Nipple piercing has become popular in the past few years as a fashion statement. Some women even go for body piercing as they want to experience the pleasure of having those rings or studs around their nipples. But this might raise concerns about breastfeeding. And that is why many mothers just like you have a lot of questions about whether breastfeeding with nipple piercings is safe or if they would ever be able to feed their babies or not. We’ve answered all your queries in detail in this blog.
Nipple piercing is a form of self-expression and body art that some women fancy. Although there’s no harm in nipple piercing it increases your concern when you conceive as you become whether your baby would be able to latch milk from your nipples or not. You also get worried for your baby as the pointed ends of the piercing can harm your baby or even choke them. But does nipple piercing harm your baby or is it safe? Well, read the full blog post to know everything about it.
In This Article
- What Are Nipple Piercings?
- Is it Safe to Breastfeed With Nipple Piercings?
- Effects of Nipple Piercings on Breastfeeding
- Precautions to Take While Breastfeeding With Nipple Piercings
- How to Prevent Infection When Breastfeeding With Nipple Piercing?
- FAQ’s
What Are Nipple Piercings?
Nipple piercing is when you make use of rings to enhance the look of your breasts. These rings might also have diamonds so that it even looks better. Although breastfeeding is not impacted by nipple piercings or does not influence the production or supply of milk.
The only difficulty it could cause in some cases is making it difficult for babies to latch the milk through their nipples. Furthermore, if the nipple piercing is new or has not yet healed, then it might cause infection for you and your baby.
Is it Safe to Breastfeed With Nipple Piercings?
The answer to this question is, yes, it is safe to breastfeed with nipple piercings. So, if you have a nipple piercing or even if you are wondering to get one, go for it without any doubt. It will neither affect your ability to breastfeed nor influence the quality of your milk supply and quality. Although one thing which you must keep in mind is to wait for breastfeeding until your nipple piercing is fully healed as this may raise infection risks for you and your baby.
Your milk production would not be affected by nipple piercings, or it would not hamper the quality of your milk. Your breast milk is produced in your mammary glands which means that it is located in the breast tissues of female mammals that are situated behind the nipple.
After childbirth, these glands produce milk. Having nipple piercing doesn’t mean that milk production would be stopped. However, some people may witness piercing blocks which can cause damage to the nipple ducts and as a result, the milk does not flow out easily.
Effects of Nipple Piercings on Breastfeeding
Although nipple piercing does not cause any health effects on breastfeeding, in some cases, it can cause bad effects on breastfeeding. Continue reading to know everything about it:
1. Choking Hazard
Your baby would probably face choking hazards due to the nipple jewelry. If your nipple rings or some other studs are screwed on, which have the scope to be loosened, then probably you can remove them at the time of breastfeeding so that the breast milk can make its way to come out and reach your baby’s throat.
2. Abnormal Milk Production
Sometimes due to the chemicals of the piercing, your milk production becomes abnormal. This might cause worse effects for your baby and hence it is better to keep your baby away from such threats.
3. Pose Difficulty in Latching
Well, nipple piercing poses a threat to your baby as it might become difficult to latch the milk from your nipples. This can be due to the size of the piercing. Some piercings with jewels would make it hard for your baby to latch as it will irritate your baby and cause difficulty inside your baby’s lips. Sometimes, your nipple rings also place cuts on the lips of your baby.
[Read : Baby Latching]
4. Excessive Milk Flow
The pierced portion of your nipple would cause overflow or excessive flow of the milk when the baby sucks. This would generate feeding problems. Furthermore, the risk of clogged ducts enhances with nipple piercings.
5. High Risk of Infection
Yes, it is quite common that you would be prone to the infection after you have got your nipples pierced. Infections such as hepatitis and mastitis are quite common in women who undergo nipple piercing. This infection can also be transmitted to your baby via breastfeeding.
Precautions to Take While Breastfeeding With Nipple Piercings
Some precautions need to be taken with breastfeeding when you have nipple piercings. Keep reading to know what they are:
1. Choose The Apt Jewelry
Only wear jewelry that is designed for the nipples and not any part of the body. For instance, you should never use an earring as your nipple jewelry as this would not just make the nipple’s health bad but also cause you to discomfort to a great extent. So, choose the right nipple jewelry so that you do not have to face any kind of feeding difficulties.
2. Do Not Feed Until Your Nipple is Healed Completely
When you have undergone nipple piercing, you would undergo some pain and injury. That is why it is recommended that you should never breastfeed until your nipples have healed completely. Although a pierced nipple takes longer to heal, sometimes around 18 months. So do not go for nipple piercing if you are planning to conceive.
3. Do Not Keep Feeding on the Non-Pierced Nipple
Although there are certain risks involved with feeding your baby on the pierced nipple, this does not mean that you would exclusively start feeding your baby on the non-pierced nipple. This is not a good idea as feeding your baby on just one nipple would cause breast engorgement. So, use both breasts for feeding and remove the nipple jewelry while feeding your little munchkin.
[Read : Breastfeeding From One Breast Only]
How to Prevent Infection When Breastfeeding With Nipple Piercing?
Once you have healed after nipple piercing and begun breastfeeding your baby again, it’s better to make sure to remove the nipple jewelry so that it does not possess any unnecessary threat to your baby while breastfeeding.
This would further eliminate any choking hazard for your baby as the jewelry could accidentally come out and could reach out to the throat of your baby while they’re latching.
Removing the jewelry would make it easier for your baby to latch on and prevent any kind of unnecessary damage. Furthermore, you should remove your nipple jewelry when you are at home as it would lower your chance of catching infections.
Whenever you decide to wear the nipple jewelry again, it’s better to first clean it and then wear it so that no infection or bacteria reaches out to you while reinserting the same.
Having nipple piercings is a fashion statement, but it shouldn’t deter you from breastfeeding. Yes, breastfeeding with nipple piercings is possible, but there are some risks, especially if you are wearing the wrong kind of jewelry. Also, the risk of your baby catching infections is high. To be on the safe side, you can remove the nipple piercings for the time you are breastfeeding.
Also, avoid nipple piercing for a while if you are planning to have a baby.
[Read : Relactation – Tips to Start Breastfeeding After Stopping]
FAQ’s
1. Can You Keep the Piercing in During Nursing Sessions?
Yes, you can keep the piercing in during the nursing sessions. This won’t affect your ability to nurse.
2. How Long After Breastfeeding Can I Pierce my Nipples?
If you are planning to go for nipple piercing, you can go for it after 3 months after weaning.
3. Do I Have to Take my Piercings Out to Breastfeed?
Yes, it is highly recommended to take out your nipple piercings while breastfeeding. This would lower any possible risks while breastfeeding and this way your baby would be safe from any kind of infection.
Read Also: Breastfeeding With Breast Implants – Is It Safe?
