Hi folks,

Here's some information on Nipple Pain that was published recently in
breastfeeding abstracts.

- Dia


Nipple Pain Relived by Warm Compresses

While most women know that childbirth can be extremely painful, few are
prepared for the pain that can accompany breastfeeding.  Nipple soreness
rarely lasts more than two weeks, but some women who are unprepared for the
pain wean their infants prematurely.  

We know that a woman who is breastfeeding exclusively when the baby is two
weeks old is likely to continue, so a group of researchers set out to examine
the effectiveness of several remedies for managing nipple discomfort.  All
the mothers studied had given birth vaginally to one full-term, healthy baby.
 177 women were randomly assigned to one of four groups to test the commonly
employed treatments: Lansinoh (a commercial lanolin product), warm water
compresses, expressed breastmilk allowed to dry on the nipple, or education
with no treatment.  

Mothers described a strong sucking sensation on day 1 which intensified each
day with the greatest pain on day 4.  The mothers using the warm compresses
reported less soreness at days 4 and 7 than did the mothers using the other
methods.  Fortunately for the moms, the warm water compresses are low cost,
easily available, and simple to use.

While the compresses helped relieve the pain, the researchers concluded that
education is as important as the other interventions to increasing the
duration of breastfeeding.  Mothers should be prepared for the forceful
sensation of a baby at breast.  Knowing that it can be painful and that the
pain won’t last long can go a long way in helping mothers get beyond the
initial discomfort.


Study:  A Comparison of Topical Agents to Relieve Nipple Pain And Enhance
Breastfeeding, L.C. Pugh, B.L. Buchko, B.A. Bishop, et al, Birth, 1996,
23:88-93