• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Women Deserve Better

Women Deserve Better: For us, that means better information, better support, and better choices. Life brings challenges. We bring empowerment, because we’ll never underestimate women.

  • Work
    • Find a Job
    • Build a Career
    • Take Maternity Leave
    • Thrive As a Working Parent
    • Know Your Rights at Work
  • Learn
    • Earn Your Degree As a Parent
    • Know Your Rights on Campus
    • Finance Your Education
    • Medical Care for Student Moms
    • Housing for Student Parents
    • Child Care While You’re In Class
  • Live
    • Child Care
    • Feeding Your Family
    • Elder Care
    • Housing
    • Clothes
    • Medical Care
    • Getting Around
    • Money Matters
    • Gardening
    • Special Needs
    • Fun
    • Self-Help
  • Love
    • Adoption
    • Bonding
    • Fathers
    • Your Parents
    • Support Networks
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Contributors
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • View Cart/Checkout
  • Support Us
  • Donate
  • Home

Will Breastfeeding Hurt?

November 1, 2016 by Bethanie Ryan

breastfeeding

OUCH!! We’ve all heard it… breastfeeding is painful, right? All those terrific friends, family, neighbors, and even total strangers who tell you they had pain or cracked or bleeding nipples for six days, six weeks, or six months. Yikes! What, exactly, is normal then?

The research and extensive experience of mothers, lactation consultants, and health care professionals show that pain is not normal for the breastfeeding mother. In the first week following the delivery of a full term, healthy baby, you may experience mild nipple tenderness. Think of pain on a scale with 0 being no pain or tenderness at all and 10 being the worst pain you’ve ever experienced in your entire life. Mild tenderness would be a 1 or possibly a 2 on your pain scale. Anything higher than a 2 usually means that something is not quite right and can usually be fixed with the experience of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

What could be wrong? The list is long; for example, tight lingual or labial frenulae (tongue and lip-tie), facial asymmetry (unequal facial abilities or movements), short tongue, long tongue, misaligned cervical vertebrae (needing a good chiropractor), low milk supply, oversupply of milk, bacterial or fungal infection of the nipple, prematurity, neurological challenges, or dozens of other possibilities. That’s why a well-experienced, knowledgeable IBCLC can make all the difference for you in meeting or not meeting your breastfeeding goals. To find an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant near you, go to http://www.ilca.org/why-ibclc/falc

By Kathy Parkes

Filed Under: Feeding Your Family, Live Tagged With: breastfeeding, breastfeeding pain, breastfeeding tips, will breastfeeding hurt

Primary Sidebar

Suggested Articles

Breastfeeding Pro Tips and Advice

6 Common Breastfeeding Questions Answered

Breastfeeding 101

What Do Need to Breastfeed?

fb-share-icon

Footer

Women Deserve Better

5 hours ago

Women Deserve Better
No lies detected.So true! ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Women Deserve Better

1 day ago

Women Deserve Better
😁🫶🏽#momlife 💕 ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

womendeservebetter

Getting ready in the morning. #mommeme #mommemes Getting ready in the morning.

#mommeme #mommemes #parenting #parentingishard #parentingmeme #parentingmemes #dadmeme #dadmemes
Nothing quite as frustrating as your kid refusing Nothing quite as frustrating as your kid refusing to clean up. 

#mommeme #mommemes #parentingmeme #parentingmemes #dadmeme #dadmemes
True story. Me: Time for bed! Toddler: I'm going True story.

Me: Time for bed!

Toddler: I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.

#mommeme #mommemes #parentingmeme #parentmemes #dadmeme #dadmemes #bedtime #bedtimeishard #bedtimewithtoddlers #bedtimewithtoddler
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Thanks for signing up!

GET OUR LATEST NEWS

ABOUT

  • Our Mission
  • Contributors

SUPPORT US

  • Donate
  • Become a Partner
  • Share Your Story or Your Expertise
  • Promote Women Deserve Better

Women Deserve Better: For us, that means better information, better support, and better choices. Life brings challenges. We bring empowerment, because we’ll never underestimate women.

Copyright © 2023 — Feminists for Life of America • All rights reserved.