feeding was established.

The initial letdown reflex can be absolute agony to begin with (maybe up to 2-3 weeks ime). I don't think it is particularly helpful to say that breastfeeding should not be at all painful - many women won't differentiate between let-down and breastfeeding. I didn't.

I think a bit of pain while your boobs sort themselves out is one thing, but I think anything causing more than a bit of a "wince" is probably indicative of a problem of some sort.

Yes, sorry, on re-reading my earlier post I realise I come across a bit dogmatic , sorry.
Obviously, BFing is a hugely personal experience and like pregnancy and giving birth different from person to person and baby to baby. I, for instance, have never had a painful let-down. Go figure.
I suppose what I ment was that agonising pain that persists and bleeding nipples surely are a sign that things are Not Right.
Also second or third Lansiloh as wonderointment .

Oh gawd, and I cannot spell Lalsi Lanso Linla..., well, that cream wot helps heal nips

Yes, I would agree that bleeding nipples is not something that I would consider to be normal ime.. although I think normal varies much more widely than the textbooks seem to indicate - which can be disheartening for first-timers...

I just feel for people that stop feeding when they don't really want too I guess. A bit of support and hearing others RL experiences may just be enough encouragement to continue ifswim.

OP - is there a breast feeding group in your area? One local to me is fab. Just an excuse for a cup of coffee and a chat really, but invaluable if you have questions because others there to share experiences / advice.

I am currently bf my third and each experience has been different. BF hurts me for the first 2 weeks, and then I successfully bf for just over a year with each. My first was just a bit uncomfortable for a couple of weeks as was my second. With my second I went through a period at 4 months for some reason where it was excruciating just on one side. I had an open sore at the base of the nipple. It took a couple of weeks to get over it. The third has been unbelievable. Wincing pain, and tears through the first minute of latch on. My baby is three weeks now and I have no pain whatsoever. I have been using that lanisoh cream or whatever it is with each feed though.

It must be really distressing though when you bleed. I hope you have a more positive experience this time around.

I had to express for the first 3 weeks because DS wasnt sucking. I used the avent Duo system (double electric pump) hired from the midwife.

It hurt for the first few days and I got a few cracks in the skin but nothing that bled much. However, I think the pumping hardened them up a bit and was much less "vigourous" than a new baby and also doesnt clamp down on your boobs!!

Its even softer if you hand pump!!

Maybe you could try that to harden your boobs up a bit before hand??

I think it would be good to spell out what we mean by "normal" here ...

Does 'Normal' = it happens to lots of people?
Yes, lots of people experience pain in the early days and sadly, cracked and bleeding nipples do seem to be quite common - pain is a top-cited reason for people giving up BF.

Does 'Normal' = it's meant to be like this?
No, it's not meant to be like this (Morloth puts it best, IMHO). If breastfeeding was meant to be routinely agonising how on earth did humankind survive? Women who live in societies where breastfeeding is the norm don't have half the problems we in the UK do: they know how to latch a baby on properly from the beginning, because they've seen it done all their lives. Breastfeeding is a skill that was nearly lost for good in the UK.

Maybe I have been lucky, but I haven't really experienced any pain. My nipples were a bit sore in the first few days as we both learned what we were doing, but now (DS is 3 weeks old) if it hurts I take him off and start again.

I did have the benefit of a lot of support initially in the very pro-bf hospital DS was born in.

It didn't really hurt me. My boobs just felt mauled and tender for a few days. But never had any cracked nipples or bleeding.

I really don't think I would have continued if it was very painful or made my nipples bleed. I'm very impressed that anyone perseveres through cracked and bleeding nipples.

Others know a lot more about this than I do, but thought it might be helpful for the OP to hear from someone who's going through it at the moment. DS is ten days old and I'm just beginning to think the end of the pain is in sight. I've had very sore, cracked nipples (not bad latch, just sensitive skin) and DS cluster feeds for hours at a time, so I've found it very tough. However, the right side is now pain-free and the left side is getting there (I've had to use a nipple shield on that side for a few days to give the damage a chance to heal), and I'm glad I did persevere: the thing that's kept me going through the pain is the thought that it would be really annoying to have gone through the initial agony and then not get any of the benefits of established breastfeeding. (I'm afraid those are the benefits of ease and convenience for me, not the health benefits to him - altruism alone wouldn't have kept me going through the worst of this!)

Yes it is fucking AGONY, like a little parana fish gnawing away. I just gave birth to 3rd on Monday and have already switched to pumping. I just can't do it, it is too painful. I actually requested gas and air once before i fed, all the MW laughed but I was serious. My mate kelly had to bite down on a tea towel when she fed !!!!

It isnt even sore skin, it is like the tissues inside the nipples are bruised.

