Breastfeeding apart from providing nutrition for your baby also helps build a bond between a baby & the mother. Breastfeeding should be a pleasant experience for both of you. A full-term healthy, baby will know instinctively what to do at the breast.
In the first three to five days after birth, if you experience nipple soreness beyond a slight tenderness when your baby latches on, it may be a sign that something isn’t right with the baby’s latch, position, or suck.
A certified lactation consultant can help with an adjustment to the latch or positioning which can help you and your baby to be more comfortable. With proper positioning and latch-on techniques, you can expect little or no nipple soreness. Correcting poor positioning or latch-on can often alleviate sore, cracked nipples and allow healing to begin.
Be aware that more than one cause can be contributing to nipple soreness at the same time, if nipple pain worsens after the early days of breastfeeding your nipple pain may be due to other causes like thrush, bacterial infection, or tongue-tie. A consultation with a certified lactation consultant will certainly help if you need further assistance to improve your sore nipples.
In most cases, sore or cracked nipples are not painful once good positioning and latch on are achieved. It is rarely required to discontinue breastfeeding due to sore nipples. The many benefits to both baby and mother make continued breastfeed worthwhile.