How do you get your nipples ready for BFing?

[FLMama092485]

I was talking to my mom today and she had asked me if I had been working on my nipples to get them ready for BFing. And I was just wondering what is the best way to do that and if it is nessary.

[Herausgeber]

This is a myth. You don't have to do anything to them. I know I didn't, and my nipples had no problems performing as needed!

[FLMama092485]

Originally Posted by Herausgeber

This is a myth. You don't have to do anything to them. I know I didn't, and my nipples had no problems performing as needed!

It isn's about the preforming it is about the sorness that goes along with it and the cracking and so on.

Oh I also cross posted this on the BF forum.

[mommycakes]

Oh my goodness. My mom kept saying the same thing to me when I was pregnant and it drove me crazy. I didn't do a thing and...I was fine. The best thing you can do for your nipples IMO is to read up on nursing and be sure your baby has a proper latch. It takes patience and practice but you'll get it. It's not always so smooth--we dealt with thrush and I know pleanty of nursing mommas who suffered cracked and sore nipples, but I'm just not convinced there's anything you can do before-hand to prevent that.

My mom was telling me to "rough them up"--pull on them, knead them, rub a dry towel across them after showering(?!!!). I couldn't bring myself to do that. I refused to believe that my body wasn't built for nursing. Almost three years later...still fine and dandy. My dd has a lazy, bigger kid latch but I continually remind her to use a big mouth and no teeth.

Oh yes, I did arm myself with a good nipple cream and comfortable nursing pads/bras. Remember to change them frequently and to allow yourself to air-dry sometimes. I also found it helpful to rub a bit of breast milk on my nipples after a nursing session. BM is amazing stuff--great on any ol owie.

[kerikadi]

They used to think that you should toughen up your nipples before baby came but now we know that is a myth and just leads to more soreness when you are actually nursing. I know they told my aunt to rub her nipples with a towel to toughen them up and she did, by the time she had the baby her nipples were so sore that they cracked & bled leading to serious BFing issues.
Have some lansinoh on hand and cover your nipples like icing between feedings but otherwise leave them alone.

Keri

[jkg]

Ugh, people kept asking me that before I had DS1. I never did anything and we're still nursing 2 years later. I think that was advice given to women in the 70s and 80s--interestingly enough, breastfeeding success rates were lower then. We have better information available to us now. I agree with pp, the best thing you can do to prepare yourself is read up on the subject and find a good lactation consultant and contact your local LLL leader before you give birth, that way you will have your resources lined up in case you need help.

[Mavournin]

Get some lansinoh and have a pump handy JIC. With my Dd, I had a cracked nipple within the first 24 hours and it was excruitiating when my milk came in. I couldn't latch her long enough to drain the breast and I wound up severely engorged on that side. I babied it with a pump and a lot of lansinoh for a week and we had no issues after that.

[snowbunny]

There's absolutely nothing you need to do or should do to prepare your nipples for BFing. It is absolutely a myth that you have to prepare them.

Just bring make sure you have some lansinoh available during those early days as it helps if you encounter pain or soreness.

[MotheringHeart]

THis is totally a myth. There's nothing you need to do to prepare your nipples.

[SaraC]

While I don't think you have to toughen your nipples up to be able to nurse, I do wish someone had told me how having flat or inverted nipples could affect your breastfeeding relationship. I had one flat and one semi-inverted nipple with DD #1 and it was a terrible time learning to breast feed her. It took 8 long weeks to teach her to nurse on the right spot or she would just nurse anywhere since there was no nipple definition to speak of. If she felt skin then she sucked. It was a trying time for us and even after successfully nursing her and her sister for over a year each time I still have flat nipples. I wish I had seen pictures of breasts like mine and realized that there "could" be a problem and saw a LC at the first sign of trouble or done more to pull my nipples out. That said if your nipples are flat or inverted you can absolutely breastfeed and do it for a long time. Just don't be afraid to ask for help if you are having problems.