When Does Breastfeeding Finally Stop Hurting?

When does breastfeeding stop hurting and being painful? Many moms say THIS was the turning point that finally made nursing pleasant.

No one told me how much breastfeeding would hurt, at least in the beginning.

But for the first few days and weeks, I’d tense up when it was time to nurse, bracing myself for the inevitable pain I’d feel during and after. Only later did I finally hear that it can be painful in the beginning—that it was normal in fact.

Except I had no idea how long it was supposed to last. After a few days? Weeks? The whole time?

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When does breastfeeding stop hurting?

For the majority of moms, breastfeeding became less painful around the two-week mark.

That’s when they saw a drastic difference between those dreadful first few days and being able to nurse comfortably. Some admitted that the pain was still there, or that the first latch still hurt, but that it wasn’t nearly as painful as before.

If you find yourself in those shoes, rest assured you’re not alone, friend. I found that breastfeeding drastically improved as the weeks went on, and once I hit the one-month mark, I could nurse as if it were no big deal.

But I also wanted to see when others typically felt that it became less painful. I surveyed several moms and researched forums and came up with this unofficial timeline of when to expect the pain to go away.

Take a look at this graph to see, week by week, how many moms finally found breastfeeding less painful:

As you can see, the two-week mark saw the biggest jump in how many moms felt less pain during breastfeeding.

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Factors that make breastfeeding less painful

Of course, the next question is why? What factors make breastfeeding less painful?

A correct latch. For many, the pain truly does come from a wrong latch. Even though we might “know” what the correct latch looks like, we still need the practice and experience to finally get it exactly right. Plus, it’s not only us: our babies are learning just as much as we are on how to correctly latch.
Time to heal. Maybe we simply needed that extra time for the initial cracks and sores to heal. Breastfeeding can still hurt even with a correct latch. Only by allowing and helping your breasts to heal can it become less painful and ease the tenderness.
Milk comes in. Other moms admitted that it wasn’t until their breastmilk came in that breastfeeding became easier.
No more complications. And still, others pointed to complications and infections that needed to be fixed, like mastitis, clogged milk ducts, or thrush.

How to make breastfeeding hurt less

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No matter where you are on your breastfeeding journey, you can still do something to help the pain go away. Take a look at these tips to find a solution for you:

Ask your doctor to check for complications. I never knew I had thrush—I figured the intense pain would eventually go away. It wasn’t until I found myself curled up in a ball on my bed, crying in pain after breastfeeding, that I knew this was not normal. Check with your doctor about potential complications. We can’t always tell what’s wrong and need medical advice to help us along.
Try different positions. If your baby only nurses in a cradle hold, try a football hold or lying down next to him. One mom told me that she even nursed over her baby—she’d go on her hands and knees with her baby below and breastfeed that way!
Use ointment. To soothe nipple pain, try over-the-counter lanolin first, and if those don’t work, ask your doctor if you need something more.
Allow your breasts to air dry. After each feeding, let your breasts air dry. If you’re shy about that like I am, try it when you’re home alone. Another option is to use the Medela Shells under your bra, which give your breasts space to breathe and prevent them from chafing against your clothing. Air drying your breasts and preventing them from touching your clothing helps wounds to heal quicker.
Use dry breast pads. Make sure to use dry breast pads to prevent fungus from growing. You can use cotton pads like I did that you can wash frequently.
Use nipple shields. Some lactation consultants recommend nipple shields if the latch is still too painful. This is an option that has helped many moms continue to breastfeed while lessening the pain.
Express excess milk to ease engorgement. Some moms admitted that the pain was only there when their breasts were engorged. A quick remedy is to express excess milk before you nurse. You can do this by manually squeezing your breasts (doing this in the shower helps), or pumping beforehand. You can also use warm compresses beforehand to help the milk come out easier.
Take pain medicine before breastfeeding. If you have a somewhat regular schedule, try to time it so you take pain medicine before you nurse. Take it with enough time for the medicine to kick in. Of course, ask your doctor first about any medication, even over-the-counter ones, you plan to take.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, there isn’t a hard and set rule for when breastfeeding stops hurting. Some never experience any discomfort at all, while others had so much pain they either exclusively used a breast pump or chose formula instead. There really is such a wide range of when it became comfortable.

But as you saw, most moms found a noticeable difference around the two-week mark. Sure, the pain didn’t entirely go away for some, but two weeks was when they saw a huge turning point and a boost of confidence to keep going.

You also learned some factors that helped, from practicing the right latch to the initial wounds finally healing. And lastly, you discovered several tips you can apply today to speed the process along and make it less painful.

If anything, know that you’re not the only one who struggled to motivate herself to keep going. Because sometimes, that little pep talk can make all the difference.