Pinching & Pain

As a Lactation Consultant I hear a variety of questions but this has got to be one of the most common…

“Is it normal to feel a pinching pain when breastfeeding?”

The immediate answer is no, it’s not normal however, it is VERY common. If you think about breastfeeding as a learned behavior, just like any other new endeavor, it takes practice. And lots of good practice makes progress. The good news is with some time, patience and support we can likely resolve the pinching/pain. Let’s talk about how to do that.

The most common reason we see pinching and pain is a shallow latch. It’s absolutely crucial that our infant is latched deeply so they can effectively remove milk. I’ve written an article specifically discussing this and it can be found here.

Another reason we can have pinching is if our infant has a tongue or lip tie. A “tie” basically means a tight and sometimes restrictive piece of connective tissue. If you gave birth in a hospital in the United States chances are your infant was evaluated for this restriction before discharge. As of recent we, as Lactation Professionals, are learning surgical intervention is not always necessary. Just as we discussed before, sometimes with enough practice and assistance our infants can learn to effectively feed without issue.

There are varying degrees of ties and some do require intervention without question but this is no longer the only option. If you are curious about your infant’s oral anatomy and would like to rule out this issue, contacting your Pediatrician (or new favorite LC * cough cough*) can be a good first start. And chances are you’ve already opened another google tab and googled “baby tongue tie”… we all do it, it’s okay. But please remember that Dr. Google is unreliable and something important like this should be evaluated by a professional.

We can also have a pinching pain when latching is if our infant(s) lips are not properly flanged on the breast. Often times,  instead we see one or both lips rolled under. It’s important to see a wide open latch with flanged “duck” lips on both top and bottom to form a proper seal and promote a deep latch. Think about taking a sip from a straw with your lips tucked in vs flanged outwards. Not only would that be awkward but also ineffective. We know how to drink from a straw because once upon a time we LEARNED how. This is the same thought process for our baby’s latch. Once we help them learn how, the pinching pain will be a thing of the past. 

If your babe does tend to roll their lips under don’t be afraid to take a clean finger and manually stimulate or roll the lip(s) out. To get a deeply flanged bottom lip you can try applying gentle pressure to your babe’s chin and then allow their chin to fall back into place on it’s own.

Now, there are many other reasons for pain at latch. There could be a wound from previous damage, raw skin from ill fitting flanges, engorgement, thrush, etc. If you are experiencing pain from an unknown origin reaching out for help is imperative. Often times talking through an issue can lead us to a reason for discomfort and a resolve for the pain.