A lot of mothers complain about tender nipples that make breast feeding painful and frustrating. There is good news though, as most mothers don't suffer that long. The nipples will toughen up quickly and render breast feeding virtually painless. Improperly positioned babies or babies that suck really hard can make the breasts extremely sore. Below, are some ways to ease your discomfort:
1. Make sure your baby is in the correct position, since a baby that isn't positioned correctly is the number one cause of sore nipples.
2. Once you have finished feeding, expose your breasts to the air and try to protect them from clothing and other irritations.
3. After breast feeding, apply some ultra purified, medical grade lanolin, making sure to avoid petroleum jelly and other products with oil.
4. Make sure to wash your nipples with water and not with soap.
5. Many women find teabags ran under cold water to provide some relief when placed on the nipples.
6. Make sure you vary your position each time with feeding to ensure that a different area of the nipple is being compressed each time.
Clogged milk ducts
Clogged milk ducts can be identified as small, red tender lumps on the tissue of the breast. Clogged ducts can cause the milk to back up and lead to infection. The best way to unclog these ducts is to ensure that you've emptied as completely as possible. You should offer the clogged breast first at feeding time, then let your baby empty it as much as possible.
If milk remains after the feeding, the remaining amount should be removed by hand or with a pump. You should also keep pressure off the duct by making sure your bra is not too tight.
Breast infection
Also known as mastititis, breast infection is normally due to empty breasts completely out of milk, germs gaining entrance to the milk ducts through cracks or fissures in the nipple, and decreased immunity in the mother due to stress or inadequate nutrition.
The symptoms of breast infection include severe pain or soreness, hardness of the breast, redness of the breast, heat coming from the area, swelling, or even chills.
The treatment of breast infection includes bed rest, antibiotics, pain relievers, increased fluid intake, and applying heat. Many women will stop breast feeding during an infection, although it's actually the wrong thing to do. By emptying the breasts, you'll actually help to prevent clogged milk ducts.
If the pain is so bad you can't feed, try using a pump while laying in a tub of warm water with your breasts floating comfortably in the water. You should also make sure that the pump isn't electric if you plan to use it in the bath tub.
You should always make sure that breast infections are treated promptly and completely or you may risk the chance of abscess. An abscess is very painful, involving throbbing and swelling. You'll also experience swelling, tenderness, and heat in the area of the abscess. If the infection progresses this far, your doctor may prescribe medicine and even surgery.
The sad fact is that our culture still views breast feeding in public as "indecent" because of the exposure of a woman's breast (gasp). And partial exposure, at that.
Although the vast majority of us have seen this part of the female anatomy, some would have you think of it as "vile" or "inappropriate". A perfect example of American society's reluctance to accept openly breast feeding follows.
Recently a popular, free magazine for new mothers called "Baby Talk" featured a bare breast with a baby nursing (no nipple was visible). The magazine received hundreds of complaints about the picture. Readers felt the breast was "inappropriate" for the cover. The worst part of this whole scandal is that most of the complaints came from women. Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot, so to speak.
I was shocked that, of all people, women would be offended by a demonstration of the nurturing mother and child relationship. Should this not be regarded as a picture of beauty and healthy exposure?
Then I wonder, is it just because we as Americans tend to be uptight about nudity in general? Take the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident, now dubbed "Nipplegate", which resulted in an extreme sanitization of radio and television, having networks running scared to even accidentally show the wrong body part or say the wrong words on air.
Perhaps if breast feeding were looked at on more of an objective level, as it was meant to be, breast feeding publicly would not be such an issue. People are blurring the lines between indecent, sexually oriented exposure and the necessity of exposing one's breasts for the sake of feeding a child.
We as women are encouraged to to give our babies the most nutritionally complete food for their development - natural breast milk, straight from the breast. And yet we find ourselves struggling to find places that make it comfortable and socially acceptable to breast feed.
The most ironic part about this ongoing taboo, to me at least, is the minimal amount of exposure necessary to breast feed. Heck, many women will almost completely cover their breasts with a towel or blanket to make themselves and others more comfortable.
It's aobut time we shake the taboos, and promote tolerance and acceptance for women breast feeding in public.
Both Jody Siena & Danna Schneider are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jody Siena has sinced written about articles on various topics from Breastfeeding, Supplements and Nutrition. For tips on and. Jody Siena's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Danna Schneider has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acne Treatment, Types of Cancer and Aging Problems. Danna Schneider is the founder of , which gives daily news on breast health, breast surgery, and new advances in natural breast e. Danna Schneider's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.