Nipple pain can be frequent. I had better warn you—if you read this entry, you’re taking a big risk—you risk getting many practical tips to help your breastfeeding! 😊

In this entry:
Chapping
Cracking
Causes of nipple pain
Practical advice to help with nipple injuries and pain
Pharmacological treatments for nipple injuries

When you breastfeed for the first time, you will find out it’s quite a learning process, both for you and your baby! You have to learn together, give yourselves time and create the right atmosphere and use the means to best start then continue with breastfeeding.

When we talk about breast pain, you will find out that nipple injuries are painful. Whether chapping or cracking, these injuries affect the nerve endings found in the skin’s epidermis and it’s very sensitive for mothers that breastfeed. Health professionals will support you and evaluate the situation. They have a role in helping you with your pain and healing the wounds to ensure you can continue to breastfeed over time.

First, I think it’s important to look at the differences between chapping and cracking:

Chapping

Chapping is characterised by redness that can look like an irritation. You can sometimes see a small layer formed by released secretions or a yellow crust that appears and remains on the surface. If you don’t treat it at this stage, the chapping can turn into cracking.

Cracking

Cracking is much deeper. It affects the skin’s dermis, unlike chapping which affects the epidermis. By affecting the dermis, it affects vascularisation. Once blood appears on the nipple, or the baby regurgitates blood after drinking, you have a cracked nipple. The cracking can become an ulceration which makes it difficult to breastfeed. It makes mothers suffer a lot, and that is why you need to try and prevent it.

There are several causes of nipple injuries. Some factors will be associated with the mother and others, the baby. You always have to look at the potential cause of the situation, as dealing with the cause will solve the problem. If not, pain and complications can follow.

To continue reading, go to the following entry Causes of Nipple Pain.