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Home » Misc » Nipple damage breastfeeding newborn

Nipple damage breastfeeding newborn


Sore or cracked nipples when breastfeeding

If you get sore nipples when breastfeeding, it's usually because your baby is not positioned and attached properly at the breast.

It's important not to stop breastfeeding. With help, feeding should quickly become more comfortable again.

Get help early for sore nipples

If you find 1 or both nipples hurt at every feed, or your nipples start to crack or bleed, it's important to get help from your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter as soon as you can.

They can watch as you feed your baby and help you get them correctly positioned and attached to the breast.

When your baby is effectively attached, your nipple rests comfortably against the soft palate at the back of their mouth.

If your baby is poorly attached to the breast, the nipple is nearer the front of their mouth and can be pinched against the hard palate, causing pain.

Flattened, wedged or white nipples at the end of a feed are a sign your baby may not be properly attached. Your baby may also seem unsettled after feeds.

Having sore nipples when you're trying to breastfeed a new baby can be stressful and upsetting.

Try to carry on breastfeeding or express milk by hand if you can, and ask for help early.

Learn more about expressing milk by hand

Self-help tips for sore nipples

Bear in mind that self-help tips will not be effective if your baby is poorly attached during breastfeeds.

But you may find it helps to:

  • change breast pads at each feed (if you're using them) – if possible, use pads without a plastic backing
  • wear a cotton bra so air can circulate
  • keep feeding your baby for as long as they want – keeping breastfeeds short to "rest" your nipples will not ease nipple pain and could affect your milk supply
  • avoid using nipple shields (a thin, protective cover worn over your nipple as you breastfeed) or breast shells (a hard, protective cover worn inside your bra) – these will not improve your baby's attachment to the breast

If your nipples start to crack, try dabbing a little expressed breast milk onto them after feeds.

Important

Get help early if your nipples are cracked or bleeding, as this increases your risk of getting an infection in your nipple.

If nipple pain does not improve

If your baby is properly positioned and attached at the breast during feeds and your nipples are still sore, ask your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter for help.

There may be an underlying problem, such as an infection like thrush.

Find out more about breastfeeding and thrush

Video: How do I know if my baby is properly latched?

In this video, a midwife talks about how to check if your baby is latched on properly when breast feeding.

Media last reviewed: 4 October 2022
Media review due: 4 October 2025

Page last reviewed: 8 November 2022
Next review due: 8 November 2025

Sore, cracked or bleeding nipples

Sore, cracked or bleeding nipples | Pregnancy Birth and Baby beginning of content

4-minute read

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Sore, cracked or bleeding nipples are common. Some mothers have such trouble with them that they stop breastfeeding early.

As a new mother, you may find it could take a few days or weeks to adapt to the strong suck of a healthy baby on your breasts.

It is normal for your breasts to become more sensitive in the first weeks after you have given birth. They may sting, burn, ache or feel tender. Over time, the discomfort and sensitivity should resolve.

If you have sore nipples, it may be that your baby isn’t attaching properly to your breast. This pain usually lasts about half a minute while baby first draws your nipple into their mouth.

Try to make sure your baby’s mouth is attached correctly for suckling from the very first breastfeed.

If you do not correct your baby’s latch, your nipples could be damaged, which causes problems like mastitis (infections).

How to get baby to attach to your breast correctly

  • Make sure you are sitting or lying comfortably. Position your baby’s chest against your chest, with their mouth and nose facing your nipple.
  • If you are lying down, let your baby’s cheek rest against your breast. If you are sitting up, lift your breast slightly so it does not press on your baby’s chin.
  • Position your baby so the first contact point is their chin on your areola — the coloured area around your nipple.
  • Bring your baby’s head to your breast, not the breast to baby’s head. Support your baby to move to where they are trying to go — towards your nipple.
  • Ensure the nipple and much (or all) of the areola and some surrounding breast are in your baby’s mouth.

After a few rapid gulps, your baby should start to suck and swallow in a regular rhythm. Once you have got the hang of it, breastfeeding can be enjoyable and should not be painful.

