Does the Duration and Frequency of Early Breastfeeding Affect Nipple Pain?

To investigate the effects of the frequency and duration of breastfeedings on nipple soreness we studied two groups of mother‐infant pairs during the first 10 postpartum days. Mothers in the control group fed on a 3‐ to 4‐hour schedule and those in the experimental group were encouraged to breastfeed as frequently as the infants desired. All mothers recorded the time and duration of each breastfeeding for the first 10 days after delivery and gave their own daily assessments of nipple discomfort. Although mothers in the experimental group nursed significantly more frequently (10 vs. 7.4 feedings/24 hours, p >.0001), they did not experience more nipple soreness. There was no significant correlation between the frequency or duration of feedings and the degree of nipple soreness. In both groups there was a significant decrease in nipple soreness from days 1–5 to days 6–10 in spite of a significant increase in the frequency and duration of feedings over the same period. Our results suggest that frequent feedings in early lactation do not increase the incidence of nipple discomfort.