Sore Nipples: Prevention and Treatment

Breastfeeding should be a comfortable and pleasant experience. However, during the first week or two, many mothers notice nipple tenderness. This may occur because normal postpartum skin changes or to inexperience with latching on. Tenderness of this kind soon disappears, although in some cases sore nipples became real problem. That is why many women would like to hear and learn more about prevention and treatment of sore nipples.

Nipple pain

Nipple pain that occurs between feedings or that continues during the entire feeding is not a normal part of the breastfeeding experience each woman should have. You have to tell your lactation consultant, nursing mothers’ helper, or your health care provider if your nipples become cracked or blistered. Breastfeeding assistance from a knowledgeable breastfeeding professional can often correct these problems and prevent sore nipples.

Read More: Inverted Nipples/ Nipples Retraction: Causes and Correction

Most nipple injury results from a poor latch, while effective latch on insures that the most sensitive part of the nipple tissue is pulled deeply into the baby’s mouth. The tongue is forward over the lower gum to help cushion the compression of the breasts. When a baby is not latch correctly, the baby grasps just the nipple shaft rather than locating the gum compressions on the breast. Mothers can identify a shallow, improper latch by removing the baby and checking the shape of her nipple. If the nipple looks creased, or drawn into a point, as a new lipstick looks, this is a sign that the baby is compressing the nipple shaft. Cuts can form across the crease line, as well as at the base or junction of her nipple and areola. If the milk flow pinches off due to a nipple latch, the baby will suck harder to get milk. It would also happen if the milk supply was low, or the breast is hard to draw in because of engorgement. This extra strong suction applied to such a small surface area can cause blistering and sore nipples.

Solutions for sore nipples

If you notice there is something wrong, you should seek help to correct the latch-on and positioning problems that cause sore nipples. Often, simple positioning changes can fix the problem and prevent you from soreness you might experience. Try to manage engorgement or low milk supply problems, as well. Gentle cleansing is good first aid for any cut in the skin surface, so you could wash your nipples with a mild, non-antibacterial soap during your daily shower. After this, you should rinse well. Your own milk feels soothing to sore nipples, so if the nipples become too painful to allow breastfeeding, hand expression. You could also try with a gentle, effective breast pump. It will protect your milk supply and provide milk for your baby until healing takes place. Broken skin commonly infects, so your health care provider may recommend a safe, topical medication to resolve the problem. If mastitis as common breast infection occurs, oral antibiotics are therapy that is safe for use by breastfeeding moms.

Prevent sore nipples

• If you want to take care about yourself and prevent common problem with sore nipples, you have to avoid early use of bottles and pacifiers.
• Frequent breastfeeding, which is eight to twelve feeds per 24 hours, will prevent the baby from sucking too vigorously due to hunger.
• Soften engorged breasts with hand expression or pumping to help baby latch on that is going to prevent sore nipples. A brief warm shower before expression might be soothing to some moms and relieve some problems.
• Express a little milk first to stimulate the let down reflex before you start with latching.
• Use relaxation techniques before and during feedings because those are very good for both mother and baby.
• Check the baby for conditions such as tongue-tie that can contribute to sore nipples in some cases.
• Breastfeed on the least sore side first and limit feeding time on the sore nipple if necessary. After this, you could finish emptying the breast with hand expression or a breast pump.
• To remove the baby from the breast, place a clean finger between the baby’s gums, which is going to prevent the baby from clamping down on the nipple.
• You should avoid synthetic bras and plastic-lined pads.
• Use care when applying herbal preparations because some can be toxic to the baby, or have strong odors that lead to breast refusal. Some of these herbal preparations triggered allergic reactions.
  Avoid the use of Vitamin E on the nipples that can be toxic to the baby.
  Many ointments or creams can cause allergic reaction when applied to broken skin so you should consult your health care provider or lactation consultant before you use any.
• Keep pads and bras dry and drop bra flaps and allow air to circulate.

What causes sore nipples?