How to manage sore nipples

Before putting baby to the breast

Wash your hands and sit in a comfortable position and try to relax. Apply a warm washer to the breast and gently massage or express to help milk flow. Express some milk to soften the areola to lubricate the nipple.

At the breast

Poor attachment is a key cause of sore nipples. Make sure the way your baby latches to your breast is correct. If you are not sure, ask for help from a health professional.

If the attachment feels uncomfortable after 30 seconds, break your baby’s suction by putting your finger in the corner of their mouth. Take your baby off and let them re-latch to your breast. Try different feeding positions. If your nipples are tender, limit your baby’s comfort sucking.

After the breastfeed

Check your nipples for redness and misshapen appearance. Wipe your breasts with clean water and let them dry. It can help to leave your bra off for a while and allow your nipples to air. Make sure your bra fits.

When expressing milk, make sure that the suction on your breast pump is not too strong. If the pain in your nipples increases after the first week, talk to a health professional.

Finding the cause of cracked or bleeding nipples

You will need to work out the source of your nipple problems. The first thing to do is to check if your baby is latching on correctly. You may need to ask a health professional for assistance. They can also check your baby for problems with their lips and tongue and whether you have medical problems like dermatitis or nipple infection. If you use a nipple shield, make sure it is the correct size and if you’re using a breast pump, make sure you’re doing it properly.

How to treat cracked or bleeding nipples

There are a number of things you can do to treat cracked or bleeding nipples.

  • Look after your nipples: wash your nipples with water after every feed and clean and sterilise your nipple shield after each feed.
  • If you can, continue breastfeeding (it is quite safe for baby to feed on a bleeding nipple). But if it’s too painful, you may need to take your baby off the breast for 24 to 48 hours, rest the nipple and feed your baby expressed breast milk. Gradually reintroduce the breast after resting for a short time and take special care with positioning and attachment.
  • If you’re going to take pain-relieving medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Many household remedies are ineffective or harmful.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association has more tips on treating sore or cracked nipples.

If you need further help or are experiencing prolonged abnormal breast pain, contact your doctor, lactation consultant, breast feeding counsellor, child health nurse or Pregnancy Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436.

Sources:
Australian Breastfeeding Association (Sore/cracked nipples), Australian Breastfeeding Association (Mastitis), Australian Breastfeeding Association (Attachment to the breast), Raising Children Network (Breastfeeding attachment techniques), Tresillian (Breastfeeding 0-3 months)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: December 2020


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Vasospasm and breastfeeding

Vasospasm affects the flow of milk from the nipple and can be a painful condition for women breastfeeding. Learn about vasospasm and how to relieve the pain.

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Nipple fissure - health articles

11/10/2022

Nipple fissure - defect, damage to the integrity of the skin on the nipples of the mammary glands. It is manifested by a sharp soreness with irradiation to the shoulder blade when feeding a child. It can be complicated by infection of wounds, the development of candidiasis on the nipple, mastitis. If cracks become infected, there is a risk of infection of the child during feeding.

Treatment of cracked nipples begins with the elimination of their cause. In parallel, they carry out the prevention of their infection, use means that promote the speedy healing.

Causes

The main reason for the appearance of cracks is the lack of breastfeeding during feeding. When properly applied to the breast, the nipple rests against the baby's palate in a fixed motionless position, the child squeezes the areola with its jaws, contributing to the outflow of milk. In this case, the lower lip of the child is tucked up. If the nipple is not inserted to the proper depth, then it ends up on the tongue, gaining mobility, the lower lip injures the nipple and areola, and the jaws compress the breast in the most sensitive and easily damaged place. As a result of constant irritation of the nipple and areola areas, damage to the skin occurs - cracks form.

The second most common cause of cracked nipples may be improper weaning. Often, when feeding, mothers do not support the child's head, and also place his stomach not towards himself, but up. As a result, at the end of feeding, the child turns away from the breast, pinching the nipple in the jaws. There is pressure on areas of the nipple that are not intended for this.

Another common cause is washing your nipples too often. Modern medicine does not support the need to wash the breast after each feeding. With frequent washing, the nipples are washed off their natural lubricant, which is secreted by special glands in the skin of the areola (Montgomery's glands) and the nipples lose one of their natural protective mechanisms.

