Inverted nipples - is breastfeeding still possible?

[LuluHB]

So I have a friend who is due early in the NY with her second bub. She was over last night and was telling me that she has inverted nipples and was never able to get her DD to attach. DD was born in the UK and unfortunately it sounds as if my friend was never given any help with breastfeeding and wasn't aware people like lactation consultants existed so she expressed full time for the first couple of months and then went to formula.

I have suggested to her that she contact the ABA for advice now so she is more prepared for her DS's birth, but also told her I have no idea if inverted nipples mean breastfeeding is not an option. She very much wants to breastfeed and would do whatever she needs to do, but I would love to hear from any ladies that know what, if anything, she can do to hopefully get a good breastfeeding relationship with her son.

Thanks.

[Miss E]

I also have inverted nipples. I breastfed my DS for 22 months.

But, for the first three days neither I or the midwives could get DS to attach. I had a LC come see me on day 3 and she gave me a nipple shield that allowed us to establish BF to begin with. I was also advised to express regularly to help draw the nipple out.

After a couple of weeks my nipples had been drawn out partially. I could get DS to attach to them, but the attachment was not good and they became horribly cracked. So we went back to the nipple shields. At the time I thought that we would be using them forever. But once we got to about 8 weeks, I thought I would give it a go without them.

I started off just getting DS to do one feed on each side a day without the shield. I'd give him the first side with shield so he able to fill himself up and wasn't really hungry. Then when we got to the second, we'd try and try until we were able to attach directly to the breast. Over time I gradually increased the feeds we did on each side without the shield. And by the time we got to 12 weeks, I was able to put them away for good.

In my case, the shields and expressing really did help to draw the nipple out. But also, as DS got bigger he was better able to take more of breast into his mouth and draw out the nipple himself.

Personally, my gift to your friend would be a nipple shield (I found the medella brand the best) because for me they allowed us to establish a breastfeeding relationship that would've been impossible otherwise. And even better, we continued that breastfeeding relationship for 22 months.

HTH

[onthefly]

She should talk to an LC, yes. So far as I'm aware, it might mean some extra work getting the nipples out when baby attaches, but shouldn't stop her from breastfeeding. I presume if she was able to get milk out with a pump then it should theoretically mean she can feed her baby directly
It's a good idea to call the ABA too
Hope all goes well for your friend

[MummaBee]

A friend of mine has inverted nipples and started off using nipple sheilds, ditched them very quickly and breastfed both her girls until age three. IOts definatly possible and she made it look so easy lol. With the right info and support Im sure your friend could give it a go

[Sagres]

My understanding was that nipple shields are intended for inverted nipples (but are useful for other applications also) so that says to me it should be possible??

[Epacris]

I have inverted nipples and they have not stopped me from BFing all my children and I have never used a nipple shield. I know some people use nipple shields really successfully but for me I am so glad that I didn’t use them. To me, they seemed like something that could make BFing even more complicated and difficult. Correct attachment really is the key to successful breastfeeding and inverted nipples certainly can make attachment more difficult, but it is absolutely possible, it just needs very close attention in the early days. Once my babies were correctly attached I found that they drew my nipple out all by themselves just fine.

The most difficult part of BFing with inverted nipples for me was on day three when my milk came in and my BBs were engorged, it was like try to get them to attach to a brick wall. Things that helped me during that time were expressing a little bit before a feed so my boobs were not so rock hard (but not too much because I was trying to stabilise my milk supply) and having lots of towels and washers handy to mop up milk spraying everywhere, slippery boobs and slippery babes make for difficult attachment.

Another thing that worked for me was trying to get as much areola in their mouth as possible by any means available. I used to poke more in at the sides of their mouth with my finger while they were feeding. LCs will tell you that this is an absolute no no and if a baby is incorrectly attached you *must* pull them off and start again. I don’t know why but the finger poking trick really did work for us.

One thing that I really, really, really hated when learning to BF was people, midwives, LCs, touching my nipples and trying to squeeze them out, or touching my babies head and my boob. That sort of “help” for me was extremely unhelpful. I knew where my nipple needed to go, I knew where my babies mouth should be, I knew how to position myself and my babies, I just needed the time, space and peace so we could work it out for ourselves and then someone to just check on us every now and again. No one needs to touch an inverted nipple IMO, just leave them alone. The only people that are allowed to touch them is your baby.

Interestingly, I BF my DS1 for 14 months and my DD for 22 months. By the time I had finished with DD my nipples were permanently changed and are actually no longer inverted. I wonder if when I’m finished with DS2 they will ever go back in again?

[tinkerbelle]

believe it or not, i had this problem on one side only... its now no longer an issue as the breastfeeding actually changed the shape of my nipple and its no longer an inverted one!!

[LuluHB]

Thanks lovely ladies. I was really hoping that it was more a case of her getting some good guidance to begin with. The biggest hurdle I think she will have is that she has already ben told that she may not even be allowed to stay the night after birthing, depending on how it all goes - typical overcrowded public hospital system - so she may not be given the help she needs right at the beginning, but will have to go in search of it independently.

Epacris - I agree with you on other people getting too "hands on". My DD1 was a beautiful feeder so when I had issues with DD2 I knew what the problem was but had all these hands in places they just shouldn't be. It frustrated me and frustrated my baby, and just made the whole process so much harder.

I'll pass your comments on to her and I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear all this so thanks again.