How Much does breastfeeding hurt in the beggining?
ByMy wife is breastfeeding our daughter and since we been home its started to be a bit painful(baby is only 4 days old today) when she is sucking it feels like her nipple is being squeezed to death. it also burns a little bit, we are just wondering if this is normal in the beginning. We have a pump but its not pulling too much at the moment not sure if my wife is fully making milk or not plus just ordered some bigger flanges. Just anyone that has experience in this please get back thanks just looking for advice.
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6 Comments
April 28th, 2010 at 10:12 am
It was quite sore for me in the beginning. Is your wife sure your baby is latched on properly? If she’s not it’s only going to get worse….She could give the local LaLeche League branch a call, they would be a big help
April 28th, 2010 at 10:28 am
there is some pain at the beginning that will go away with time (it usually peaks at day 5-7), but it sound to me like the baby is not latching on properly… which is very painful. She should see a lactation consultant if she thinks the latch is wrong and she is in a lot of pain,
Good luck! encourage her to keep trying! it’s worth it.
April 28th, 2010 at 11:22 am
It usually was very intense burning and pain as the nipple is stretched into the baby’s mouth but after a few minutes, it usuall abated to tolerable. The nipples will toughen up over the next couple weeks.
Be sure to check for the proper latch too although it will still be a little painful until she is used to it.
April 28th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
I’ve been breastfeeding my daughter from birth (she’s 4 months old now) and it did hurt in the beginning. It does get better!! Just keep telling her that!! I used Lansinoh nipple cream after my daughter fed – that seemed to help. I think it took at least a month before it stopped hurting. Your wife’s milk may not have come in yet. I think my milk came in at about 4 to 5 days. You might also want to check your daughter’s latch. Your wife’s areola (I think I spelled that wrong) should be completely covered and your daughter’s tongue should be under the nipple. Tell your wife to hang in there – soon it will more than likely become an enjoyable experience for both your wife & your daughter!
April 28th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
For me… breastfeeding hurt A LOT in the beginning. It was like razor blades across my nipples when he latched. I had flat nipples and even though I had studied books about nursing and the proper latch all pregnancy long it still took me about 2 weeks till I had things ironed out. I never pumped though. Best chances at success are to avoid doing that when possible. Giving your baby an artificial nipple right now will only make things worse when they are this young. I would go see a lactation consultant to check out the baby’s latch ASAP. I know she’s in pain and they can really help! I thought I knew best so I never did… but I probably went through a lot more pain figuring it out by myself than I needed to! My milk started to come in pretty heavy around where your wife is now. I think 3-5 days is when it gets more established generally. When I was having trouble I found it helped to try to nurse in different positions… like the football hold. Lanolin is also her friend!!! After she nurses have her express a little milk using her fingers and rub the milk on her nipples and let them airdry a few minutes. When she has to put her bra back on putting on some Lanolin and a breastpad will help a lot! If you don’t have any Lanolin RUN to the store and get some.. I mean RUN! The stuff is amazing! She needs lots of encouragement right now! The first 2 weeks are really rough for some people.. they were for me! If it wasn’t for my husband’s encouragement I wouldn’t of made it (through that and the 2 months of thrush infected nipples!!!).. but my son is 8 months now and we’re still going strong! It’s so tough in the beginning but in a few weeks it will be 2nd nature and it’s so easy then! No need to make bottles and store them when you go out for the weekend.. just grab the baby and run. Food is always readily available at just the right temp and fresh as possible! Night feeding she can stay in bed! Just hang in there!
April 28th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Around the third day, I started getting a little nervous because my nipples were starting to get more sore. But the third day, just as I started worrying that it was going to get too painful, it suddenly was better. Sometimes it would sting just a little bit after that, but usually went away after a few seconds.
I started back to work when she turned 6 months and NOW my nipples are sore from pumping 4 times a day. My daughter nursing is actually a relief! Larger flanges may help, but this early on, I recommend getting through this time before relying on a pump and using artificial nipples. If the problem isn’t corrected VERY soon, and you start bottles, the baby may prefer the bottle.
Contact a lactation consultant. Not a lactation counselor or a lactation specialist but a REAL lactation consultant. Look on-line or ask for a referral from the OB/GYN or pediatrician. Lanolin or some nipple cream from Mother Love will be helpful.
Also, make sure she isn’t using any soap on her nipples when she showers. This can make things worse!