Breastfeeding: my nipples are sore, what will help?

Firstly, it's important to know who is available to help you. Alone, it can be a daunting task to understand and correct the positioning and can cause an understandable amount of stress.

The midwife, health visitor and your doctor or nurse can provide you with good information and support. They may be able to advise you about local breastfeeding drop-in clinics where experts are available to see how your breastfeeding is going. There are also lactation specialists and breastfeeding organizations that can give you additional support.

Contrary to popular belief, taking a break from breastfeeding does not affect the pain in your nipple, so it’s best to continue breastfeeding. In fact, interrupting the flow of breastfeeding can reduce your milk supply, as your brain will think that demand has dropped, which can then cause additional problems.

Make sure you wear comfortable clothing and cotton breastfeeding bras, without underwire and with good support. They shouldn’t be too tight, as this can add to the pain around the breasts.

If you’re using them, change your breast pads at each feed, and use pads that don’t have a plastic backing.

Nipple shields and breast guarding devices are not advised, as they can affect how your baby latches on, further perpetuating the problem.

It sounds like an old wives’ tale, but cabbage leaves can actually be a very soothing remedy to relieve soreness after breastfeeding – a cool compress provides similar relief. You can also try dabbing a little breastmilk onto your nipples after a feed.

Breastmilk is known to be full of goodness and protective agents, so it causes no harm to try and put some breastmilk onto your nipples after feeding.

Gel pads provide some relief. Simple acetaminophen or ibuprofen, if tolerated, can be tried if it's particularly painful.

Modified lanolin nipple creams such as Lansinoh provide a great barrier when cracked and sore and can be used safely in breastfeeding.

If you've tried these methods without success and the pain persists, thrush may be the cause of your symptoms, and it's best to talk to your doctor. If they diagnose this, it's easily treated with prescriptions for both you and your baby to help clear it up. Examples include antifungals such as miconazole gel applied directly to the nipples, or nystatin drops to be taken by mouth.

If there’s significant soreness and redness in one nipple, or an area on one of the breasts that suddenly becomes red, warm, tender and firm, this may suggest a bacterial infection. It’s best to continue breastfeeding and get in touch with your doctor if it persists for more than a day or two, or if you feel unwell and feverish. They may diagnose a skin infection called cellulitis or a milk duct infection causing mastitis, and offer antibiotics to help clear it up.