Common questions, part 2
Another common question I hear as a Lactation Consultant is “Is it normal for breastfeeding to be painful?”
I love it when I hear this question because it gives me a chance to tell you it’s a myth that breastfeeding is painful! It doesn’t matter if you are having your first baby, if you have inverted nipples, if you are young or old, if your baby has a small mouth or is a preemie, if you have red hair or any other ridiculousness!!
BREASTFEEDING IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PAINFUL!!!!
Think about it like this: nature is very intentional and everything has a purpose (or many purposes usually). Humans would not be designed to have breastfeeding, which before bottles and formula was survival, be painful. Humans never would have survived that process.
Also think about this: humans are mammals. And like other mammals we give live birth and nurse our babies. Have you ever seen another mammal nurse? Think about nature shows with lions or gorillas nursing. Or life on a farm and a cow or horse nursing. Even a litter of puppies or kittens. Now think about how the mother looked. Almost always she is relaxed (except when having a litter of 8 and they are all crawling all over her!!). I’ve watching puppies nurse and the mama dog had a relaxed smile on her face while she laid there and fell asleep, letting the puppies do all the work!!
That’s the key! As mammals, each baby is born knowing what to do and doesn’t need us doing so much “helping”.
One more thing to think about: if baby is latched deeply and properly, they are on the breast not the nipple. That means the areola is in the front of their mouth (where the intense sucking force is) and your nipple is in the back of their mouth (being protected where the hard and soft palate meet). A deep latch doesn’t hurt!
The most important thing here to know is that like the rest of life, pain is a sign something is wrong. Pain is always a warning system, not something we are meant to just endure. It’s our bodies way of alerting us to danger and protecting us. So no, breastfeeding should NOT hurt and if it does, call and IBCLC right away!