Heidi wrote:
>Hi, Ladies ~ I have an online friend with inverted nipples.

I wonder if they are truly inverted. Many mothers call their nipples
'inverted' when they are not really and they come out just fine by
the end of pregnancy or with the initiation of breastfeeding. It
might be worth her seeing someone, like an LC, to have them assessed
(or send you a photo??). Often mothers with inverted nipples have one
worse than the other and may end up feeding the baby quite
successfully from only one side.

>She's obviously
>been preparing herself well -- she's enganged to be married next  year and
>is anxious to start her family and breastfeed her babies.  She was wondering
>about "treating" the inverted nipples now.  I know some recommend the nipple
>shells during a pregnancy, but is it too far in advance for my friend to
>start?  An archive search revealed a reference to using something called a
>"nipplette" pre-pregnancy.  Is this something that is recommended/necessary?

If they truly are inverted, then the Niplette is a possible thing to
consider. It is a device marketed by Avent and is like a thimble with
a little tube attached. You place it over the inverted nipple, create
suction in it by withdrawing the air via the tube with a syringe, and
wear it under your clothes.

It was invented by a cosmetic surgeon as an alternative to surgery to
'correct' inverted nipples, ie no consideration of lactation - just
cosmetic. The latter involves cutting the ducts and really hinders
future breastfeeding potential. It was by chance that some of his
patients went on to have babies and discovered that they were able to
breastfeed when they had previously not been able to before the
Niplette treatment.

You need to keep in mind that this article was written by the
inventor of the device, and as far as I know, there haven't been any
other studies done 'independently' to assess its usefulness for
lactation. It is not recommended for use once the mother is pregnant
(at least in the first and third trimesters), so not many people have
probably tried it as preparation for breastfeeding. It is not much
use if there is anything coming out of the nipple (like colostrum) as
this would mean the suction would be lost and it would fall off.
Another concern by some is that it is 'one size fits all' and as we
know, this is not the case for everyone's nipples. Some severely
inverted nipples are so well-anchored in that they tear and bleed
when this device is used.

Having said all this, it seems that if it is any good at all, the
sort of situation that your friend is in would be the one to try it,
ie well before pregnancy.

******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   mailto:[log in to unmask]
******************************************************************

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