Breastfeeding can hurt initially for a mother, as there is now another human being drinking milk from their nipple, which is going to cause some kind of reaction with the skin due to the intense suckling that is going on.
However, there are cases where pain during breastfeeding can be a sign that something is terribly wrong, and mothers should be aware of what might be affecting them when breastfeeding, because a sign of pain could be something bad being passed onto a baby through this feeding.
Most of the time pain from breastfeeding is a result of bad positioning during feeding.
If babies don't take in a large amount of breast tissue when they start to feed, the nipple and sensitive skin around it will rub against the baby's palate, causing irritation for the mother which will last throughout breastfeeding and after.
Mothers can experience this due to inexperience, but over time they will learn what the best position to hold their baby is while it feeds.
Pulling the baby in close is the best solution, as it allows them to feel comforted and happy while they feed.
Sometimes nipples are already damaged from previous breastfeeding attempts, but this can be overcome by the mother gritting her teeth and bearing with it for the twenty to thirty seconds the discomfort should last.
This discomfort will subside once a good feeding technique has been mastered.
Thrush or Candida can be a common cause of breastfeeding pain, though it is often felt after a period of pain free breastfeeding.
These conditions can develop as a result of a low or hindered immune system, which might well be caused by a course of antibiotics the mother has recently taken.
If pain persists and becomes severe the advice of a midwife or GP should be sought.
Raynaud's Syndrome is something many mothers suffer from, and is a constricting of the blood vessels in the nipple, which can cause mothers a lot of pain.
Typical signs of this are the obvious pain but also noticeably whitened nipples, though this can also be caused by poor attachment that should always be checked for first.
Using a warm pad on the breast before breastfeeding should help with the symptoms of this condition.
The final two causes for pain during breastfeeding are the most obvious but also mostly overlooked.
Being pregnant causes nipples to be incredibly sensitive, which could result in pain in breastfeeding.
Teething babies are also a main culprit of breastfeeding pain, as their saliva becomes more acidic and can irritate breast skin, but babies will also chew a nipple to relieve their own discomfort.