Fissures can also develop when feeding older children as a result of bites from erupted teeth.

The development of thrush contributes to the occurrence of cracked nipples.

Symptoms

Symptoms that may appear both in the early periods of feeding and later:

  • solitary or multiple lesions of the skin of the breast, nipples and areals;
  • superficial cracks that will show up on contact with underwear;
  • subcutaneous fissures, characterized by severe pain;
  • bleeding;
  • slight suppuration;
  • increased sensitivity and soreness of the nipples;
  • Excessively dry skin around the nipples and areolas.

Even if you notice that at least one of the above symptoms appears from time to time and then disappears, this can also be an important signal of a possible infection or the presence of any other disease.

Treatment of cracked nipples

If it is a small cracked nipple, treatment can be started at home. The first step is to prevent infection. Change your underwear every day, iron your bra after washing with a hot iron. Put disposable sterile pads inside the bra and change them when they become damp.

It is not worth washing the breast after each feeding, so as not to violate the natural protection. Mother's milk itself is a good antiseptic, so it can be used as a cream for cracked nipples, squeezing a few drops after feeding. Be sure to let the milk dry, hold your chest open for a few minutes.

Earlier, when nipple cracks appeared, treatment was started with green paint. You should not do this, as it has been proven that brilliant green is quite toxic. It is better to use a methylene blue aqueous or alcohol solution as an antiseptic, this antiseptic will also serve to prevent thrush in a child. It should be noted that antiseptics cannot solve the problem of how to treat nipple cracks, they only prevent infection.

Cracked nipples can be lubricated with castor oil to soften the skin and heal quickly. It can be replaced with sea buckthorn or rosehip oil. Oil is applied to cracked nipples after feeding. Be sure to wait until it dries, and only then put on a bra.

Compresses for cracked nipples can be made from butter and applesauce. Apples need to be rubbed on a grater, add butter to them in a ratio of 1: 1 and attach to the chest. Hold the compress for 2-3 hours.

Kalanchoe or aloe juice has an excellent healing effect. The leaves of the plants are cut in half and smeared with pulp on the cracks in the nipples. Juice can be squeezed out and compresses can be made from it.

Cracked nipples during feeding can also be treated with products from a pharmacy. A good effect is given by preparations based on lanolin. This substance does not give allergies and is safe enough for the child.

Cracked nipples | Medela

Amir, L.H. ABM Clinical Protocol #4: Mastitis, Revised March 2014. Breastfeed Med 9, 239–243 (2014). - Amir L.Kh., "AVM Clinical Protocol #4: Mastitis", revised March 2014 Brestfeed Med 9 (Breastfeeding Medicine) 239–243 (2014).

Jacobs, A. et al. S3-Guidelines for the Treatment of Inflammatory Breast Disease during the Lactation Period: AWMF Guidelines, Registry No. 015/071 (short version) AWMF Leitlinien-Register Nr. 015/071 (Kurzfassung). Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd . 73, 1202–1208 (2013). - Jacobs A. et al., "Recommendations S -3 for the management of inflammatory breast disease during breastfeeding: AWMF guidelines , registration number 015/071 (abbreviated version)" Leitlinjen- Registration number 015/071 (Kurzfassung). Geburtschilde Frauenheilkd. 73, 1202–1208 (2013).

American Academy of Pediatrics and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Breastfeeding handbook for physicians 2006). - American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Medical Guide to Breastfeeding", 2006.

Lawrence , R . A . & Lawrence , R . M . Breastfeeding : a guide for the medical profession ( Elsevier Mosby , Maryland Heights , MO , 2011). - Lawrence R.A., Lawrence R.M., "Breastfeeding: A guide for healthcare professionals." (Publisher Maryland Heights , Missouri, USA: Elsevier Mosby; 2011.)

McClellan, H.L. et al. Infants of mothers with persistent nipple pain exert strong sucking vacuums. Paediatica 97, 1205–1209 (2008). — McClellan H.L. et al., "Babies of mothers suffering from persistent nipple pain create extremely high sucking vacuums." Pediatrics 97, 1205–1209 (2008).


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