Does breastfeeding hurt?

Friedseasalt · 2025-04-18T07:12:21+00:00

For info I formula fed my little one 5 years ago. Due in a few months and really keen to try and BF. Trying to educate myself as much as possible. However, a lot of stories I read online are about how painful/sore it is and it’s scaring me. What essentials do I have to buy to help? I am absolutely clueless tbh.

legsekeven · 18/04/2025 08:16

Just from my own experience. Yes it was painful/difficult for the first few weeks. Then it was easy. However some people fine it easy from day one and others fine it incredibly difficult. If you really want to bf and you have support then give it a go

Ohthatsabitshit · 18/04/2025 08:17

Yes till it’s established.

ohpoowhatnow · 18/04/2025 08:23

Yes painful for a week or so but not unbearable

ViscountessBridgerton · 18/04/2025 08:26

Yes....some people will say 'if it hurts you're doing it wrong' but that's BS. Midwife checked DS latch several times and we were doing everything right...your nipples need some time to toughen up.

Original poster

Friedseasalt · 18/04/2025 08:28

ViscountessBridgerton · 18/04/2025 08:26

Yes....some people will say 'if it hurts you're doing it wrong' but that's BS. Midwife checked DS latch several times and we were doing everything right...your nipples need some time to toughen up.

This is what I was wondering as I have read a lot of this. Thank you

OP posts:

Ticklishknees · 18/04/2025 08:28

Yes. Nipple balm and silver cups will help though. And absolutely not letting the shower water hit your nipples directly, that was agony! My soreness only lasted a week but it's different for everyone.

Nomnomnew · 18/04/2025 08:29

I agree with the others. It was sore for the first few weeks (although baby’s latch was quite good so I was one of the lucky ones at the start!) but then super easy and not painful. Unless something went wrong with it - e.g I got one or two milk blebs in the year or so I fed my first and those were quite painful, and I got a crack on one nipple which was super sore so I had to stop feeding on that side for a while.

But generally and most of the time - no, it’s not painful. And it felt like way way less of a faff than my friends having to prepare formula or carry round bottles when out and about etc!

YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators · 18/04/2025 08:29

I BFd two DC for 2+ years each, and I didn't find it painful at all. The women in my antenatal group also enjoyed BFing and didn't report any issues with pain or discomfort. We spent a lot of time together in the first year and BFed in each other's homes, libraries, cafes and parks and not once did I get the impression anyone found it painful. I know some women do, but not all. Enjoy your new baby!

PopThatBench · 18/04/2025 08:31

I found it incredibly painful for 3 weeks and then it was absolutely painless after that.
It took pure dedication and perseverance to get through those 3 weeks, I almost “quit”.
My midwife told me every time DD latched, to count down from 30 and the pain lessened as I was counting down.
It was only that first latch that I found excruciating, DD had tongue tie and lip tie.
We had to use breast and formula milk the first 3 weeks to get enough milk into her, after that it was just BF until 9 months (food added in at 6 months).

Oh and Lanolin nipple cream! They can feed with the cream on.
Don’t be alarmed if there’s small traces of blood in baby’s nappy, it’s from swallowing blood from cracked nipples until the nipples toughen up.

Tafal · 18/04/2025 08:33

It can hurt to start with. Lansinoh nipple cream is an absolute godsend so definitely get some of that. Expensive but so worth it imo. The 'let down' feeling can be uncomfortable as well, and I always found in the beginning that feeding triggered the after pains of giving birth. Things should settle down though as you get used to it.

olympicsrock · 18/04/2025 08:35

Mine was very painful for the first month. DS had a tongue tie and was using his hard palate to chomp to try and suck. It got much better after the tongue tie was divided and by 3 months was not uncomfortable at all (although full boobs are uncomfortable)
All of my new mum friends found it painful to start with and we felt that they is some conspiracy of silence not to tell new mums that it does hurt to start with because we then felt that we must be doing something wrong.

Despite this I thought it was very worth whilesticking with. I combination fed with both babies with no issue. I also found that there was NCT teaching that was dangerous to discourage doing a combination of things to allow a new mum to rest and baby to have more calories while breast feeding is established.

