Does breastfeeding always hurt for the first week? Or few weeks?

[ToftheB]

Hello. My first baby had a severe tongue tie and bf hurt for the first week or so until it was snipped.

I've just had another baby (4 days old) and her tongue looks better (although I'm far from an expert!) and she seems to be latching better... but it's still really quite painful. Is this normal for the first few days or weeks? My breasts are tender because my milk has just come through... so maybe it will get easier after that? Or should I consider going to a lactation consultant/ tongue tie clinic for assessment?

Many thanks.

In my experience the first baby you breastfeed is the most painful but others still hurt.

The midwives will try and say it's due to latching ECT but I think all babies hurt for the first 2-3 weeks x

If you're concerned definitely get baby checked. However I bf my ds for 8 months and the first few weeks were very painful at times. No issues with latch or tongue tie, both checked several times, my nipples just needed to toughen up a bit I think! By week six it was pretty much painless.

I haven't had any pain at all from day 1. I think perhaps I'm very lucky as my experience doesn't seem to be common.
We have a breastfeeding support group that you can just drop in to... I wonder if you have the same available to you... Might be worth popping in just to double check

I breastfed DD1 right up until DD2 was born and I still experienced pain feeding DD2. I think it is normal and it's just because you are feeding so often. As others said after a few weeks it was pain free. I found applying Lansinoh cream helped a bit.

In my experience yes. But that first pain free feed - and it will come any day - is just magic.

Well done you for keeping on!

I found it really sore and uncomfortable until around 4 weeks. I used to curl my toes everytime my now 7 month old latched on. Lots and lots of nipple cream.

Do get your latch checked at a BFing support group just to be sure.

I’ve fed four children and it’s been agony for the first few weeks with all of them. It gets easier.

Mine never hurt. Even with tongue tied Ds2 where I knew it wasn't 'right', it never hurt.

Ohhhh yes I was 100% sure of latch but it was like ripping off a plaster trying to gear myself for each feed. About 1.5 weeks later I had nips like leather.

I had excrutiating pain whilst bf up to around 4 weeks with all 3 of mine. For my last I bought this 'mama's moments' essential oil pack which came with 2 flannels that you soak in water with a few drops of essential oil and put on your chest. This gave some relief in between feedings.

I still remember the toe curl!

I had sore nipples and tender breasts for the first couple of weeks with two babies, they both had tongue ties but fairly mild.
One baby had a bad tongue tie and was agony until it was cut.

Now 9 months in too breastfeeding and the first few weeks were absolute agony. I too remember the toe curl it gets much easier in time

Thank you all so much for your replies. I really appreciate it - I do love mumsnet sometimes!

It seems like it varies a lot person to person. I was bfing DS1 until a few months ago, so I had hoped that I would just get straight back into the swing of things... but that had got fairly painful towards the end (after 18 months of it being easy), which I put down to pregnancy hormones/changes.

I'll see if I can find a local breastfeeding group or expert who can have a quick look at how I'm doing this time.... but you've given me hope that this will pass. Thanks again.

It hurt me at first, even after my bad latching (I was holding DD too far away) was spotted and corrected. I always read that it shouldn't hurt at all but based on what I read from actual breastfeeding mothers, I think it's fairly common to hurt or feel uncomfortable in the early days.

It never hurt at all for me. I was expecting all sorts of problems but I found it easy and painless. Maybe that’s unusual, I don’t know.

I've fed 3 babies (still feeding the 3rd, other 2 were both fed until 14 months) and all 3 were agony for the 1st few weeks. I would have to take a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth for the 1st 10 seconds of each feed, bloody awful! But then the boobs seemed to toughen up and from there it was a really wonderful experience.

I was so surprised at how much breastfeeding hurt with DD1 - due to bad latching position, as I realised later. I really thought it would be this very natural, automatic thing. DD 2 was fine - just a little ‘oh, now I remember’ for the first week then all was good. Fed her for longer as well.

Like other posters I had no pain at all from the get-go. I thought breast-feeding wasn't supposed to hurt unless their were some issues with latch or positioning, however, after speaking to and reading about other women's experiences, I now wonder if that's true as most women do appear to experience some pain, at least initially.

Never hurt me. I must have tough, greasy nips!

I had an undiagnosed TT with DD, only found out at 6w when my friend told me hers wasn't hurting any more... Had it snipped and she stopped hurting me that day!

When I had DS I got him checked out early on as it was quite painful at times plus I developed a bleb early on

They confirmed he didn't have tongue tie and helped me with positioning, and after a few weeks it stopped hurting.

I spoke to a breastfeeding counsellor and also attended a La Leche League meeting who were really sympathetic and helpful.

Good luck OP, hope it gets easier quickly. I was really expecting it to be a doddle (unless he had TT) and was gutted when it started hurting.

Hello. I just wanted to update to say that the pain has more or less stopped now dd is about 3 weeks old.
I just kept working on a deeper latch and using nipple cream between feeds. Thank you all so much for your replies, it was great to have the reassurance that the pain was fairly normal and would hopefully pass.

I thought it did til I had dc3, who fed like a dream from the start (milk came in on day 3, no tongue tie). My older 2 both had tongue ties but fed well in that they definitely got enough milk and put weight on really well, so I never had them cut.

Get your dc2 checked - my one tongue tie free baby fed painlessly from day 1 through to stopping at 14 months though he made me pay by never sleeping where my tongue tie babies hurt for 2 or 3 weeks.

Sorry, cross posted, glad it's fine now - if it ain't broken (now) don't fix it.

Btw for future reference, if you want/ need a tongue tie cut on an older baby/ young child it's a general anaesthetic, but if there are no issues with feeding or speech and your child wants their tongue tie cut as a teen it's very minor under local...