Severe breastfeeding pain experienced by first-time mothers can lead to negative health implications for their babies, according to a new study from Western University.
Researchers used a mixed-methods approach to studying 14 partnered and educated women living in southern Ontario who have experienced breastfeeding-related pain. Despite the majority of mothers experiencing this type of pain, it often isn't recognized as a problem, the study found.
“For some [mothers] this pain plays a role in their decision making around stopping breastfeeding earlier than they planned,” said Kimberley Jackson, study lead author and an assistant professor at Western’s Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing. “We know that breastfeeding leads to better health outcomes for women and children and finding ways to help women breastfeed comfortably is a win-win for both mother and child.”
Health officials recommend women exclusively breastfeed their infants up to six months, suggesting it can decrease childhood infections, lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, and reduce the risk of childhood diabetes and certain cancers. For women, the health benefits of breastfeeding are said to include a lowered risk of postpartum bleeding and some breast and ovarian cancers.
The study identified breastfeeding pain as multidimensional and revealed that current measurement tools may not adequately reflect this unique type of pain, which creates challenges for health-care providers.
"Because of the various etiology and a lack of adequate measurement tools, health-care providers are at a loss for how to best assess this underrepresented type of pain,” said Jackson. “Having a better understanding of how women experience this pain will allow them to provide more individualized, appropriate care, which will hopefully allow women to achieve their breastfeeding goals.”
The study, which also included researchers from Brock University, was published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology.
