I have frequent nipple pain during breastfeeding. How can I get better quickly?

The breastfeeding period is the happiest moment in a mother's life. At this time, she can feed breast milk to her baby and have eye contact and physical contact with her baby during feedings. However, many people have reported that they experience nipple pain every time they feed their baby. The more times they feed, the more severe the nipple pain will be. In fact, nipple pain is caused by lack of attention to care. After understanding these reasons and providing care, it will improve quickly.

How to wash breasts with soap for nursing mothers

Experts point out that soap-like cleaning substances will wash away the keratinized cells on the skin surface through mechanical and chemical effects, promoting cell division and proliferation. If these keratinized cells are not removed regularly, the protective layer on the skin surface will be damaged, causing the epidermal cells to swell. This swelling is caused by excessive dryness and cell shedding in the breast area.

If you use soap or other cleaning substances too much, it may alkaline the local skin of the breast. It takes a certain amount of time for the local skin of the breast to be covered with a protective layer again and to restore its acidic environment. While soap continuously alkalinizes the skin surface, it also promotes the growth of alkaline bacteria on the skin, making it difficult to acidify the local area of ​​the breast. In addition, washing with soap will also remove the substance that protects the local skin lubrication of the breast - the oil.

Therefore, it is of no benefit for breastfeeding women to frequently wash their breasts with soap. It will also reduce the local defense ability of the breasts, causing the nipples to become dry and cracked and cause bacterial infection. In order to fully maintain the local hygiene of the breasts during lactation, it is best to wash them with warm water and avoid irritating substances.

Causes of Nipple Pain

First, the most common cause of nipple pain is due to improper sucking by the baby. When the baby sucks the nipple, he does not take enough of the areola into his mouth, but only holds the top of the nipple. Repeated sucking causes nipple pain. Second, when the baby sucks, the mother feels a tingling pain in the nipple, which may be caused by nipple fissures. Causes of nipple cracks include improper sucking by the baby, application of alcohol and soap on the mother's nipples, or oral motor dysfunction in the baby.

What to do if you have nipple pain during breastfeeding ?

From the above reasons, it can be seen that the causes of nipple pain and nipple cracks are related to the baby's incorrect sucking of the nipple. Mastering the correct breastfeeding posture is the key to preventing nipple pain. What should I do if nipple pain already occurs?

1. Before breastfeeding, the mother should take a comfortable position and apply a hot and wet towel to the breasts and areola for 3-5 minutes. At the same time, massage the breasts to stimulate the milk ejection reflex and squeeze out some milk. This will soften the areola and make it easier for the baby to suck.

2. First breastfeed with the breast that hurts less, and make sure to put most of the nipple and areola into the baby's mouth. Also pay attention to changing the baby's feeding position to reduce the stimulation of the nipple caused by sucking.

3. If breastfeeding needs to be stopped due to other reasons, the mother should gently press the baby's lower jaw with her index finger, and the baby will automatically spit out the nipple. Never pull out the nipple forcibly, as this will damage the nipple.

4. If nipple cracks have occurred, squeeze out some milk after breastfeeding, apply it on the nipples and areola, and wait for it to dry naturally.

5. Mothers should wear loose underwear and cotton bras, and put on nipple shields when necessary to facilitate air circulation and promote the healing of nipple cracks. If nipple pain is severe and unbearable, breastfeeding can be temporarily stopped for 24 hours, but the milk should be expressed and fed to the baby with a small cup and spoon.

6. Before breastfeeding, it is advisable to prepare by massaging the breasts. Starting from the fifth month of pregnancy, breast massage should be done to increase breast tissue and promote blood circulation in the chest, increase postpartum lactation function, and prevent postpartum breast diseases. The week after delivery is a critical period for establishing breastfeeding. In the first few days after delivery, the internal structure of the breast changes greatly, and the milk secretion and the sucking ability of the newborn have not yet been coordinated and adapted, which can easily cause milk to accumulate into lumps and cause breast swelling and pain. Therefore, it is advisable to actively perform breast massage within 2-3 days after delivery.