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Breastfeeding can come with a learning curve for both parent and baby, but that doesn’t mean you should be expected to simply tolerate significant pain. If nursing leaves you with cracked, bleeding, or persistently painful nipples, it’s worth taking your concerns seriously.
One possible contributor is an infant lip or tongue-tie. These oral restrictions can sometimes interfere with a baby’s ability to achieve an effective latch and use their tongue properly during feeding. Understanding the potential connection may help you find an explanation for breastfeeding difficulties that haven’t improved with the usual advice.
Myth: Pain Is Just Part of Breastfeeding
It’s common to hear that breastfeeding is supposed to hurt, particularly during the first few weeks. While some initial tenderness can occur as you and your baby learn to breastfeed, ongoing or significant pain shouldn’t simply be dismissed.
Pain can have many possible causes, including positioning and latch difficulties, engorgement, infection, or other breastfeeding challenges. An evaluation by a qualified lactation professional or healthcare provider can help identify what may be contributing to your symptoms.
If you’re experiencing persistent nipple pain, cracking, or bleeding, you deserve support rather than guilt.
Myth: Your Baby Just Needs to Learn How to Latch
Latching is a skill that both parent and baby develop, and improving positioning can make a tremendous difference. But sometimes, repeated latch problems may have an underlying physical contributor.
A tongue-tie, also called ankyloglossia, occurs when the tissue connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth restricts the tongue’s movement. A lip-tie involves restrictive tissue connecting the upper lip to the gum.
These restrictions don’t cause feeding problems in every baby. However, when they interfere with the baby’s ability to latch or transfer milk effectively, they may contribute to difficulties during breastfeeding.
What Do Tongue-Ties Have to Do With Nipple Pain?
A baby needs to coordinate their tongue, lips, and jaw to create an effective latch and draw milk from the breast. If tongue movement is restricted, a baby may compensate by using their gums, lips, or other muscles differently.
For some breastfeeding parents, this can result in an uncomfortable or shallow latch. Repeated friction or pressure may contribute to sore, cracked, or bleeding nipples.
You might also notice other feeding concerns, such as clicking sounds during nursing, difficulty maintaining a latch, prolonged feedings, frequent feeds, or signs that your baby is struggling to transfer milk effectively.
These symptoms can have multiple causes, so they don’t automatically mean your baby has a lip or tongue-tie. A thorough evaluation is important.
Myth: You Just Need to Try Harder
When breastfeeding isn’t going as expected, parents can receive a lot of well-meaning—but unhelpful—advice. You may be told to tough it out, nurse through the pain, or simply keep practicing until everything improves.
But asking for help isn’t giving up.
A lactation consultant, pediatric healthcare provider, or other qualified professional can assess your baby’s feeding mechanics and help determine what might be contributing to the problem. If an oral restriction is suspected, an appropriate specialist can evaluate your baby and discuss whether treatment may be beneficial.
What Happens If a Tongue-Tie Is Diagnosed?
If your baby is diagnosed with a tongue-tie or lip-tie, treatment isn’t necessarily required in every case. The decision should be based on your baby’s symptoms, feeding function, and overall circumstances.
When treatment is recommended, your provider can explain the available options and what you can expect before, during, and after the procedure. Feeding support may also be an important part of helping your baby develop more effective feeding habits.
Most importantly, you don’t have to navigate persistent breastfeeding difficulties alone.
Listen to Your Concerns
Breastfeeding challenges are real, and experiencing pain doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. If nursing continues to hurt despite adjustments to positioning and latch, consider talking with a qualified professional about what’s happening.
A lip or tongue-tie may be one piece of the puzzle, and identifying the underlying issue can be an important step toward making feeding more comfortable for both you and your baby.
Your concerns are valid, and asking for support is always worthwhile.
About the Practice
Chicago Tongue Tie specializes in evaluating and treating oral restrictions that can affect infants, children, and families. Dr. Bindi and Dr. Justin focus on lip- and tongue-tie care with an emphasis on understanding how these restrictions may affect feeding, oral function, and development. Families receive individualized evaluations and treatment recommendations based on their child’s specific needs.
Call us at (312) 248-2455 or schedule your appointment online.