Feeding with flat/inverted nipples

[RainbowDrop_x]

Hi ladies.

I’m hoping you may be able to help me as I’ve googled to the ends of the earth and I can’t find much information on what I’m looking for.

So long story short I’m pregnant with baby No.3 and I’m determined to breastfeed this baby after FFing my first 2. Because I don’t have any experience in the BFing department I’ve already starting doing my research and looking into everything I can to make this journey an enjoyable and successful one. From everything I’ve read and all the videos I’ve watched I understand the key to a good feed is a good latch. The problem is all the videos I could find are based on a good latch with perfect nipples, which I don’t have. My left nipple is flat and my right is completely inverted.

I guess what I’m wanting to know is is it possible to beastfeed with nipples that don’t protrude out as normal and if so, how? I know it’s srill early days in terms of the pregnancy but I want so much for this work so I want to get as much prep and knowledge as I can before the time comes but the lack of information out there is making me a little nervous and anxious that it might not be possible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[noon_child]

It is definitely possible but you may need a little more help. My mum fed 2 babies with flat nipples and she didn't even realise she had them/that it might be an issue!

Can I ask a few questions that will help signpost you to further help:-
1) Did you try to feed the other 2 babies but come across problems or did they go straight to bottles?
2) If you play with your nipples/twist and pul them do they stick out at all, or stay flat and inverted?

The knee-jerk answer is to recommend nipple shields, and while these can be very effective for inverted/flat nipples, they have problems of their own and add one more thing you are trying to get the hang of while also trying to learn how to breastfeed. Not everyone with flat nipples NEEDs nipple shields.

Why can breastfeeding work with flat nipples? - Breastfeeding is NOT nipple feeding. Babies grab a mouthful of breast tissue, they shouldn't be grabbing just the nipple.

Why can breastfeeding be difficult with flat nipples? - Babies get a signal to start sucking by feeling the nipple near the back of their mouth. In people where the nipple wont stick out at all, sometimes there isn't enough in the baby's mouth to stimulate sucking. Also without such a clear target, it can sometimes be more difficult to line the latch up correctly.

This might be useful for you:
Inverted nipples - La Leche League GB

 

[Bloblo]

I can tell you my story (so far).
Leila is 5 weeks old today. We have been trying to breastfeed since birth. Our issue is 2-fold:
1) My nipples are huge and her mouth is tiny
2) Both my nipples are flat

Firstly I should mention that my breasts changed completely during pregnancy, so there's a chance that your nipples might start to protrude more. I have started out exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. I also spend time each day skin-to-skin and time trying to get my girl to latch. For the first time 2 days ago she started latching (and drinking for 10-25min at a time) from my right boob - without a shield. She hasn't managed from my left boob yet since the nipple is flatter, but she sometimes manages to latch with a shield on that side, but doesn't look like she's able to suck strong enough to get milk through the shield.
Two things that worked for me:
MEDELA NIPPLE FORMING SHELLS - for the past week, i have been wearing these for 2 hours at a time, 4x daily (so 8hrs a day total). They have helped to reshape my nipples alot!
NIPPLE SHIELDS - these didn't work at the start since the ones that fit over my nipples were too big to fit in her mouth. That got better over time and she can now latch on them (but as mentioned, she doesn't manage to feed from them).
I use them at the start of the feed, since she latches on them and then she sucks my nipple into it. If she does this for a few minutes, then i remove the shield and she has reshaped my nipple enough to be able to latch and drink without the shield.

We are not yet at the finish line, but are making so much progress, it is for sure possible to breastfeed with flat/inverted nipples.

 

[SummerMother]

Hello,

I am soo late to this thread! Sorry for that.

Hopefully you are still checking this thread and will read this eventually.

It is totally possible to breast feed with inverted nipples. I know for a fact because I have successfully exclusively breast fed my 2nd son for 1 year with inverted nipples (with complete connective tissue, My nipples could not protrude at all). I never once had to use a nipple shield. I’m not knocking nipple shields as I have absolutely no experience with them just saying it can be done.

Like you my 1st son ended up Formula fed after unsuccessfully being able to breast feed him. I believe I was unsuccessful with my 1st due too a mix of reasons which included improper latching, a slightly lazy nursing baby & an undiagnosed lip tie.

With my 2nd he just came out a pro nurser. I was lucky with him. It was just easy to get a good latch and he was a STRONG sucker. He was the one that disconnected the connective tissue in my breast after a couple months of nursing. Now my nipples can protrude with enough stimulation. He also only took a max of 20 mins for a full feeding as a NB & as he got better his nursing took less time. It was just natural with him for the most part. I had the same trials and tribulations as any nursing mother(supply issues, nipple damage from occasional bad latch(my fault), cluster feedings, etc . I honestly don’t think I had separate issues that were directly attributed to my inverted nipples.

I honestly believe a lot of the success in breast feeding lies with the baby. Some babies are just easier to nurse than some other babies. They are all individuals.


Anyways. Here are some things that I suggest.

•Do look into a le leche league or breast feeding support group. They can show you in person different latches, techniques to get a successful latch. Honestly the nipple has very little bearing on a successful latch. It’s all about watching the arreola placement and stimulating your breast to release just a bit of milk. Once you have enough breast tissue in the babies mouth and a bit of milk dripping they are stimulated to start suckling. There are also tips they can show you to know if your baby is actually swallowing milk or just sucking and getting nothing.

They can also answer any questions that arise through your whole breast feeding journey.

•Find what works for you. Don’t be pressured by anyone. If you just need one feeding to let your breasts rest after a bad latch do it. Hand express or breast pump out a feeding and feed it through a syringe, spoon or a bottle. It’s 1 feeding here or there. As long as a majority of the babies meals is breast fed in my experience the baby isn’t going to just drop wanting to breast feed.


If you have any questions just let me know. I will answer the best I can!