Latching pain

The lowdown. It’s 100 percent normal for your nipples to feel a little (or a lot) sore when you first start breastfeeding, especially if you’re a first-time mom, but if the pain lasts longer than a few seconds into your feeding session, there may be an issue with baby’s latch. The breastfeeding latch is the when baby takes your nipple and areola into their mouth and “latches” on. How your child latches on is key to making sure they get enough milk without hurting your nipples in the process. In fact, when new moms experience pain while nursing, it’s often because baby doesn’t have a proper breastfeeding latch.

Tackling the problem: Helping baby establish a secure breastfeeding latch is a critical first step when you first start nursing, but it doesn’t always come easily to newborns. Sometimes they need a little guidance from Mom—and sometimes Mom needs a little guidance to understand what a good breastfeeding latch looks like, and how to get it. Here are some helpful tips to help improve your baby’s latch.

• Get comfy. You’ll be more relaxed and better able to help baby get a good breastfeeding latch if you find a breastfeeding position that feels good.

• Line baby up. Baby’s ear, shoulder and hip should be aligned, and their head shouldn’t be tilted up or to the side once they’re latched on.

• Go nose to nipple. Aim your nipple at baby’s nose (as if you were going to squirt milk up their nostrils). This can help motivate them to open wide and lines your newborn up for getting your nipple in the right spot for effective feeding.

• Give a tickle. Tickling baby’s lips lightly with your nipple can help them open wide.

Red flags. If you are having persistent latching problems, some hands-on assistance from a certified lactation consultant can help.