How to Avoid Sore Nipples While Breast-Feeding

By eHow Parenting Editor

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One major complaint of many new mothers is the nipple soreness that can sometimes occur during the early weeks of breast-feeding. There are many ways to minimize this problem and to make the nursing relationship easier and more comfortable for mother and baby.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Nursing Bras
Nursing Pads
Lanolin

Step1

Work on the latch! If your baby latches on incorrectly, unlatch him carefully by gently breaking the seal with a fingertip, then get him latched on again. This can be frustrating at first, but even one nursing with a bad latch can cause soreness.

Step2

Tickle the baby's chin or lower lip to make sure his mouth opens wide, then pull him tightly to your body. This should help him get latched on correctly.

Step3

Rub a few drops of your own milk into the nipple after each feeding, and allow to air-dry if possible. This will help to keep your skin from becoming chapped.

Step4

Use pure lanolin to soothe your nipples if you do begin to get sore.

Step5

Insert a soft cotton nursing pad if your nursing bra chafes your skin; this will catch leaks as well as protect your nipple.

Step6

Spend as much time as possible completely uncovered. It's important to let air circulate around your nipples, since infections thrive in a moist environment.

Tips & Warnings

If your baby nurses roughly, especially at the beginning of each feeding, keep your little finger near his mouth to unlatch him quickly if he begins to hurt you, then relatch him again. He will learn quickly that he needs to nurse "nicely" to keep the milk flowing!
If you need to work on your baby's latch, try to get him latched on when he's just waking up, before he becomes frantic with hunger. This can mean less frustration and discomfort for everyone.
Sleep on a towel or wear a light, loose T-shirt if you want to let the air get to your body at night. This should absorb any milk that may leak while you sleep.
Avoid using any creams or ointments other than lanolin (or a few drops of your own milk) on your nipples, unless you clean them very carefully before each feeding.
If you experience severe pain or cracked or bleeding nipples, or if you find white spots on your nipples or in your baby's mouth, see your doctor immediately and contact a lactation professional or La Leche League leader.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 8/12/2006 I got some good advice about sore nipples, which I want to pass on. Even if you're OK with breastfeeding in general, now and then nipples might start to hurt, with a sharp pain, sometimes like a cutting pain, that gets worse over a day or two. Here are the things I did to help get rid of it:

Rub a little milk on the nipple and take a minute to let them dry in the the air, and after a few seconds pat dry too, several times a day. Do this for 2-3 days and they'll soon feel better. You get to recognize the feeling and catch it earlier, so it disappears faster.

Also, make sure you change your bra. Sometimes us moms are so busy we don't realize we're in the same clothes or bra after a couple of days. Moisture seems to get trapped in there and the moisture causes the nipple pain to worsen.

If one breast has got particularly bad, feed off it less to give it a rest, perhaps just use the one boob several times in a row, and keep doing the dry out technique. Then swap over to give the other one a rest if it's also sore.

The nipple gets soft rather than pointed, so squeeze it to get firm before putting into baby's mouth, this might reduce the pain of baby sucking it into their mouth and grazing over the tender skin.

After baby finishes drinking, wipe excess moisture/ milk off the nipple with your fingers, T-shirt or a soft cloth. This really helps minimize moisture lingering to cause future tenderness.

This process has fixed the painful nipple problem for me many times over. It happens especially in cold weather when you tuck those boobies into your shirt so quick to avoid the cold, but you forget to wipe them dry.

Hope these tips help you as much as they have me.

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