Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt. If it does hurt, it can be truly awful. Painful feeds in the early days are usually caused by baby not quite latching effectively. If baby doesn’t take a big enough mouthful of breast tissue, mum’s nipple can get squashed between baby’s tongue and the roof of baby’s mouth. This can be incredibly painful and lead to damaged nipples. It can also make it harder for baby to get enough milk. Often, it’s possible to make breastfeeding comfortable with some small adjustments to how baby is coming to the breast. For example, making sure that baby is as close as possible to mum and coming to the breast with their chin leading the way can make all the difference. Sometimes a change of position will help, such as leaning back and letting gravity help. Sadly, some mums are told that pain is normal, or that their nipples need to toughen up. Neither of these are true! Just as our tongue doesn’t need to toughen up in order for you to eat, your nipples don’t toughen up for you to breastfeed. If breastfeeding’s hurting, something needs to change.

Although a few mums do have challenges with milk supply, the vast majority of mums’ bodies are able to make plenty of milk. Sometimes, though, we might start to doubt our supply because our baby is acting in ways that knock our confidence. For example, if a baby doesn’t settle in their crib after a breastfeed, a new parent might wonder if baby’s tummy isn’t full enough. It’s more likely that baby just needs to be held close, because that’s what babies need. All babies are different, and all breasts are different. Baby A might feed every couple of hours, whilst baby B needs feeding more often than that. If your baby is gaining weight as expected on your milk alone, then you have plenty of milk, even if your baby feeds more frequently than your friend’s baby does.

Cluster feeding is when a baby wants to feed lots of times in quick succession. This could happen at any time, though is particularly common in the evenings. Some babies do this every day, and some might just do it for a few days every so often. It’s totally normal behaviour. Sometimes a baby seems extra keen to feed frequently if they’re going through a big burst of brain development, and some babies have a period of cluster feeding before settling for a longer sleep. Sometimes cluster feeding is a perfect excuse for a new mum to snuggle up with her baby and binge-watch her favourite series while someone else cooks dinner.

Most medicines are compatible with breastfeeding, and if they’re not, then there’s usually an alternative. In the UK, we are blessed with a team of specialist volunteer pharmacists who provide factsheets about common medications, and also give tailored advice to families. The Drugs in breastmilk service’s factsheets are available here: breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-factsheets/

Absolutely, yes! It’s very common for mums to feel that they need to change their breastfeeding when they return to work. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. Many mums will just carry on breastfeeding as usual whenever they’re with their little one, and then do something different when they’re at work. Some mums will choose to express milk whilst at work, and some mums won’t. There are usually lots of options to choose from, depending on the individual family’s work pattern, and mum’s own preferences.

Access to good quality breastfeeding support can make all the difference to a family’s breastfeeding journey. It can help to remember that it’s totally normal to need some support, or just encouragement, throughout our breastfeeding journey. It’s a learned skill, after all. Breastfeeding support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the National Breastfeeding Helpline, on 0300 100 0212.