Top 10 Barriers to Breastfeeding

Based on conversations with our team of Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), I gathered a list of the biggest obstacles they see people needing to overcome to breastfeed successfully. The overwhelming majority of our IBCLCs believe that the #1 biggest barrier to breastfeeding is fear. 

#1 – Fear: What are expectant parents afraid of? 

This can be a little harder to pinpoint, but a lot of fear comes from the unknown. First time parents have a hard time knowing exactly what to expect. Pregnancy itself is usually very eye-opening. You can see and witness what other people are going through and talking about, but you probably realize eventually that experiencing it yourself is not exactly what you were expecting. The same is true of birth and breastfeeding. 

You might also be hearing about the experiences of other people and they might not be so great. If most of what you hear is scary or hard, you might be afraid of what’s coming your way! Or you might just have some of your own negative associations with breastfeeding created by experience or by things in our culture. One of the most effective ways to battle fear of the unknown is to arm yourself with information.

Take a class! Classes are a great way to learn about breastfeeding and baby care so that you can start your breastfeeding journey a little more confident and less afraid. And it’s true that stress can lead to more difficulty. When you can be relaxed and prepared, breastfeeding usually starts off better and continues more smoothly. Our hospital IBCLCs always say they can tell when someone has taken a class. 

#2 – Milk Supply Issues: “I don’t THINK I have enough milk.” 

We do see a lot of families for this issue. You might be hearing about this. If it’s on your radar, you’ll likely be more sensitive to any behavior or struggle that might indicate that you don’t have enough milk. The good news is that you almost certainly do at least have the ability to make enough milk. It’s very rare for someone to be unable to provide milk. Sometimes the milk supply can be small or shrinking, but that’s usually because something is interfering with it. Getting help from a lactation consultant can usually solve those problems or give you some comfort that everything is normal and you’re already on the right track. 

#3 – Pain: “It hurts when the baby latches.”

Pain with breastfeeding is a big issue, and one that is also easy to fix in most cases. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. A little bit of tenderness or discomfort at first, can be normal, but NOT toe-curling pain. We really want parents to know that it doesn’t have to be that way and you can get help to fix it. When parents think that pain is just a normal part of the process, they may decide not to start or continue breastfeeding. This is so unfortunate, because a lactation consultant can almost always get to the bottom of it with you and get you much more comfortable quickly. 

#4 – Latch Problems: “I don’t think this latch is right.”

Latch is the way the baby’s mouth holds on to the breast. There are a lot of reasons a baby’s latch might not be right. It could be that the baby just isn’t doing it right. It might take a little time to learn. You also might not know how to help the baby to hold on better. The baby could have some kind of anatomical issue in their mouth that makes it harder for them to get a good latch. The breastfeeding position you’re using might not be ideal for your baby. There are so many reasons a latch might not be great. Lactation consultants usually spend a lot of time focused on helping people get the latch to work. It can solve a lot of problems including issues with pain and milk supply!

#5 – Cluster Feeding: “It feels like my baby wants to eat constantly.” 

Cluster feeding is actually a normal part of the breastfeeding cycle. It needs to happen so that your milk supply can keep up with your growing baby’s needs. It’s not usually fun when it happens, but it is normal. I like to tell people to expect it, and then plan a way to make it easier and fun. Here are some tips:

• When your baby is cluster feeding, you can let yourself watch a TV show you’ve been wanting to see.
• Maybe you’ll order and read the next book in a favorite series.
• Cluster feeding might mean you get to order dinner from your favorite place or cancel plans that you don’t like keeping anyway!

And I definitely like to remind people that their baby won’t be doing this for very long. After the first six months or so, this will happen a lot less, and then not at all. They start eating solid foods and get really squirmy and grow up so fast! It can feel really hard, but it’s good to enjoy these sweet moments when you’re “stuck” with your baby around the clock while you have them. 

#6 – Oversupply: “I feel really engorged and my baby coughs and chokes a lot.”

