5 Tips to Stop Breast Pain After Breastfeeding

Are you experiencing breast pain after breastfeeding or pumping? These tips can help you find the relief you need. 

Pain After BreastfeedingThis can’t be normal, I thought to myself.

Once again, I found myself curled on my bed in a fetal position, with tears squeezing out of my eyes. The sharp, shooting pains that happened after breastfeeding—even after pumping—came once again. They felt like electric shocks that came and went for at least 30 minutes after I nursed the twins.

So much so that I wanted to quit breastfeeding altogether.

This wasn’t the first time, either. A few years earlier, I was a first-time mom eager to nurse, only to find breastfeeding much harder than I imagined. To keep myself motivated in the early days, I’d hop online every day to learn the benefits of breastfeeding, pushing myself to hang in there for just one more day.

And let’s not even mention the clogged ducts or cut and bleeding nipples chafing against clothes.

Sometimes the biggest comfort is simply knowing you’re not alone. You’re not the only one who’s had excruciating sensations that come and go after feedings. Or even the discomfort of a bad latch that makes you dread the next nursing session.

It’s all so discouraging, I know.

But here’s the thing: you must do something about the pain, starting with talking to your doctor or lactation consultant. While home remedies can ease most breast and nipple pain, others need medical attention. This is especially true if you have flu-like symptoms, a fever, or inflammation.

In other words: don’t ignore the pain—it’s there to tell you something. In this article, I’ll share the tips that helped ease my pain. Hopefully, they can work for you, too:

1. Check for thrush

I had gone through blocked ducts, mastitis, cracked and blistered breasts… I figured I could take this type of pain.

That is, until I realized the pain was getting worse, and it wasn’t going away. Pumping exclusively didn’t ease it either and only reduced my milk supply.

But a quick call to my doctor (as well as the twins’ pediatrician) let me know that I had a yeast infection called “thrush.” It wouldn’t go away with any at-home remedies or over-the-counter medicines. According to the Cleveland Clinic:

“If your baby has thrush, they can pass the infection to you during breastfeeding. Likewise, if you develop a thrush infection around your breasts or nipples, you can pass the infection to your baby.

If you and your baby both have thrush, it’s important to receive treatment at the same time to prevent an ongoing exchange of the infection.”

It turned out that I needed to take antibiotics to get rid of the infection, as well as check my twins if they had thrush as well (they didn’t). Within days, the pain was completely gone and we were back to nursing as usual.

But imagine what would’ve happened if I allowed the pain to get worse or gave up completely, when a quick call would’ve solved the issue?

The tricky thing with thrush is that it only gets worse. It starts off small, and without treatment, can lead to constant pain. Don’t brush aside your symptoms, no matter how small or inconvenient it may be to call the doctor. Even if the symptoms don’t point to thrush, your doctor can still diagnose the issue and guide you to a solution.

Expert tip

If you do have thrush, remember to wash any bottles, breast pump parts, pacifiers, nursing bras, and anything that comes in contact with your breasts.

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2. Apply heat to your breasts

Whether engorgement, spasms, or clogged ducts, pain after breastfeeding can often ease with heat.

For instance, take a warm shower and massage your breasts to encourage unclogging. Apply a heating pad after feeding to soothe the pain. And use warm compresses before and after feedings. 

3. Air dry your breasts after feedings

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Do you cover your breasts immediately after nursing, like with a bra or tank top? Consider air drying them so they’re not in immediate contact with your clothing. This allows whatever wounds and sores to heal, especially after a feeding, than if clothes were to rub on them right away.

Trust me, this can be awkward, even if you’re alone with the baby. But even a few minutes can make a huge difference. Alternatively, you can also use nipple shells like these. They provide space between your nipples and clothes to prevent chafing while still allowing you to wear clothes over them.

4. Use gel pads

As “natural” as breastfeeding seems to be, it’s not exactly easy for many first-time moms. Our bodies are adjusting to nursing, sometimes “hardening up” to get used to the extended and frequent sucking of our babies.

The result? Tenderness, pain, soreness… you name it.

Soothing gel pads can offer cooling relief when your breasts are sore, engorged, or irritated from nursing or pumping. They can also help protect your nipples when they feel tender and raw after feedings. And while many are reusable, make sure that they’re clean and fresh each time you apply them.

5. Apply cream before and after feedings

A good practice to start with every feeding—no matter how frequent—is to apply lanolin cream to soothe and protect sore nipples.

Lanolin creams are designed to be safe for babies, so you can apply it before a feeding to give you extra protection. You can even use it before taking a shower or putting on clothes—activities that can make you cringe and feel uncomfortable.

Tip: Don’t have some handy? You can use breast milk. Squeeze a few drops and apply it to the nipple area before and after feedings.

Conclusion

Suffice it to say, crying in a curled, fetal position is certainly a sign that something’s wrong. But sometimes the pain doesn’t have to be that extreme to need attention—a sore, blister, or tenderness should still be tended to.

Thankfully, the pain can be treated. Start by discussing your symptoms with your doctor to rule out infections or receive proper prescriptions if needed. At home, experiment with applying heat to your breasts, like massaging with a warm cloth during nursing or taking a hot shower.

Air dry your breasts after nursing, whether by removing your top for a few minutes or wearing breast shells to keep them protected. Gel breast pads can also work wonders for instant, cooling relief. And finally, apply lanolin cream—or even breast milk—before and after feedings to soothe and heal.

No matter the causes of the pain, now you can take the steps to help ease it, whether you’ve just started nursing or are dealing with unexpected symptoms. Because pain—however common it may be during breastfeeding—should definitely not be your new normal.

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