Breast-feeding pain is not often recognized as a problem, but a majority of first-time mothers experience this type of pain, which may lead some to stop breast-feeding altogether. A new study from Western University has discovered that the pain experienced is often severe and leads to avoidance and other pain-related behaviors, which could have health implications for the feeding child.

“This study allowed us to better understand that severe and distressing pain is a common experience for breast-feeding mothers and that for some, this pain plays a role in their decision-making around stopping breast-feeding earlier than they planned,” says Kimberley Jackson, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor in Western’s Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing. “We know that breast-feeding leads to better health outcomes for women and children and finding ways to help women breast-feed comfortably is a win-win for both mother and child.”

Leading health authorities recommend exclusive breast-feeding for infants up to 6 months of age due to the numerous health benefits that extend to infants and mothers, especially when it is done exclusively and for longer durations. Evidence suggests that breast-feeding decreases incidences of childhood infections; lowers risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and neonatal mortality rates; and reduces the risk of childhood diabetes, certain cancers, and childhood obesity. Women also stand to benefit from breast-feeding, with lowered risk of postpartum bleeding and some breast and ovarian cancers. In addition to the cost savings for women who breast-feed vs formula feed, finding ways to support women in their choice to breast-feed has numerous benefits.

The study, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, identifies breast-feeding pain as multidimensional and reveals that current measurement tools may not adequately reflect all the components of this unique type of pain, which creates challenges for health-care providers.

“Because of the various etiology and a lack of adequate measurement tools, health-care providers are at a loss for how to best assess this underrepresented type of pain,” says Jackson. “Having a better understanding of how women experience this pain will allow them to provide more individualized, appropriate care, which will hopefully allow women to achieve their breast-feeding goals.”