There are many reasons why some mothers experience sore nipples during breastfeeding. The most common cause for sore nipples in the early days and weeks of nursing is a shallow latch. Read our post on positioning and latching or call us for in-person help. When women experience a more sudden onset of sore nipples after breastfeeding has been going well, there are a myriad of possible causes. For example, yeast infections, plugged ducts, and biting can cause sore nipples later in your breastfeeding journey.

If you develop broken skin, an open sore or a scab on your nipple, it is very important to keep your nipple clean and watch for signs of infection (redness, yellow/pus discharge, fever, pain), in which case you should seek medical advice. Nipples sores often heal quickly if kept clean, use of moist wound-healing strategies and correction of the underlying problem, such as improved latch.

• dissolve 1 tsp salt in 8 oz of steaming hot water in your hand pump or other container that you can comfortably hold against your breast. Steam your nipples for 5 – 10 minutes. You’ll have to discard any milk that drips into the salt solution.
• dissolve 1/2 tsp salt in 8 oz warm water in a small bowl, and soak your nipples directly in the saline solution for 5 – 10 min (it shouldn’t sting if you use this proportion of salt and water).
• After the saline soak/steam, gently pat your nipples and then express some breast milk to wash over the sores, use a small amount of nipple cream or glycerin gel pads to keep your nipples moist so the sore can heal from the inside out, similarly to how chap stick prevents cracking and helps cracks heal on your lips in the wintertime.
• Before nursing, gently pat your nipples with a wet, warm, clean cloth to remove any excess gel or cream before latching.
• Watch closely for signs of mastitis (spreading redness, chills/fever, engorgement that does not resolve with pumping or feeding) and seek medical treatment as soon as possible (may mean a trip to the ER if you cannot get an appointment at your clinic).

Kodiak KINDNESS takes an individual problem-solving approach when moms have sore nipples to figure out what might be going on. If your sore nipples don’t resolve within 1-2 days after correcting positioning and trying other strategies as described in this post, please contact us for in-person support as soon as possible – the sooner sore nipples are addressed the better for both mom and baby! Don’t grit your teeth and “nurse through it”… painful breastfeeding is no fun at all and not how it’s supposed to be. We can help!

Follow this hyperlink for good info with all kinds of links on sore nipples. Jack Newman is also a respected source of information on breastfeeding; read more here for his info on sore nipples.

DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.