In this post I revisit a really common cause of nipple pain during breastfeeding. Nipple vasospasm can be excruciatingly painful - it is usually secondary to trauma and inflammation of the nipple from a shallow and suboptimal latch. Get the latch right, then the vasospasm usually settles!

Why are you still having nipple pain when feeding? More than 9 times out of 10, is it because baby is chomping on your nipple. Bub is usually not close enough, and their position doesn’t enable her to tip her head back to drink. It’s usually quite simple, if you get bub super close to you, with a correct reclined cradle position, it enables her to draw the breast tissue deep into her little mouth so that there is NO nipple chomping. Painfree feeds are very often possible even if you have damaged, cracked nipples, but only with “closeness and smoosh” (my favourite phrase!) and a lovely reclined cradle position. No more nipple chomping!!

Breastfeeding: What NOT to do and why! Women are told all sorts of different techniques to help get a lovely deep painfree latch. It’s time to explain why so many of these strategies aren’t helpful, lead to a shallow latch that causes nipple trauma and make your pain and discomfort worse! 5 DON’Ts: #1 Dont use a feeding pillow at the start of a feed #2 Don’t sit upright hunched over #3 Don’t shape your breast #4 Don’t hold baby’s head #5 Don’t settle for a painful latch If you need some breastfeeding support, see your local Lactation Consultant or come and see me!

🍼 Paced bottle feeding🍼 If you use a bottle to feed your baby expressed milk or formula and you have never heard of this, then this video is worth watching! Paced bottle feeding is a technique of bottle feeding a baby that more closely mimics breastfeeding, encourages the baby to work a little harder to suck the milk out as would happen on the breast, slow the feed down (pacing it) and enables the baby to be more in control of the feed, show cues when they are hungry, want more milk or if they have had enough. I will often spend time with my mums and bubs during my consults showing them this technique, but it is especially important for the dads and other parents, grandparents or carers to know too!

Nipple vasospasm - a common cause of nipple pain during breastfeeding.