Sore nipples occur because the baby has not appropriate position, the baby does not latch properly, or the baby is not suckling properly, or both. Sore nipples are usually due to one or both of two causes. Incidentally, babies learn to suck properly by getting milk from the breast when they latch on well, which means they learn by doing. Fungal infection due to Candida albicans, may also cause sore nipples. The soreness caused by poor latching and ineffective suckles hurts most as you latch the baby on. It usually improves as the baby nurses. The pain from the fungal infection goes on throughout the feed and may continue even after breast-feeding is over. Women describe knifelike pain from the first two causes for sore nipples. The pain of the fungal infection feels like burning, but may not have this character. Sudden, unexplained onset of nipple pain when feedings had previously been painless is a tip-off that the pain may be due to a yeast infection. However, the pain may come on gradually or may feel as superimpose on pain due to other causes. Cracks may be due to a yeast infection interconnected with sore nipples.

Proper positioning and latching as the best sore nipples prevention

It is common for women to experience difficulty positioning and latching the baby on. Proper positioning facilitates a good latch and good latching reduces the baby's chances of becoming gassy. It also allows the baby to control the flow of milk. Thus, poor latching may also result in the baby not gaining adequately, or feeding frequently, or being colicky, that causes sore nipples.

Position of the baby: At first, it may be easiest that you use the cross cradle hold to position your baby for latching on. Hold the baby in your right arm, the web between your thumb and index finger behind the nape of his neck and not behind his head. Do it with your fingers, except for the thumb, supporting the baby’s face from underneath. In the same time, with your forearm you should support his back and buttocks. Hold the baby’s buttocks between your chest and your forearm. All this should give you good control. The baby should be almost horizontal across your body and should turn so that his chest, belly and thighs are against you with a slight tilt so the baby can look at you. Hold the breast with your left hand, with the thumb on top and the other fingers underneath. You should do it fairly far back from the nipple and areola. The nipple then automatically points to the roof of the baby’s mouth, which is the best position for breast-feeding.

Appropriate latching: After your baby has right position, let the baby to open up his mouth wide. The way to do this is to run your nipple, still pointing to the roof of the baby’s mouth very lightly from one corner of the mouth to the other. You can also run the baby along your nipple, something some mothers find easier. Wait for the baby to open up as if yawning and which is the most important to remember, you must wait for him. As you bring the baby toward the breast, his chin should touch your breast first and before his mouth. When the baby opens up his mouth, use the arm that is holding him to bring him onto your breast. You should not be worried about baby’s breathing. If he has properly position, and latch on, he will breathe without any problem. If he cannot breathe, he will pull away from the breast, so do not be afraid to be vigorous.

Read More: Breast infections - How to prevent mastitis?

Treatment for sore nipples

Sometimes this pain continues even after the nipple pain during the feeding no longer is a problem. In this case, the mother has pain only after the feeding, but not during it. What is the best to do if this happens is something many mothers wonder.

1. Pay careful attention to getting the baby to latch onto the breast properly as you might read it already. This type of pain is always associated with, and probably caused by whatever is causing your pain during the feeding. The best treatment is the treatment of the other causes of nipple pain you feel.
2. Heat, such as hot washcloth, hot water bottle, hair dryer, applied to the nipple immediately after nursing may prevent or decrease the reaction. Dry heat is usually better than wet heat. The reason is that wet heat may cause further damage to the nipples.
3. You should expose your nipples to air as much as possible.
4. When it is not possible to expose nipples to air, plastic dome-shaped breast shells are also helpful to protect your nipples from rubbing by your clothing. Nursing pads keep moisture against the nipple and may cause damage. They also tend to stick to damaged nipples, so if you leak a lot you can wear the pad over the breast shell.
5. Ointments can sometimes be helpful but if you do use an ointment, use just a very small amount after nursing and do not wash it off.
6. You should not wash your nipples frequently; daily bathing is more than enough.
7. If your baby is gaining weight well, there is no good reason the baby must feel on both breasts at each feeding. It may save you pain, and speed healing in the case you feed your baby on only one breast each feed. However, you should visit your doctor to check for the best treatment for sore nipples.