We believe that breastfeeding can be a fulfilling, positive and pain free experience for mums and provides the best form of nutrition and protection early in life for babies.
Breastfeeding should not be painful and nobody should be told to feed through the pain or to continue feeding when their nipples are sore, cracked or bleeding.
Whilst you may only need help with position and attachment to ensure a comfortable latch for good milk transfer, it is important to identify and treat problems quickly to relieve any pain or discomfort feeding and ensure your baby continues to get sufficient nourishment. If untreated, poor latching can develop into Mastitis, which can cause further pain and discomfort feeding.
Other issues which also affect feeding are:
- Thrush, which can make the nipples very sore. Some mothers describe the symptoms as a burning sensation or as stabbing pains in the breast. It is easily treated but both mother and baby need to be treated as your baby may not show visible signs of thrush which can be misleading.
- Tongue-tie, which is thought to affect approximately 1 in 20 babies, restricts the movement of the tongue and can make correct latching more difficult, thereby resulting in problems with breastfeeding.
How can Perfect Balance help mums with breastfeeding worries or problems?
We know that breastfeeding can be a bit tricky to begin with and there’s a bit of a knack to it – like all knacks it’s easy when you know how and hugely frustrating when you don’t. So if you are feeling uncomfortable when feeding or think that your baby is not getting sufficient milk, then it’s worth giving us a call.
Our lactation consultancy services will identify and help treat the root causes of any pain or problems that you are having whilst feeding your baby. We can offer you the full range of services, either at one of our clinics or in your own home, which hopefully makes it less disruptive for you and your baby.
By visiting you at home, this also gives us the opportunity to assess how your baby feeds normally, observing your baby’s latch, position and ability to lie comfortably. We will also check your baby for signs of feeding difficulties, such as tongue-tie, and carry out a full suck, swallow and rhythm assessment. We may also suggest a thrush swab test as a quick and simple way of ruling out thrush as a cause of your breastfeeding problems.
Once we have established why you are having difficulties feeding, we can help with:
- sore nipple management using cold laser, healing pads and breastfeeding assistance
- positioning and attachment advice to improve your latch
- advice and techniques for suck training
- breastfeeding mechanics (low milk supply, fast let down) to help colicky or unsettled babies
- ultrasound therapy for blocked ducts and mastitis
Unsure whether it’s worth booking an appointment?
We help mums with all sorts of breastfeeding worries and problems – if you are interested in our services or just want to talk to someone about your breastfeeding worries, then give us a call on 0800 0724 012 or Email us
