I have worked with a number of womyn who have pierced nipples and many of
then describe the leaking that you have. It seems like the increased
leaking is related to the length of time the mother has had the piercing
(the older the pierce, the less leaking, probably due to increased healing
and scar formation) where on the nipple the pierce is, and how much the
mother would have leaked anyway (based on mothers who had piercings after a
child or two.) Most of the mothers I have worked with said the leaking
decreased as normal breastfeeding was established. A few leaked the entire
time they nursed, but they were the minority. I did not see an increase in
infection in any of the mothers, although a few of them were warned of this
by their MDs/midwives.

Some of the womyn used fishing line to keep the piercing open (circled
through the hole and knotted,) as they knew that jewelry was a choking
hazard, however, it appears that the line could also be a choking hazard
and I warn against it.

Mary Jozwiak IBCLC,
LLLL, Professional Liasion, post partum doula

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