The pain in your breasts or nipple when you're breastfeeding
5 Reasons Your Breastfeeding or Nipples Are Driving You Crazy!
With breastfeeding comes the novel opportunity to get to know your body on a deeper level than you probably ever thought you would need to. From various breasts to nipple changes - you are becoming an expert on when something looks or feels “off”. Your body, you know best!
There are studies that tell us that over “90% of women experience pain during breastfeeding initiation and lack strategies to self-manage breast and nipple pain”. One of the most common complaints about breastfeeding, especially in the early postpartum period, is nipple pain. Be it itchy nipples, stinging or shooting pain, or an irritating sharp pain, most mums do experience a few of these things.
As common as it is, any form of pain in the breast or nipples should not be ignored as it is an indicator that something needs adjusting. Through all of this, you may find yourself asking “what is going on?!”, or “is there anything I can do to fix this?!”. Check out this list of the top 5 most common reasons that your breast or nipple pain is driving you crazy!
1) Shallow Latch
Having a shallow latch is a fast way to get sore, irritated nipples. The upper palate (front side of the mouth) of a baby’s mouth is hard and if your latch is shallow, the friction caused by the baby’s mouth rubbing against the nipple is a recipe for cracked and bleeding nipples.
Having a shallow latch also makes it difficult for the baby to get enough milk, as milk flow is constricted. Since the baby is not getting enough milk, your breasts will not be stimulated to increase milk production, therefore decreasing milk supply. It is a dangerous cycle that leads many mums to believe that their bodies are incapable of breastfeeding.
What are the signs of an effective and comfortable latch?
Baby’s chin is against your breast
Baby still can breathe through his nose
The mouth is wide opened with a big mouthful of your areola
Here is a video to understand breastfeeding positioning and latching:
Breastfeeding Position and Latch by SickKidsInteractive
2) Engorgement
In the early days of your breastfeeding journey, your body will experience a learning curve as it works to figure out how much milk it needs to produce to satisfy the needs of your baby. With that learning curve, often comes engorgement. Engorgement is when the breasts are full (or overflowing) with milk, to the point where they feel heavy and painful.
Engorgement can be a normal part of the milk-production process, but oftentimes, it can be preventable. Although it is painful, it is a sign that your milk is coming in and your body is successfully making milk.
What can you do?
You can help relieve the pain and swelling that accompanies engorgement by applying a warm compress to your breasts and breastfeeding your baby on demand.
A gentle breast massage, followed by hand expression can also help to relieve some of the fullness.
While pumping is also an option, remember that the more milk you express the more milk your body will be stimulated to produce, meaning pumping could become counterproductive if overused.
After breastfeeding or pumping, you can put a cold compress on your breasts for a while to ease some discomfort.
Here is a video on how to do a gentle breast massage followed by hand expression to relieve the engorgement:
"The Basics of Breast massage and Hand Expression" video by Maya Bolman, IBCLC and Ann Witt, MD, FABM, IBCLC
3) Clogged Ducts / Mastitis
Clogged ducts lead to swollen/tender breasts, “stinging” pain during letdown, persistent discomfort, and other symptoms. Clogged ducts can occur when breastmilk is not expressed from the breasts, causing the milk ducts to get clogged.
When clogged ducts become inflamed and sometimes infected, this is called Mastitis. Mastitis will typically be accompanied by a fever and more intense pain. These conditions are both extremely uncomfortable and can make breastfeeding an overall painful experience.
What can you do?
For clogged ducts, apply a warm compress to the breast, empty the breast often through breastfeeding or pumping, and experiment with breastfeeding positions that encourage milk flow. As soon as you suspect that your clogged ducts have developed into mastitis, it is best to contact a medical professional who can prescribe antibiotics or an anti-inflammatory pill.
4) Your Pump!
There are tons of options as far as breast pumps go, and the process of choosing one that is best for you can be daunting! If the pump flange is not suited to your areola or nipple size, there will be an issue with suction. This can lead to both breast and nipple pain, not to mention issues with milk expression. It is also crucial to get a flange that comes in various sizes, to ensure suction and size suit your body’s needs.
What can you do?
Before investing in a pump, be sure to do your research! Do you want a manual pump or an electric one? Would you rather opt for a plastic flange or a silicone one? Most pumps have full manuals available for download online, so skim through those before making your purchase.
5) Your Bra!
As simple as it seems, having a supportive yet comfortable nursing bra can make all the difference in your nursing experience. Bras with underwire or without breastfeeding accessibility can cause your breasts to be squeezed or prodded in places that cause irritation and discomfort.
What can you do?
When purchasing a nursing bra, completely opt out of the underwire. Also, be sure to buy a bra in a size that you think would be suitable for your postpartum body, not your pre-baby body! If you have already purchased bras, only to realize that they are not working for you, feel free to go braless (when comfortable)!
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