They can watch you while you feed your baby and check your baby is positioned well and feeding effectively. If your nipples are getting sore but you’re already home, it’s a good idea to ask for breastfeeding support from a midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding counsellor as soon as you start to notice a problem. They can help you to position and attach your baby to your breast, and explain the signs that your baby is feeding well (NHS, 2019a). Breastfeeding support should be offered by a midwife before you leave the hospital or birth centre. What can help sore nipples?īreastfeeding shouldn’t be painful, so it’s important to get breastfeeding support right from the start (NHS, 2019a). This causes nipples to get sore quickly and might cause nipple cracking (NHS, 2019a). If a baby only sucks the nipple rather than taking a good mouthful of breast, then their tongue or roof of the mouth may rub on the nipple.
This usually happens if your baby isn’t positioned or attached well at the breast. Some women find their nipples get very sore a few days after they begin breastfeeding their baby. What causes sore nipples when breastfeeding? With a little breastfeeding support this can often easily be rectified. Sore nipples are the most common breastfeeding complication and the most common reason women give up breastfeeding (NHS, 2019a).
Some women get sore, cracked or painful nipples in the early days of breastfeeding.
