As a new mother, you may find it could take a few days or weeks to adapt to the strong suck of a healthy baby on your breasts.
Nipple pain is common in the early days of breastfeeding. This is because your nipples are not used to breastfeeding. The pain lasts for a short time, usually around 1 week. Soreness that continues throughout the breastfeed, or lasts for more than 1 week of breastfeeding, is not normal.
If your baby is properly positioned and attached at the breast during feeds and your nipples are still sore, ask your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter for help. There may be an underlying problem, such as an infection like thrush.
Your nipples are adjusting.
It's not unusual for you to have nipple soreness during the first few weeks of breastfeeding as your breasts and nipples become accustomed to the process of nursing. However, the discomfort should subside once you and your baby have established a good feeding routine.
“The first four to six weeks are the toughest, then it starts to settle down,” says Cathy. “And when you get to three months, breastfeeding gets really easy – way easier than cleaning and making up a bottle.
Everyone's experiences of breastfeeding will vary, so there is no one single day which is the hardest. However, typically, breastfeeding is most challenging during the first week. This is because you are adjusting to life as a new mum, even if it is your second baby, or even your third or fourth.
Pain while breastfeeding is usually down to sore, tender nipples, especially once your milk 'comes in' around two to four days after giving birth. Your baby will be feeding every couple of hours, which means the problem can worsen quickly, with some mums finding their nipples crack, bleed or become blistered.
Your body will eventually build up a callous (not as thick as your foot callous) in about 2 weeks. Then breastfeeding gets significantly less painful (most of the time).
Air-dry your nipples or dab them gently with a towel. Women used to be told to rub their nipples to toughen them up, but this isn't advised any more – thank goodness! There's no need to clean the breast or nipples before breastfeeding.
To help your baby get a good latch, lightly tickle them so that they open their mouth up wide. Point your nipple up towards your baby's nose and upper lip so that they can get more of your areola in their mouth and not just the nipple.
Sore nipples can develop for many reasons including a poor breastfeeding latch, not using a breast pump correctly, or an infection. Then, once you have them, sore nipples can lead to a difficult let-down, a low breast milk supply, or early weaning.
Baby's latch and positioning.
If your baby isn't positioned well, you may have soreness and pain over time. Check baby's positioning and latch. If your nipple is pinched, flat, or a different shape than usual after you breastfeed, you may need to adjust baby's latch.
To reduce pain, apply cool compresses to your nipples after breastfeeding. Gel pads can also be used on dry nipples. If your nipples are very sore, placing breast shields inside your bra to prevent contact between clothes and nipples may help. Use proper breast support.
This discomfort can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks after giving birth. Your breasts will soon “toughen up” a bit and get used to your baby nursing. Until then, it's normal to feel a small amount of discomfort while your baby latches on and pulls your nipple and areola into his or her mouth.
With proper positioning and latch-on techniques, you can expect little or no nipple soreness. Correcting poor positioning or latch-on can often alleviate sore, cracked nipples and allow healing to begin.
If your baby latches just on the tip of your nipple or it hurts, gently put a clean finger in your baby's mouth to break the latch, then try again.
But good hygiene is still important. Wash your hands before breastfeeding your baby, especially after nappy changes. You do not need to wash your breasts. You can use water to clean your nipples when you have a shower.
If your sore nipples are causing you so much discomfort that you feel like you need to take a break from breastfeeding, don't worry! You can still use a breast pump to express your milk. This will give your nipples a rest, while allowing you to continue to give your baby all the benefits breastmilk can provide.
Breast engorgement. Breast engorgement is when, for whatever reason, your breasts become overly full. They may feel hard, tight and painful. In the early days, engorgement can be due to your milk coming in.
When your breasts are empty, they will probably feel lighter and no longer uncomfortably full, as they might have at the start of the pumping session. You can also pick them up to see if they still feel heavy or full of milk.
Some women feel the let-down reflex as a tingling sensation in the breasts or a feeling of fullness, although others don't feel anything in the breast. Most women notice a change in their baby's sucking pattern as the milk begins to flow, from small, shallow sucks to stronger, slower sucks.
Use rule of 4s: General guidelines for milk storage are 4 hours at room temperature, 4 days in refrigerator, and 6 months or longer in freezer. Thawed frozen milk should be used within 24 hours.
So… the rule of three refers to time - ie 3 hours, 3 days or 3 months. 3 hours: If you pump and plan to use your breastmilk straight away, you can leave it out at room temperature for 3 hours.