And if one more person tells me "they aren't latched on properly" I swear I will kick them very hard just below their poking in nose [grin}

It always hurt me but did stop hurting eventually. Just double the amount of time people say it should hurt for and stock up on nipple cream, good luck.

you should also know that every breastfeeding relationship is different - bf my dd was a very different experience to bf ds for example

hv do not always know what to look for with respect to latches, if you find it v painful get the latch checked by someone with a clue - at a bf support group, a NCT bf counsellor, these things are free

breast care is v important - there is some good advice about lansinoh to preempt cracks and prevent them worsening

there is some good advice here, try not to let what happened before put you off

good luck!

I think for some women it does always hurt in the beginning. It did for me. 9 babies and sore cracked, bleeding nipples to some degree every time. Never for less than 2 weeks and with one baby for 6 weeks (although the worst was over around 2 weeks).

I think some of it is related to the fact that some babies just won't open their mouths wide enough in the early days and some have to gain a bit of experience in suckling correctly. Aswell as this, I think some nipples just need time to adjust to the constant and unfamiliar demand.

I kept going because I believed it was best for the baby and later because I knew it would settle and I wasn't going through all that only to give up when it was improving.

For context, DS is 4 weeks old and feeding him as been totally pain free for about 2 1/2 weeks. I'd imagine each baby feeds differently, so I dunno if my story is any use but:
First of all, pinch and tug on your nipples, hard. It's not exactly SORE, is it? But at the same time, it does make you wince a bit, right? That's the first way I can describe it. I also had quite flat nipples (don't any more, now they point!) so I imagine that my baby had to do quite a bit of sucking to get them to point enough for him - and that was probably some of the initial pain, for me. If I'd know about them at the time, I'd have worn Breast Shells for the last month of PG.

Secondly, DS had a tongue tie and so couldn't latch properly. He did end up sort of rubbing the skin off my nipples in the first week, and there was a bit of red sore skin (who am I kidding, it hurt like hell) - thankfully I never saw blood in his mouth/my milk, or I think I would have had a meltdown.

Thirdly: what saved my breastfeeding relationship was that I got help within a few days of coming back from the hospital. Basically: home from hospital on Friday, weekend spent crying, wondering if I should FF, posting on MN in a state, and getting chewed on the nipples. Lactation consultant to my house on Monday. It was expensive but we'd saved up for it, and that visit (plus her availability over the phone all the next 2 weeks!) has made the difference between me continuing to BF or switching to formula. She taught me how to feed lying down, which didn't hurt the already-sore parts of my nipples, and she recognized that DS had a tongue tie. I got that snipped in the next few days - and then could feed sitting up again, cos (1) the sides of my nipples had had time to heal and (2) DS could now latch and not slip off and chew.

The last week feeding has been a breeze - I've fed in waiting rooms, on a park bench, in a sling, in a bar (mmn, burger and a beer with new mum friends!) at mum's groups, on a bus.... but I wouldn't have got there without a lot of help, tears, and a fair bit of ibuprofen and paracetamol. It DID hurt. Lanisoh is great, so are their 'soothies' (gel pads for sore nips,) - but I can now tell the difference between the deep 'tugging' sensation of him latched on well and feeding like a leech, and a bad latch that is razoring my nipples and must be stopped AT ONCE! I'd say if you're worried about it (and I was!), get really good help lined up now now now, and be willing (if you can put the money aside) to pay for someone to come to your house and stay with you and your partner for a couple of hours, and show you lots of different ways to feed. Of course, you might have someone in the area who will do that for free, or a place you can take them the first week where you'll get help - I didn't have that option, so had to pay for immediate help. We're not very well off and paying for the lactation consultant was hard for us, but it was less than 2 1/2 months' worth of formula costs... and BFing now is a doddle. I can hardly believe how hard it was in the first week - but I can also see why so many mums stop, and wish they hadn't. If we hadn't had a LC come round, I think I would have stopped, no question. I was just so worried that I was starving DS, and being in pain myself made me question everything. The deep pulling on the nipples isn't painful (though I've yet to find it blissful!) but the lacerating pain of a bad latch is bloody awful, AND you don't need to put up with it. .

Gawd I've written an essay. Sorry! Good luck and enjoy your gorgeous new baby :)

Hi,

I was sure I was doing it wrong as was an agony at first, however after being told by numerous midwives that dd's latch was really good and feeling the even worse pain when she wasn't latched on properly I have decided that it just hurts at first. I ended up with blistered and bleeding nipples and this lasted for about 2 weeks. Lansinoh cream is amazing and I spent the 2nd week constantly applying this and walking around with cabbage leaves in my bra. Am now 4 weeks in and nipples are completely healed and no pain for the last 2 weeks. my advice would be to persevere, it is very hard and I can understand why so many people give up but so glad I didn't now.