7 Common Breastfeeding Problems And How You Can Avoid Them

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The first skin-to-skin contact and then the baby latching on to your nipples to take his first feed. The feeling is just serene. Breastfeeding is certainly the best for you and your baby. But the job isn’t easy for most mothers. Painful breasts, sore nipples, and latching difficulty can make nursing tough. Let’s tell you how you can avoid these and other common breastfeeding problems.

1. Engorgement and soreness: A few days after giving birth to your little one, your breasts could be engorged and swollen. Slight soreness while breastfeeding is normal and it happens due to the increase in milk production three days after the delivery. The intravenous (IV) that you get during labor makes it worse.

Don’t panic. Frequently feeding your baby can help relieve your pain. Applying olive oil and soaking your breasts in warm, saltwater after nursing also helps. Cabbage leaves when kept on the breasts, in between feeds, can provide some relief. Frequent feedings or hand-expressing milk often comforts your sore breasts.

2. Difficulty in latching: If your baby in unable to latch on to your breast, don’t fret. Give him some time. You can help your baby latch through a lot of skin-to-skin contact. Until he latches, you can express milk, either by hand or using a breast pump, to feed him. If you experience pain when the baby latches on, then it means the baby is latching on incorrectly and is not getting a mouthful of your breasts. You could seek help from your doctor.

3. Thrush: Thrush is a shooting or stinging pain in your breasts. If your nipples are pink, and hurt when you are feeding, then this could mean Candida Albicans (1) infection. Your baby could also have it, with symptoms such as white patches inside the mouth and red rashes on the bottom. Both of you will need treatment for thrush.

See your doctor immediately to know the underlying cause of the pain. If treated in time the pain subsides quickly.

The doctor might prescribe an antifungal cream and an oral antifungal medicine for your baby. Apply the cream onto your nipples after feeding. You need to continue the full course treatment, even when you don’t have the symptoms.

4. Falling asleep at the breasts while feeding: Most often babies sleep while feeding. You can gently squeeze your breast so that the milk flows and the baby wakes up and starts sucking. Repeat this every time he falls asleep. You can also gently rub his ears or chin to wake him up.

5. Constant nursing: Babies feed at frequent intervals because they have smaller stomachs, and this is perfectly normal. Some mothers have less storage capacity of milk, even if the quantity of milk produced is more. So, the baby has to be fed more often so that he gets enough of it.

If your baby is gaining weight, pooping two to three times a day, and is frequently feeding, then it should be fine. If the baby is not gaining weight, even after feeding, then you should consult your pediatrician.

6. Plugged duct: If you feel tenderness in your breasts, it could be because of blocked milk duct. When the duct supplying milk is blocked a tender lump develops under the areola. This results in tenderness and redness of the area. If you ignore the lump, it could lead to mastitis (2), and even to breast abscess (3).

You can relieve yourself of plugged duct by giving your breasts a warm massage, having a warm shower, applying cabbage leaves, going bra-less, and nursing your baby more often with his chin pointing toward the blocked duct.

7. Cracked nipples: Sore or cracked nipples are common once you start breastfeeding. This happens because your baby isn’t latched properly to your breast. Once your baby learns the trick, your nipples feel comfortable against the soft mouth of your baby. If your nipples continue to hurt or bleed, consult your doctor and get help from a lactation specialist.

While breastfeeding is natural, it can also be acquired. Don’t panic if the baby is not latching effectively or is not getting enough milk. If the problem persists meet a lactation consultant.

What was your experience of breastfeeding your baby?

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Kalpana MMA (English)

Kalpana Nadimpalli graduated in English Literature and Psychology. Her fascination for the corporate world made her do a Masters in Business Administration from Andhra University. Being a mother of two boys, she could naturally fit into the shoes of a writer at MomJunction. She wrote articles on new parenting and relationships. With around seven years of experience, Kalpana previously worked...more