Breastfeeding your little one is no easy feat, it's demanding, daunting, time-taking, tiring and sometimes painful as well. It tests your patience and commitment level. According to WHO, about 55% of the mothers who start breastfeeding when their child is born, quit it within the first 3-6 months. There’s no doubt that breast milk is like “Liquid Gold” for the young one, giving him the best nutrients, nourishment and immunity boosters that no other food source can provide. Mothers go the extra mile to ensure that their milk supply is sufficient for the baby by taking lactation supplements, breast milk cookies, emergency brownies and other milk supply boosters, but the painful breastfeeding can sometimes shake their resolve and they quit it.
Most of the new moms are told that breastfeeding comes inherent to all mothers without giving it much thought, practice or preparation. This is true to some extent but it’s also a learning process for both the mother and the baby. This process can come easy to some people and some suffer a lot in these times. The journey is new for every mother-baby duo and one’s journey should not be compared or disregarded by others. Breastfeeding pain is real, hard to endure and unbearable if it gets worse. Every breastfeeding mother suffers from it, at one time of her journey. But she can’t quit or take a break as it will only worsen the whole ordeal, furthermore she would need breast milk cookies and other supplements to increase milk supply.
Mostly this painful phase kicks in when she is already overtired, on her own and mostly dealing with other complications like breast engorgement, pumping, cracked nipples and tender breasts. Most of the reasons for painful breastfeeding are preventable and treatable easily. The best course of action is to be knowledgeable and well-informed before you face it. The pain can be treated by doing some simple alterations and adjustments. In this article, we will try to give you all the information that can help you steer clear of any painful breastfeeding.
Position is Key
In order for a painless breastfeeding journey make sure that the mother and the baby both find a position that makes them comfortable and complacent the entire time of the feeding. There are many positions that a mother can try to find that one perfect position that allows them to be at ease. Cross the cradle, on the pillow, sling, sitting baby, knave or lying down, test and try the one that works the best for both of them. If the position is not relaxing for the mother she can have back pains, shoulder pain or neck pain.
Latch Right
One of the top reasons that are accredited to painful breastfeeding is an improper latch. If the baby doesn’t latch properly it may suckle on some really sensitive parts of your breasts. A continued and prolonged practice can lead to painful breastfeeding, decrease in milk supply and a cantankerous, unsatisfied baby. A good latch not only means painless breastfeeding but it also increase milk supply, saves the mother from breast engorgement and a healthy, happy baby. A good latch means that the baby shouldn’t only be sucking the nipples of the breasts but a good part of the areola as well. If the feeding is painful, the breasts keep slipping out of the mouth of the baby or you hear clicking sounds then you probably should read the next tip carefully.
Start Over
Oftentimes as soon as the baby latches and starts suckling you can immediately feel sharp pangs of pain. This is a clear sign of a bad latch and the mother must break the latch and start over again. If the mother feels that she can adjust the breast while in the mouth of the baby then go for it but if the discomfort and pain continues, then she must break the latch. But there’s a proper way of breaking the latch, mother mustn’t pull the breast out with forcefully pulling it out of the mouth. This could further worsen the sensitivity, the proper way is to insert a small part of the finger from the corner of the mouth in a fish hook style and break the suction, then start over again.
Clogged or Plugged Ducts
When the nursing sessions are infrequent, short and cut off in between the suckling, it can lead to clogged milk ducts. Clogged milk ducts can make a particular area of the breast sore and painful. Mother can feel small lumps on the breasts and when touched causes severe spasms of pains. Mothers must empty their filled breasts after every feeding by expressing the leftover milk. The milk that is not drawn out of the breasts remains there and clogs the milk ducts. This also affects the milk supply and leads to breast inflammation. Another effective way is to massage the lump with a warm compress to easy out the milk ducts and make them softer and easy to touch.
Tongue-Tied Babies
If the mother has a good, comfortable position, she frequently drains her breasts and has a good latch but still suffers from painful breastfeeding then she might want to have a look in the inside of her baby’s mouth. If the baby is unable to lift his tongue up due to a throng of skin which is tight and short. This means that the baby is tongue tied which unable him to curl his tongue or move it forward, both movements which are essential for a suckling. This restriction makes the baby’s tongue rub against the tender part of the nipples making it painful to nurse.
Mastitis and Thrush
If painful nursing continues, despite ticking all the above boxes then mothers should inspect their breasts closely. Look for redness, inflammation, swollenness or lumpiness on the breasts. This might be due to a condition called mastitis, which is an infection that nursing mothers often face but can be treated easily by antibiotics. Thrush is another kind of infection which is fairly common in nursing mothers that leads to itchiness, cracked nipples and sharp pains when feeding.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding is already a quite challenging task in itself. Painful breastfeeding can be very daunting and discouraging for the mother and can lead to total abandonment of breastfeeding, which is not good for the child’s health and immune system. So all mothers must seek assistance if they feel any kind of pain while nursing their baby.
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