What is it about?
This study looked at the pain some women experience while breastfeeding, which is common and can cause some to stop breastfeeding early. Fourteen women from Southern Ontario shared their experiences; it was found that breastfeeding pain can be intense, emotionally upsetting, and can take many forms. Current tools used by healthcare providers may not fully capture how complex this pain is, which could make it harder to treat properly.
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Why is it important?
Breastfeeding pain is very common, with up to 80–90% of new mothers experiencing some degree of pain while breastfeeding, especially in the first few weeks postpartum. This pain can range from mild discomfort to severe and persistent pain. This research is timely because breastfeeding pain is a leading cause of premature breastfeeding cessation and is often associated with increased stress, anxiety, and feelings of failure. Unfortunately, this type of pain is not well understood, and there are limited options to treat it effectively. By better understanding how this pain is experienced by women, we can develop more robust screening methods and provided more effective support and interventions.
Perspectives
This is a comprehensive exploration of the phenomenon of breastfeeding-related pain. This is the first study of its kind, which uncovered some of the continuous, intermittent, neuropathic, and affective components of this unique pain experience. This study was also important in that it demonstrated gaps with current, "gold standard" pain measurement tools, which calls for further exploration to more fulsomely capture the breastfeeding pain experience.
Dr. Kimberley T Jackson
Western University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Moving toward a better understanding of the experience and measurement of breastfeeding-related pain, Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, October 2018, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/0167482x.2018.1518421.
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