Blessed Event Birth Services Inc

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
  • The Midwife Blogs
  • FAQ
  • Contact Me

Breastfeeding Should Not Hurt

12/15/2021

0 Comments

 
As a midwife, I do my best to support my clients in their breastfeeding journey.  One thing I've heard more than once now from my clients is that breastfeeding hurts for the first few weeks until their breasts toughen up.  Breastfeeding should not hurt, ever!

Even if you are experienced with breastfeeding, every baby is different.  One baby may have a perfect latch and you will experience no pain at all.  The next baby may have problems latching and that can cause discomfort.  Remember, breastfeeding is a new experience for every baby, and there is a learning curve they go through.

If you are having pain, here are some things you can try:  
  • Nipple shields can be your best friend.  They let baby latch while protecting your breast tissue, giving it more time to heal
  • Change nursing positions.  If you use a different nursing position every time you latch baby on, you change the pressure points on your breast tissue which helps prevent injury to the tissue.
  • After nursing, express some breastmilk and rub it on your nipple and areola, letting it air dry.  Breastmilk is an amazing healing substance, so take advantage of it.
  • Consider chiropractic care for you and baby.  Sometimes muscle tightness or something out of alignment for you or baby can affect how well baby latches on.
  • Have baby evaluated for tongue and lip ties.  Ties may cause nursing issues and a revision can resolve these issues.  While ties may make things harder, babies can be nursed with them.  My son had a massive upper lip tie but we still had a successful nursing season.
  • Sometimes pumping can be helpful.  It gives your tissues more time to heal between nursing sessions.  Be mindful about how the expressed milk is given to baby.  I prefer cup feeding over bottle, and yes you can cup feed a newborn.
  • Seek help from a lactation consultant or your local La Leche League.

My favorite online resource for nursing is Dr Jack Newman's website, in particular the videos of what a good latch looks like at 24 hours after birth and beyond.  Another resource I trust is Kellymom which has lots of information and answers common questions.

There are many things that are considered normal that as a midwife, I do not consider normal.  Pain while breastfeeding is one of those things that many people think is normal.  I do not.  Breastfeeding should not hurt, ever!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Gail Webster, CPM

    Gail is a Certified Professional Midwife serving Manhattan, Junction City, Fort Riley and other areas in Kansas.  


    When Gail is not occupied with birth work, she enjoys reading, quilting, baking, riding her motorcycle and spending time with family.
    ​

    RSS Feed

    Sign up for my blog

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

    Categories

    All
    Breastfeeding
    Dads
    Due Dates
    Home Birth
    Kansas
    Labor
    Midwife
    Newborn
    Nutrtion
    Postpartum
    Postpartum-mood-disorders
    Prenatal
    Prenatal Care
    Sleep
    Ultrasound
    Water-birth

Proudly powered by Weebly