Another major common cause of pain while breastfeeding is a   shallow latch!  How will you know if this is the issue? You could have a flattened or oddly shaped nipple after breastfeeding (like a fresh tube of lipstick). You could feel a pinching, burning, or stabbing pain when you latch. Also, if you can see your nipple extending in and out of infant’s mouth. Lastly, you could hear a clicking sound. If you’re seeing these issues you’ll want to focus on deepening your latch.

The best way to achieve a deeper latch it to align your infant’s nose to your nipple prior to latching. All infant’s have a reflex there (think mustache area) and if you can elicit that reflex we’ll see a wide open mouth which is the perfect opportunity to bring baby deeply onto the breast. The deeper infant’s are the better it will feel for you. It’s important your nipple reaches deep into infant’s oral cavity so they can properly grasp and not chomp.

Now let’s talk pumping! There are two common reasons we see pain when pumping. The first, is an ill-fitting flange!  Pumping with the right size flange is crucial to keeping you out of pain. (Flange meaning the cone shaped piece that touches your breast.) Most standard pumps today come with two flange sizes, 24mm and 27mm which are rarely an appropriate size. Most of our Mama’s are between a 16mm and 20mm which require you to purchase these.

The best way to know your proper size is to measure yourself. Here is a super user friendly and cheap tool you can snag on Amazon and it can be washed and passed on to your friends as well. It will give you a true read. You’ll want to make sure you have the nipple in the center with enough space around the edges to allow gentle pulsating while pumping. If you measure yourself and you’re still in pain,  look for a red ring around the base of your nipple after pumping - this can be an indicator your flange is too small. 

Now, if you are pumping with an appropriate sized flange and still experiencing pain, some Moms find it helpful to lubricate the flange where it touches the nipple. You can lubricate in a variety of ways, i.e. by hand expressing small amounts of colostrum and/ or milk or using a pea-sized amount of an organic nipple cream or butter. Often times Mother’s report less friction and pain this way.