I would guess that, the women who see breastfeeding all their lives also have a
reference point from which to work. How "sore" is too sore?

I have gone into rooms to see moms who swear something is wrong because it
hurts. When I ask them to rate that hurt on a scale of one to ten with one being
"it just feels funny" and ten being 'worse than labor" I will sometimes see them
think for a moment and then say "Oh, it's about a two."

I tell them a two is OK...maybe a three is OK.....call me when it gets above
four or when there is obvious nipple damage. Some women just expect too much in
the way of comfort.


Now, Heather brings up another interesting point....maybe it is related to the
drugs in labor. My take on this is somewhat different than hers though. Some
women don't know what a ten is....in other words they haven't experienced labor
or anything remotely like it. This is the woman who is comfortably talking on
the phone, eating, breastfeeding and telling me she is experiencing a seven. Get
a grip!


I am aware that pain is different for everyone, that pain is...in the pain
literature...whatever a patient says it is. However, I am also aware that
Western women expect what a midwife I know calls "butter birth"....easy, no
pain, perfect in every way. Birth is not like that. Neither is breastfeeding.


Just MHO.


Susan Keith-Hergert RN, MS, CPN, IBCLC
Mercy Health Partners
Cincinnati

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