Therapy
If there are injuries to the nipple tissue, there are some tricks to alleviate the pain caused by these injuries. To do this, you can spread the last drop of breast milk or even the baby’s saliva on the nipple and then let it dry in the air. This usually helps better than wool wax.
Relief can also be provided by using gel pads to cover the nipples or a nipple protector in a bra. In serious cases, only a breastfeeding break can provide relief, as only a break contributes to healing the affected nipples. During this time the emptying of the breast should be ensured, for example with a breast pump. This will continue to stimulate milk production and it is possible to feed the infant with the breast milk obtained.
Wrong or correct application technique?
The most common cause of pain during breastfeeding is an incorrect application technique. Therefore, learning how to apply the breast correctly is an important part of breastfeeding. The problem here is often that the infant has not grasped enough breast tissue by mouth and therefore sucks mainly on the nipple itself.
For optimal breastfeeding, however, the infant must also suck on a large part of the areola. If the baby is ideally positioned, no pain should be perceptible in the nipple area and no smacking of the baby should be heard. If a smacking sound is heard, there is air between the mother’s nipple and the baby’s mouth, which can cause irritation of the sensitive breast tissue and can result in pain when breastfeeding and sore nipples.
However, pain during breastfeeding can also occur despite correct application technique. For example, the infant himself can cause pain during breastfeeding by using a different suction technique. One example is the thrusting of the tongue.
The concept of tongue thrusting combines several of the infant’s behaviors.This includes, for example, pushing out the nipple at the beginning of breastfeeding or when the milk flow is slowing down. Deviations in the oral cavity of the infant, such as a shortened frenulum of tongue or a changed palate shape, can also cause pain during breastfeeding. The shape of the mother’s nipples can also cause pain during breastfeeding.
Examples include flat or inverted nipples and inverted nipples. In some cases, breastfeeding women can also perceive the milk-donor reflex, in which fine muscle contractions transport the milk towards the nipples, and experience this as uncomfortable or even painful. A so-called mastitis puerperalis, i.e. an acute bacterial inflammation of the female mammary gland, which usually occurs in the 2nd to 4th week after birth, can also be the trigger for the pain during breastfeeding.
