Hi Sharon,
I agree that there is a learning curve to breastfeeding.  I tell moms it
is like learning to dance with a new partner, first each of them needs
to learn the steps, then they need to learn to do them together.  Often
in learning to dance together, one partner steps on the other's foot
once in awhile.

There's also the issue of milk flow and sucking pressure.  WHen flow is
slow, the baby uses more negative pressure.  If the milk is a little
slow to increase in abundance, the baby will use more pressure.  If
there is little milk or colostrum flow to lubricate the nipple, it might
  sustain some friction injury from that high pressure suck.

These things generally work out as moms and babies learn to dance
together, and as mom's milk supply increases.  In the ideal world, I
would like to see at least moms knowing the dance steps before baby is
born, and giving baby the best opportunity to learn his part : immediate
skin to skin, no suctioning unless medically necessary, and unrestricted
access to mom and the breast until everything is working well.  Then we
LC's will mostly need to see the babies and moms with neuro, health or
anatomical issues.

My pet peeve is that women are so socialized that breastfeeding should
hurt, that they often don't come for help until their nipples are
cratered and their milk supply low.  WHile I would not drag out the big
guns for every twinge in the first 3 days, I do think that moms that are
experiencing discomfort deserve at least an assessment and assistance
with positioning and latch.
--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  New York City  mailto:[log in to unmask]

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