Breastfeeding and Pierced Nipples I am a nursing student who is responding on the topic that was discussed a few weeks ago about whether or not nipple piercings should be removed during breastfeeding. “Any body piercing that penetrates the skin and mucous membranes increases the risk of local infection occurring at the pierced body site (Itzhak, 2001)”. Some possible risks are tetanus, hepatitis, transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), rejection, metal allergy, later scar tissue formation and infection. “One study revealed that nipple piercings are prone to infections due to anaerobes (Prevotella intermedia and Peptostreptocuccus anaerobius). This type of infection can be treated with antibiotics, as prescribed by a physician (Itzhak, 2001)”. Choking is a potential hazard for the baby if the nipple jewelry is not removed. “As the baby sucks, the jewelry may become detached and lodge in the throat, gums, tongue, and soft and hard palates that may cause injury to the baby. In addition, the jewelry is not sterile which increases the risk for infection (Jones, 1999)”. Due to these potential complications from jewelry still inserted in the nipple during breastfeeding, the infant may have a hard time latching onto the breast, sucking, taking in milk, and gagging. There is no current study that suggests that having a nipple piercing will inhibit breastfeeding; except that jewelry or scar tissue could impair latching onto or blocking the milk duct and adversely affecting an infant’s ability to breastfeed (Meltzer, 2005). Removing the jewelry before the feeding is recommended because of the potential risk and complications to the infant as well as to the mother. I researched breastfeeding and nipple piercing because I was interested in the results. It appears that the removal of nipple jewelry is encouraged during the entire length of intended breastfeeding period due to potential problems—even though it may be weeks to months—but not necessary. Mothers should continuously practice self-hygiene and check the piercing prior to breastfeeding to ensure that it will not come loose during feeding. If someone chooses to reinsert the jewelry after the period of breastfeeding, they may need to go back to a piercing shop because scar tissue may have closed the pierced site. And yes, when reinserting the jewelry back into the nipple one may feel discomfort and may see a slight irritation. If one decides to keep the nipple jewelry in during breastfeeding, one may want to consider style, gauge size and type of jewelry. I appreciate the expertise on this listserv and will be watching for further discussion. References Itzhak, B. (2001). Recovery of anaerobic bacteria from 3 patients with infection at a pierced body site. Brief Reports, 33, 12-3. Jones, L. (1999). Pierced nipples and breastfeeding. The Practicing Midwife, 2(11), 16-7. Meltzer, D. (2005). Complications of body piercing. A Peer-Review Journal of The American Academy of Family Physicians, 72(10), 2029-34, 2035-6. *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html