Ticklishknees · 18/04/2025 08:35

Oh! Almost forgot about the post birth contractions, that was far worse than the nipple pain and it's brought on by breastfeeding so be prepared for that.

stargazer02 · 18/04/2025 08:35

Sore for a week or so, yes, and I'd say tender for a few extra weeks and when they get growth spurts and like to cluster feed, but worth persevering if you can. Like the pain of labour it's quickly forgotten.
Don't be shy to get the latch checked to make sure it's going ok, because a poor latch can also hurt, but will last longer!

Rattysparklebum · 18/04/2025 08:36

I was lucky that it was easy and pain free for me, baby latched well and genuinely found it a lovely experience.

blackbadger · 18/04/2025 08:36

It didn't hurt for me at all, but then my little one would only feed for 10mins at a time, so that's probably why! Everyone told me that was wrong too - but she carried that on for 13 months!
I was prepared for it to hurt though and had silver cups and a good nipple balm

Tbrh · 18/04/2025 08:37

It depends on the person, but yes it can. I've heard silver nipple shields can be great (haven't tried myself). But I used lots of lanolin and hydrogel breast discs after each feed and after two weeks it was fine. It actually hurt and then suddenly just stopped, it was very weird. It's understandable of you think about it suddenly something is sucking on your nipples for hours a day from nothing, but it is short term.

SnowSnow · 18/04/2025 08:37

I highly recommend following Lucy Webber Feeding Support on Instagram and having a look through her highlights as she has so much useful info. For me looking back we had a bad latch so it was sore maybe the first week but I’m now still feeding at 18months. Good luck

WaltzingWaters · 18/04/2025 08:38

In the beginning a little, but once established not at all. I did get blocked ducts a lot for a month or so which was agony. But I’m so glad I pushed through because I absolutely loved BFing.

Tbrh · 18/04/2025 08:39

I remembered being told initially that it's not meant to hurt, so like PP said, make sure you get the latch right. Get all the support you can as it's not initiative to everyone, even different positions help. I always had my baby on a pillow to get to get the right height

Cyclistmumgrandma · 18/04/2025 08:43

It obviously varies. It didn't hurt at all for me with either of my children. Good luck!

legsekeven · 18/04/2025 08:45

One thing that helped was keeping visitors to a minimum. Obviously let people visit but set expectations and let people know know. People will understand and you only need to do this for two weeks or so.

graveyardkate · 18/04/2025 08:46

The engorgement at the start was awful (I have large breasts anyway) but that would have happened however I fed (in fact feeding was a relief on the pressure).

I had sore nipples for a couple of weeks at the start but there was never any question of giving up; I just pushed through.

After that it was SO easy, SO convenient and SO pleasurable (and also free!) that I went on to feed both my DC until they were 2.

Twenty years on and it's one of my most treasured memories of those early years, I got so much out of it; a defining experience of early motherhood for me.

Original poster

Friedseasalt · 18/04/2025 08:47

SnowSnow · 18/04/2025 08:37

I highly recommend following Lucy Webber Feeding Support on Instagram and having a look through her highlights as she has so much useful info. For me looking back we had a bad latch so it was sore maybe the first week but I’m now still feeding at 18months. Good luck

Followed thanks!

OP posts:

NameChangedOfc · 18/04/2025 08:48

ViscountessBridgerton · 18/04/2025 08:26

Yes....some people will say 'if it hurts you're doing it wrong' but that's BS. Midwife checked DS latch several times and we were doing everything right...your nipples need some time to toughen up.

I agree with this (and have years of experience breastfeeding).
My honest opinion is that there are some discourses that, while coming from a good place and wanting to promote breastfeeding (and I agree with the goal), really do a disservice to mothers by idealising what is essentially a biological process.
Of course nipples will feel sore (sometimes there is bad latching and other issues, but I'm talking even when all is well) until you and your baby have established lactation. It isn't meant to be easy breezy and orgasmic and all those pink and fluffy things, in the beginning. But that's fine: all good things in life need time and effort. And we're mammals, we're equipped for it. Mother Nature isn't pink and fluffy either, is she? So think about breastfeeding the same way.
You'll get there 🙂

user2848502016 · 18/04/2025 08:48

It can hurt at the start yes just while your nipples get used to it basically! If it’s excruciating though that’s a sign of a bad latch. It shouldn’t be painful at all after the first week or so.
Lansinoh nipple cream is good, and you’ll need a comfy breastfeeding bra, maybe at night too depending on the size of your breasts. I found vest tops with drop down clips very useful to wear for sleeping and underneath a loose top during the day - pull one up and one down to feed and you don’t expose much skin at all!