Breastfeeding Problems: Flat, Inverted or Retracted Nipples & Plugged Ducts
Some women do not have nipples that naturally protrude from the breasts, nor do they protrude when stimulated. These nipples are called flat nipples. Women who have nipples that seem to go inward when compressed have inverted nipples. While women with retracting nipples are women who have nipples that seem to pull back a little instead of protrude from the breast.
As you can imagine, these nipple situations can make it difficult for a woman to breastfeed, but they are not without hope. Discussing your feeding options with a lactation consultant can help you find a solution and still breastfeed your child. Common solutions include using a breast pump during the first few minutes of feeding in order to “pull the nipple out” or massaging your breasts and nipple area using the Hoffman technique.
When applying the Hoffman technique, you roll your nipple outwards by using your fingers to press firmly at the base of the nipple and move the nipple outwards. Your lactation consultant will tell you how often this should be done. They may also recommend that you wear breast shells, which are cups that are placed on the breast and put gentle pressure on your nipple in order to coax it into protruding.
It is important that you are able to get your nipples to protrude as much as possible because your baby needs to get the nipple and areola in their mouth in order to breastfeed properly. In cases of severely inverted nipples, a mother can choose to express breast milk instead of breastfeeding directly. This way the child still benefits from breast milk even if the mother cannot directly breastfeed the child.
Plugged Ducts
While breastfeeding, some women may notice that there are areas of their breasts or an area of one breast that becomes tender and develops into a reddish lump. This is the classic sign of a plugged duct. In this area of the breast, skin cells are blocking the flow of milk. As a result the milk duct fills and stretches out, causing the lump and mild discomfort.
If you have a plugged duct, don’t worry. It will usually go away within a day or two after it appears. While it is present, feed your baby from the breast with the plugged duct so that the milk duct empties and normal milk flow is reestablished. You can position your baby so that either their nose or chin is pointing towards the plugged duct. This will help empty that area of milk. Your baby might not like feeding from this breast at first because it often happens that milk flow is rather slow, but continue to feed them from this nipple so that the plugged duct opens up.
Page Two: Other Treatments for Plugged Ducts (Breastfeeding Problems: Flat, Inverted or Retracted Nipples & Plugged Ducts continued)
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