When breastfeeding, children often lightly bite the nipple with their mouths, which can cause pain for the mother and may even lead to infections over time, which is not good for the mother’s health. Therefore, knowing how to alleviate nipple pain during breastfeeding is particularly important.
It is quite common for mothers to experience pain while breastfeeding, especially when the child likes to bite the nipple. To avoid potential health issues, it is necessary to take appropriate measures to prevent the child from biting the nipple. Here are some ways to alleviate breastfeeding pain:
1. When the nipple feels painful, try breastfeeding with the nipple on the other side that is not painful, ensuring that the baby can suck most of the nipple and areola into their mouth, and regularly change breastfeeding positions to reduce direct stimulation on the nipple. After breastfeeding, thoroughly clean the breast to prevent bacterial growth.
2. Before breastfeeding, the correct breastfeeding position is crucial to prevent nipple pain. You can use a warm moist towel on the breast for 3-5 minutes, while gently massaging to stimulate milk secretion, express a small amount of milk in advance to make the nipple soft and easy for the baby to suckle, but be careful to prevent the baby from biting on the nipple.
3. Wearing loose, breathable cotton clothing helps to keep the nipple area dry and ventilated, promoting the healing of cracked nipples. If the nipple pain is severe, temporarily suspend direct breastfeeding, switch to manual expressing and feed the baby with a cup or spoon to ensure milk expulsion and maintain milk supply.
Remember, encountering nipple pain during breastfeeding is a common phenomenon, and dealing with it reasonably can effectively alleviate discomfort. If the pain persists or there are signs of infection, seek medical advice promptly and suspend breastfeeding during treatment to ensure the health of both mother and baby.
