Is It Safe to Continue Breastfeeding While Nipples are Sore?

Breastfeeding your own baby is a source of great joy, especially after all the stress you have gone through during pregnancy and birth-giving. But the pain of sore nipples makes breastfeeding a terrible thing for some mothers.

Nipples that have the feeling of swelling, painful, hard, and feverish are what lactating mothers complain most of the time when breastfeeding. Sore nipples should not stop you from giving the best nutrition to your baby, and that is your breast milk. What you should do is to look for ways that will help you solve your problems regarding sore nipples and continue the breastfeeding.

It is always safe to continue breastfeeding even while the nipples are sore. Just make sure that the treatments you are using for your sore nipples are safe and not harmful for you and your baby.

There are different ways on how you can treat your sore nipples while you safely continue breastfeeding the baby. Herbal medicines, for one instance, are effective yet safe. These herbs are proven to not only treat sore nipples, but also help in producing smooth and continuous flow of breast milk. Soaking the nipples on warm water with basil leaves or teabags will stimulate fast healing, but make sure to wash the breast, especially the nipples before breastfeeding.

Another treatment for sore nipples is the use of creams. Lanolin (100% lanolin only) is safe to use on your nipples and safe for your baby. One best cream is the breast milk itself. Your own milk will help heal the sore nipples faster. This is actually the safest cure you can avail easily.

Hot shower or hot bath is also helpful in relieving the pains and discomfort brought by sore nipples and swelling breast. You can even use hot towel compress before and after breastfeeding for safe cleaning of the sore nipples. Heated breast packs or pads are also used to relieve pain. Aside from hot compress, you can also use cold compress like frozen or refrigerated breast packs. Just insert it in your bra if the breast is painful.

Sore nipples are usually caused by wrong positioning of the baby when latching. So the best remedy is to put the baby at the right position. Another cause of ore nipples is the poor latching procedure. The baby should latch with mouth wide open; the lips should be on the breast and not tucked in. Hold the baby's body and head facing you with the whole nipple and areola into the baby's mouth. If the baby is properly latched on, you will never feel any pain or swelling.

Your bra should also provide you with comfort and protection. The bras that can give comfort are those made with 100% cotton and always choose the ones that are not too tight because tight bras will make your milk duct clogged.

If your nipples are sore and painful due to breastfeeding, never opt to stop or discontinue breastfeeding for a while because it will only worsen the problem and cause you even greater pains later on. Just choose the right remedies to relieve the sore and pains of your nipples and then allow your baby to latch on for the baby's better physical and psychological development.

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