Other idea to consider in this discussion of pain is that Americans tend to
be pretty wimpy when it comes to physical exertion and pain.  We are usually
abundantly nourished, generally healthy (we don't get malaria every couple
of months, or have wounds that won't heal for months/years at a time), and
we have lots of options for reducing pain from things like headaches, sore
muscles, arthritis, etc.  I wonder how many aspirin/tylenol/ibuprofen
Americans take, on average, every year.  I know I pop Ibuprofen on a regular
basis when I have a headache or foot pain from my plantar fasciitis.  Think
of all the people in the world who don't have access to any pain relievers,
ever, for any reason -- not for headaches, not for labor, not for broken
bones.

So when a mother gets sore nipples, she wants it fixed, NOW.  Or at least in
the next 20 minutes.  I think any body part that is not used to being used
will get sore initially.  So when you breastfeed for the first time, your
nipples are not used to the action, and it takes a bit for them to adjust,
even if positioning and latch is perfect and you don't have hyphal Candida
(Dr. Jack says we shouldn't be calling it yeast!).  I liken it to going to
the gym.  If you haven't been in a long time, you're probably going to have
sore muscles the next day or two, but it goes away, and your muscles get
used to it.  *Unless* you are doing the exercises/machines incorrectly, and
injure your muscles -- which is like sore nipples from improper positioning
or latch, or hyphal Candida.

So, there are sore nipples, and then there are sore nipples.  And it isn't
accurate to say that your nipples should never hurt, any more than your
muscles should never hurt after you start an exercise program.  And there is
pain -- pleasantly sore muscles that remind you that you're doing a good
thing by going to the gym, and then there is PAIN, that tell you you've done
something wrong, or overdone it.

Kathy Dettwyler

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