Inverted Nipples. Don't be shy!

[MamaLoCo]

Anyone out there have experience breastfeeding with inverted or flat nipples? I keep reading that chances of having two inverted nipples in very unlikely and they're probably just flat, or maybe just one of them is, etc.

Well, that's offensive because it's like our concerns are not valid and we must not know our nipples better than someone who has never seen them, or sometimes never even seen an inverted nipple at all. So instead of telling us not to worry because we probably don't have the nipples we know we have, how about some real advice?!

It seems difficult to get others to admit to their own experience because they're embarrassed but c'mon...there's nothing to be embarrassed about. PLENTY of women have flat and inverted nipples - a lot of the ones you see on tv have been altered to look like outies so let's not continue the self-shame.

I'm fairly certain that both of mine are truly inverted so I'm really concerned about how I'm going to breastfeed.

Is it true that they start to pop out once you start producing milk?
Is it true that nursing can get them to detach?
Will I need to supplement with formula while baby gets strong enough to suckle hard enough?
Will a breast pump help get them out?

When I was younger, I tried to get them pierced, because I heard that would get them to stay out...but the piercer wasn't able to coax them out and said that at least one of them was definitely attached and would need to be detached via surgery before she even made the attempt.

Is there anything I can do throughout the pregnancy (only 9 weeks right now) to help get them ready? Our financial situation wasn't perfectly timed with this baby so I'm trying to slowly gather the things I need instead of being slammed with everything all at once.

 

[MamaLoCo]

Nobody? I guess I'm just a freak then

 

[AnonymousCAT]

My nipples were on the flatter side and lo had trouble latching as his mouth wasn't big enough to get enough breast in his mouth and my nipple didn't stick out enough to stimulate the roof of his mouth to suck. I had to use a nipple shield to start. As he got bigger and we got better at it he's now a pro and we've weened the shield. My nipples now stand out more as well since bf. they aren't super pointy though. If you google jack Newman he has an educational handout on his website about flat and inverted nipples and bf. check it out. Basically it may be more work up front but you can definitely bf still.

 

[jkbmah]

Hiya, I worried about this and didn't manage it with no 1. I have 1 flat and 1 inverted. I managed to exclusively pump for 12 weeks though with my first. With no2 I was really determined and really shoved her on straight after birth and she took to it straight away. I found rugby ball position best for the flatter nipple. But have no fear it can be done!

Almost 8 months on and I'm still going and my inverted nipple is no longer inverted!!
Also this time around I used medela nipple formers (Amazon) from about week 30 of pregnancy

 

[kajastarlight]

My Mom has one inverted nipple (when I was a little girl I wondered when one of mine was going to start poking in and then thought something was wrong with me when it didn't when I got my period! lol) and she said that she was not able to produce from that side at all even with a hospital grade pump. Well, her body formed the milk, it just wouldn't come out! Keep in mind, that was 33 years ago! My Aunt has two inverted nipples and I leared that she breastfed just fine with nipple shields.

 

[MamaLoCo]

Ok. Well, I think my sister is giving me her breast pump. Should I go ahead and start shopping for nipple shields? It sounds like I'm probably going to need them.
It seems like one of my areolas has spread out larger but the other one hasn't so I wonder if that has anything to do with whether or not I'll be able to produce or get milk out of both of them.
My sister's breast pump actually came from our cousin who wasn't able to produce milk at all. Hopefully that's not a genetic thing that I'll have issues with too.

 

[AnonymousCAT]

If it were me I'd just hold off on buying a shield until I'd tried bf for a day or so. Then if you can't get the baby to latch you may need need it and you could have someone just buy one. I got mine from walmart. They are not that expensive. Unless you can't buy one readily where you live? You never know, bf might be fine without it even with inverted nipples. I would ask to see the lactation consultant right away in hospital so you get support as soon as possible. If the baby is unable to latch and you may need to exclusively pump for a bit. In this case a commercial pump may not be strong enough to establish your milk and you may need to rent a hospital grade double electric pump to establish your milk supply, vs a regular pump. It is a stronger pump. This is if the baby won't latch at all and you need to express breast milk to feed your baby. I know you want to be as prepared as possible, but it really may just be a wait and see what happens kind of thing. And getting support at that time if you are having difficulty but knowing things like the shield and pumping may be some things you will need to do to establish bf. something else to consider is nipple confusion if you introduce bottle feeding too soon. From what I've read, if introduced too soon babies may prefer the faster flow of a bottle over the breast and this may make a baby refuse the breast and/or decrease milk supply if they aren't sucking as much at the breast. Trying things like syringe feeding or cup feeding may be better options if you really want to give bf the best chance of being successful. However if you are okay with bottles or having to go down a formula route then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[HBGirl]

I would relax for now. I have 2 inverted nipple and my DD fed just fine for 8 days until her breathing problem because more apparent. I put her on nipple shields and she weaned off them after her tracheostomy. So it goes to show that babies find a way if mom is determined. Try first, don't stress and it will all be fine. xx

 

[rwhite]

I'm not sure which mine are - flat or inverted, but I managed to breastfeed my LO for about 7 months (he started biting me, so not related to why we stopped )

To answer your questions:
Is it true that they start to pop out once you start producing milk?
Not once you start producing milk, but once baby starts feeding it does help to weaken the muscles keeping them in

Is it true that nursing can get them to detach?
Yes! Mine were constantly slits - they've never taken heaps of coaxing to get them to come out, but nowadays they sit more or less flat, but not sticking out if that makes sense. They aren't completely in anymore post breastfeeding. My mum has quite sticky out nipples, and I never would have guessed but she told me she had inverted nipples too and after breastfeeding all three of her babies you would never know!

Will I need to supplement with formula while baby gets strong enough to suckle hard enough?
You may find that nipple shields are helpful. I used the Medela ones and found them really good - they are sized, so be sure to try each size to get the best size for you. I was given mediums by the hospital, and while they were okay, I picked up some smalls from the shops and they were much better! There are also these breast shells you can get that are supposed to help draw the nipples out - I have seen Avent brand ones.

Will a breast pump help get them out?
Absolutely It probably wouldn't hurt to try a little bit (5 minutes or so?) each day with a breast pump, and you can always freeze the colostrum if you happen get any out with it while pumping.

Good luck!