What should it feel like when you start breastfeeding your newborn? Is it painful as you get used to it? Is it normal for your nipple to be mis-shaped upon unlatching? The answer to these questions can be answered with latch quality.
Are your nipples tender in the first few days but the feeding is comfortable? When infants go through second night syndrome the first few nights, they may want to stay latched constantly. This is normal behavior as infants are more awake at night than during the day. The way infants calm themselves when overwhelmed, is to suck. The perfect place to feel warm, safe, and comfortable is on the breast or skin to skin! These long stretches of breastfeeding may cause nipples to be tender. But you should not have bruising, blisters, bleeding, or painful nipples.
Does the latch appear to be a wide angle of your infant's mouth with much more tissue than the nipple in baby's mouth? Is the lower lip flanged, nose touching, chin buried, with baby tucked close tummy to tummy? Is the nipple round upon unlatching rather than creased, flat, or lipstick shaped? Latch quality is one of the hardest skills in the beginning for both parent and baby. If you have nipple damage or continued pain, you need a latch and feeding assessment. No. Nipple pain throughout feeding isn't just a normal aspect of breastfeeding.
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