Is breastfeeding supposed to hurt?": Understanding Breastfeeding Pain

It often happens in the first few feeds.

Your baby latches and your body tenses. You brace yourself, wondering if this sharp or burning feeling is just part of breastfeeding.

Many parents are told breastfeeding is natural and instinctive. What they’re not always told is that learning to breastfeed is still a physical skill for both you and your baby. When discomfort shows up and no one explains what’s expected versus what needs support, it’s easy to push through pain that shouldn’t be ignored.

Here’s the important truth.

Breastfeeding may involve some early sensitivity, but ongoing or intense pain is not something you’re meant to endure.

What Breastfeeding May Feel Like in the Early Days

In the early days, both you and your baby are learning something entirely new. Some sensations can be part of a normal adjustment period as your body responds to frequent feeding and new stimulation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nipples may feel sore or sensitive during the first weeks of breastfeeding as they adjust to your baby’s sucking. This tenderness is often temporary and should improve as feeding becomes more established.

This early adjustment may include:

• Mild tenderness or sensitivity when your baby first latches

• A stretching or pulling sensation at the start of a feed

• Increased nipple sensitivity as feeds become more frequent

These sensations should ease as the feed continues and gradually improve over time.

Pain that intensifies, lasts throughout the feeding, or worsens day to day is not considered typical and is a sign that additional support may be helpful.

When Breastfeeding Pain Signals the Need for Support

Breastfeeding should not be consistently painful. Pain that lingers, worsens, or causes anxiety around feeding is your body’s signal that something needs attention.

The La Leche League International emphasizes that persistent pain is most often linked to latch or positioning challenges and often improves with skilled guidance.

Pain that deserves support may include:

• Sharp, pinching, or burning pain

• Cracked, bleeding, or blistered nipples

• Pain lasting throughout the entire feeding

• Clicking sounds or shallow latch

• Pain that does not improve after the first week

Pain is not a requirement for successful breastfeeding. Addressing it early can protect both feeding confidence and milk transfer.

Common Reasons Breastfeeding Can Hurt

Breastfeeding pain almost always has an underlying cause. In many cases, the cause is mechanical and fixable with small adjustments.

Common contributors include:

• A shallow or inefficient latch

• Baby not being well aligned with the breast

• Tension in baby’s jaw, neck, or body

• Engorgement or incomplete breast drainage

• Feeding positions that strain your neck, shoulders, or back

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, early attention to latch, positioning, and feeding mechanics is an important part of breastfeeding support and helps promote effective milk transfer and ongoing breastfeeding.

Why Early Support Makes a Difference

When pain goes unaddressed, it can affect more than just comfort. It can influence feeding confidence, milk transfer, and emotional wellbeing.

Support can help:

• Improve latch and positioning

• Reduce pain and protect nipple health

• Support effective milk transfer

• Make feeding feel calmer and more sustainable

Breastfeeding is a relationship. When one part feels off, skilled support helps restore balance and confidence.

Trust Your Body and Your Experience

There is a lot of messaging that suggests breastfeeding pain is something to push through. But your experience matters.

If feeding makes you tense, flinch, or feel anxious every time your baby latches, that’s worth listening to. Breastfeeding should not require gritting your teeth or bracing through pain.

Comfort, clarity, and care are part of healthy feeding.

Breastfeeding Support Matters and Support Makes a Difference

Breastfeeding can feel tender and uncertain, especially when discomfort or pain shows up and you’re trying to understand what’s normal. Having steady guidance can ease both the physical strain and the emotional weight of early feeding challenges.

If you’re in Boston or anywhere in Massachusetts and preparing to welcome your baby or navigating breastfeeding pain, questions, or frustration, Haven Place Doulas offers hands on, compassionate care centered on you and your feeding goals.

From prenatal conversations to postpartum support, our doulas help with latch, positioning, and feeding concerns so you can feel more confident and supported.

You deserve care, understanding, and support, especially at the very beginning.

Get Breastfeeding Support Today