If you are a new mom dealing with pain between your shoulder blades, a stiff mid-back or aching shoulders every time you feed, you are not alone. Over 80% of breastfeeding mothers experience some form of musculoskeletal pain (Ratajczak & Górnowicz, 2024). The upper back is one of the most common trouble spots.

The good news: this pain is treatable, and in many cases preventable.

Why does breastfeeding hurt your upper back?

Think about what your body is doing during a feed. You are holding a position for 20 to 30 minutes, often hunched forward, looking down at your baby, several times a day. Over weeks and months, that adds up.

Here is what is going on:

You are stuck in one position. Most feeding positions have your head forward and shoulders rounded. The muscles between your shoulder blades are working overtime to hold you up, and the muscles across your chest are tightening.

Your body has changed. Your breasts are heavier during breastfeeding, which pulls your upper body forward. Your body is also still recovering from pregnancy and delivery, and sleep deprivation does not help.

Nobody showed you how to set up. Many mothers receive little or no guidance on feeding posture or ergonomics. Most figure it out on their own, and that usually means defaulting to whatever position feels natural in the moment, even if it is loading up the back and neck.

Longer feeds mean more strain. Mothers who experience back pain tend to spend more total time feeding per day. Keeping individual sessions under 30 minutes (or switching position halfway through) can make a real difference.

What it feels like

Over time, the joints of your mid-back stiffen, the muscles between your shoulder blades fatigue and your chest and front-of-shoulder muscles tighten. You might notice:

Aching or stiffness between the shoulder blades
Neck pain or headaches that were not there before
Shoulder tension that does not go away
Rib or mid-back pain that gets worse during or after feeds
A feeling of tightness when you try to take a deep breath

If any of that sounds familiar, it is almost certainly related to how you are feeding.

What you can do at home

Try different positions

Not all feeding positions are equal when it comes to your back. A biomechanical study by Bivia-Roig and colleagues (2023) measured muscle activity and spinal posture across different positions and found that:

Side-lying is the most restful for your spine. Your back muscles barely have to work.
Semi-reclined (laid-back) feeding reduces neck strain compared to sitting upright.
The cradle hold in a chair is the most common position but also the one most associated with pain.

You do not have to commit to one position. Mixing it up across feeds spreads the load and gives different areas a break.

Set yourself up properly

Bring your baby to you. Use a feeding pillow, cushion or folded towel to bring your baby up to breast height. If you are leaning forward or hunching down, your setup needs adjusting.
Support your back. Sit with your back fully against the chair. A small cushion behind your upper back helps.
Rest your arms. An unsupported arm transfers all its weight into your neck and upper back. Use a pillow or armrest.
Let go of the gaze. Once your baby is latched, you do not need to keep looking down. Gently bring your head back to a neutral position.
Move between feeds. A few shoulder blade squeezes, gentle upper back extensions or neck stretches between feeds go a long way.

Mothers who receive even basic ergonomic guidance report less pain. A randomised controlled trial by Afshariani and colleagues (2019) found that simple posture training reduced back pain rates at six months postpartum.

How chiropractic can help

If your pain is not settling with position changes alone, chiropractic care can help. The type of upper back stiffness and muscle tension that breastfeeding creates is exactly what we treat every day.

Adjustments. When the joints of your mid-back stiffen from being held in a rounded position, chiropractic adjustments restore their normal movement. This reduces stiffness and pain quickly, often from the first visit.

Soft tissue work. We release the tight muscles across your chest, shoulders and upper traps that are contributing to the problem. This helps your posture reset and takes pressure off your upper back.

Feeding posture advice. We can look at how you are set up during feeds and suggest practical changes. This is the kind of guidance that most new moms never get, and it makes a big difference.

Exercises. We will give you a few targeted exercises to strengthen your upper back, stretch your chest and keep your thoracic spine mobile. These take just a few minutes and you can do them at home between feeds.

Treatment is gentle and tailored to your postpartum body. We see breastfeeding moms regularly and understand the demands you are dealing with.

Do not wait it out

Upper back pain during breastfeeding is common, but that does not mean you should just push through it. Unmanaged pain contributes to psychological distress and is a known factor in early weaning. Getting on top of it early helps protect both your wellbeing and your breastfeeding goals.

If your pain is affecting how you feed, how you sleep or how you feel day to day, it is worth getting assessed.

At our Sandton practice, we work with new and expecting mothers all the time. Treatment fits around your baby’s schedule, and you are welcome to bring them along.

Get in touch or book an appointment and we will help you get comfortable again.

References

UPPER BACK PAIN FROM BREASTFEEDING: CAUSES AND RELIEF