Question
The baby’s breast is very painful after feeding, especially on the right side. After feeding less milk, it becomes extremely painful.
Answer
A mother’s body needs to be adequately supported to breastfeed comfortably. The baby’s body and head should be in a straight line, not allowing the baby to turn its head to the breast. The baby’s entire body should face the breast while feeding, with its abdomen close to the mother’s body. Pain-free breastfeeding is the correct posture, allowing the baby to latch on properly to the nipple and effectively suckle, protecting the mother’s nipple from being torn and ensuring that the baby can suckle milk effectively. If the mother feels a continuous stinging pain while the baby is suckling, she should not endure it unnecessarily, as this will only make the baby suck harder and even become irritable, leading to further damage to the mother’s nipple and making it more difficult to continue feeding. Therefore, pain-free breastfeeding is the correct approach. Moreover, regardless of the posture adopted, it must be confirmed that the body is adequately supported without any exertion; this is a good posture. Otherwise, if a mother focuses entirely on the baby during feeding and then feels sore all over after finishing, it can easily affect her energy for the next feeding session. Comfortable breastfeeding can increase breastfeeding willingness. In the first month after birth, a baby may feed eight to fourteen times a day, and prolactin levels are higher at night than during the day. If feeding is stopped at night, when waking up in the morning, there may be breast engorgement and pain due to not being emptied in time. Therefore, it is recommended that mothers must ensure they can lie comfortably while feeding and also meet the baby’s demands at night as usual. Otherwise, frequently getting up will cause the mother to become overly tired and affect her willingness to continue breastfeeding. Breast swelling and discomfort can be improved by allowing the baby to continuously suckle after birth.