Here's my half baked  theory about nipple pain/sensitivity.
Nipples are exquisitely sensitive because they have a high concentration
of nerve endings. Other organs with similar innervation are the glans
penis and clitoris. The reason is to achive certain important
neurologically mediated physiologic reflexes eg, ejaculation, milk
ejection reflex etc. When the baby first starts sucking on the nipples,
the stimuation of all those nerve endings can be perceived as pain.
However, beacuse of some physiologic modulation, probably at the spinal or
subcortical level, the pain disappears after a few minutes.
Just like every person has a different pain threshold, every woman will
have a different level of nipple sensitivity.
I do belive that toughening of the nipples plays a part. My own experience
was that of toe curling pain when my first born daughter,(who was a
nursing champ from the minute she was born) first latched on. With my 3rd
baby it just felt like licking. I never had MERs as whopping as I did with
my first baby.

Vaishali Kute, MD IBCLC hopeful

Atlanta GA

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