Why does my baby's breast hurt when feeding?

Breast milk is the best food for babies, so many new mothers choose to breastfeed. However, some new mothers will experience pain in their breasts when their babies feed. From a clinical point of view, this is most likely caused by mastitis. For the health of the baby, timely examination and treatment must be carried out to eliminate the inflammation in its infancy, give the baby a healthy body, and have fresh breast milk every day.

1. How to breastfeed correctly?

Before and after breastfeeding, gently wash the nipples and areola with warm water to keep the breast area clean and dry. And express a little milk to soften the nipple before sucking.

The mother should relax her body and be in a comfortable position, lying on her side or sitting up, and always keep the baby's mouth and jaw close to her breast, the mother's chest and the baby's chest close together, and the mother's abdomen and the baby's abdomen close together, which is the "three touches". Let your baby open his mouth wide so that the nipple and most of the areola are placed in the baby's mouth for sucking. The “three patches” help the baby suck out all the milk from the mother’s breast. When you stop feeding, use your index finger to gently press the baby's lower jaw, and the baby will automatically spit out the nipple. Never pull out the nipple forcibly to avoid damaging it.

You must master the breastfeeding period and the time of each breastfeeding. The normal breastfeeding period for a baby is generally 4 to 10 months. The duration of each breastfeeding should not be too long, and may vary depending on the circumstances of the mother and baby. When breastfeeding a full-term baby, you can usually breastfeed for about 10 minutes on each breast, which means that it will take 10 minutes for the baby to suck out all the milk in one breast. Therefore, mothers should control the time of each breastfeeding to about 20 minutes. If mothers manage the breastfeeding period and the time of each breastfeeding, it will be helpful to control the amount of milk secreted in the breasts, thereby avoiding sagging of the breasts after breastfeeding due to excessive enlargement.

2. How to prevent and treat nipple and areola damage?

Prevention of nipple and areola damage should start during pregnancy, that is, from 6 to 8 months after pregnancy, the nipples should be wiped repeatedly with a towel dipped in hot water every day to make the epidermis proliferate, thicken, and become elastic, so as to withstand the baby's sucking. Mothers with flat or inverted nipples should pull their nipples several times a day during the second trimester to help them protrude outward to avoid difficulty for the baby to suck. After delivery, keep the nipples clean and do not let the baby sleep with the nipple in the mouth, otherwise the nipples will become softened and more likely to crack.

Nipple fissures are a common disease among breastfeeding mothers. Symptoms include nipple cracks, pain, or a small amount of bleeding and exudation, which can affect breastfeeding and sleep in severe cases. Nipple follicles are an early sign of nipple fissures, which are mostly caused by incorrect breastfeeding posture and other reasons. If there are follicles on the nipples, breastfeeding can be suspended for 24 hours. If the nipples are cracked, breastfeeding can be suspended for 24 to 48 hours. At the same time, a small amount of milk can be squeezed out and applied to the nipples. Use a breast pump to extract breast milk if your breasts are swollen. For severe chapped skin, you can apply cod liver oil or Chinese medicine to the affected area and cover it with sterile gauze to prevent infection.