Oversupply can be a real problem. It might be hard to call having too much milk a problem, but it really can be. Having very full breasts can be uncomfortable. You might have pain or leak so much that you’re constantly having to change the pads in your bra. And forget going without a bra EVER. All the leaking means you have to wear something all the time or end up getting everything wet. If you’re using disposable breast pads, it can get really expensive. If you’re using washable pads, it can mean having to do many loads of laundry. It might also mean your baby gets frustrated at the breast because the stretched nipple is difficult to latch onto, or because a strong milk flow is causing them to choke and cough. This can even lead a baby to reject the breast. Most of the time, oversupply is a problem caused by interference and can be fixed with just some minor adjustments. 

#7 – Pumping Problems: “I can’t get enough milk with my pump.”

Whether you’re pumping to increase your milk supply, pumping to get you ready to go back to work, or exclusively pumping, it can be a real struggle. Our lactation team really wants people to know that it’s most likely NOT you. It’s most likely an issue with the pump or the way you’re using it. A lactation consultant can definitely help you get to the bottom of any pumping problems. They might recommend a different flange size, or pumping schedule, or even style of pump. It’s so important to get those issues addressed so you feel you can keep up a good milk supply and continue to provide milk for your baby.

#8 – Parent Discomfort: “I’m really uncomfortable breastfeeding.”

Even if you’re not experiencing a lot of nipple damage or pain, you might just not be very comfortable. This can definitely be a problem because it can easily lead to a need to stop breastfeeding. Sometimes a baby needs to be at the breast for long periods, especially when you have a newborn, and you don’t have to be uncomfortable. There might be simple adjustments you can make to your position or your baby’s that will make all the difference. A lactation consultant can coach you through new positions and give you lots of tips to help you breastfeed in a way that feels easy and comfortable. You might even be able to start enjoying it!

#9 – Sleepy Baby: “My baby won’t wake up or stay awake to eat.” 

Most newborns will wake often to eat. You might be wishing they would sleep longer and stop eating so often! But there are other babies who will sleep for long periods. This actually isn’t ideal for a newborn. They might be especially sleepy if they were born a little earlier. They might also be sleepier if they were exposed to certain medications during labor and birth or after. In these cases, it’s important to wake the baby to feed. In most of these cases, if you don’t wake them every 2-3 hours to eat, they will start to lose too much weight or stop gaining weight. This can create a vicious cycle, because a sleepy baby who hasn’t eaten in a long time can just get more tired. That can make it difficult for them to get a good latch and a good feed and things can go downhill from there.

A lactation consultant will usually recommend that you wake your sleepy baby to feed. They can give you some good tips for how to do that, because a sleepy baby might not be happy to be woken up. It’s also true that some babies are just sleepier, and can sleep as long as they want and also get enough to eat. If your baby is gaining plenty of weight and making plenty of wet and dirty diapers, it might not be a problem. My first baby was like this. She would sleep for 4-5 hour stretches as a newborn, and then only wake up long enough to eat for five minutes! I was very worried at first, but my lactation consultant taught me to watch her carefully, and we checked her weight a few times. She was gaining plenty, and I was able to let her sleep and stop worrying. 

#10 – Parent Self-confidence: “I didn’t think it would be this hard. I feel so overwhelmed.” 

This might be true of almost all parents. When you are learning to breastfeed for the first time, you’ll most likely be surprised by a lot of things. It does take time to learn and master this skill. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally to everyone. Parents are meant to have other people around us to show us how to do it. That’s how people have evolved to this point. We are social animals. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and like an amateur. You are! But with a little time and training, you can get to the point of feeling ease with breastfeeding. Even when it feels nearly impossible at first, you can get support and put in some initial efforts to get you to a point where it’s fun and enjoyable. It can be something you can practically do in your sleep!  

Get help from a lactation consultant even when things are going well. That might seem like a strange recommendation, but your mental health is a priority. Getting help doesn’t have to be about making big changes or “fixing” how you’re breastfeeding, but sometimes just about getting confirmation from an expert that you’re doing a great job. That can be so meaningful for a new parent and shouldn’t be discounted. You might need to hear that things are going well and that you’re capable, from an outside source, so you have the confidence to keep going. It’s easy to feel insecure as a new parent, and reasonable to want someone to tell you you’re OK and that you can do it.