Summary of Use during Lactation Lanolin is a yellow fat obtained from sheep's wool. It has traditionally been used topically to treat sore, cracked nipples during breastfeeding.
Apply warm compresses or gel pads to relieve pain.
Gel pads for your nipples can soothe your pain and promote healing. A homemade warm towel compress can promote healing while easing sore nipples, too.
Lanolin sensitivity can cause an itchy and tingling feeling on your nipples, rash and swelling which can worsen over time if not appropriately addressed or stopped. This is one of the primary reasons why we choose all-natural ingredients for our nipple balm.
If skin is especially dry or damaged, a small amount of purified natural wool-based emollient, also known as lanolin, may be applied to nipples and areolae. Lanolin supports moist wound healing.
Lanolin products should be avoided in people with a known allergy to wool. If you experience any increased skin irritation or pain, skin cracking, or bleeding after using lanolin cream, or your baby's mouth develops any sores or redness, you should discontinue using it.
While achieving a good latch is an important step to pain-free breastfeeding, even mothers of babies with a good latch can find breastfeeding painful at first.
If your sore nipples are causing you so much discomfort that you feel like you need to take a break from breastfeeding, don't worry! You can still use a breast pump to express your milk. This will give your nipples a rest, while allowing you to continue to give your baby all the benefits breastmilk can provide.
Do not put on 2 doses or extra doses. Many times lanolin is used on an as needed basis. Do not use more often than told by the doctor.
Nipple cream made from ultra-pure lanolin – a natural product obtained from sheep's wool. This moisturises and supports healing. It's harmless for your baby, so there's no need to wash off lanolin before breastfeeding.
Does coconut oil work as well as lanolin? Coconut oil is thought to work as effectively as lanolin, if not better, as it contains natural healing properties that can help to prevent infection. Lanolin is more of a general moisture barrier and won't have any natural healing properties.
How long does healing take. The duration of the healing will vary. Superficial and recent soreness may clear in a matter of hours or days. However, long-established and profound wounds may require a up to 2 or 3 weeks to be entirely resolved even after the cause of the soreness has been eliminated.
You should expect some initial discomfort for a few weeks as your body adjusts to a suckling baby, but most nipple fissures will begin to heal after a few days, with deeper fissures needing one to two weeks to heal.
Flattened, wedged or white nipples at the end of a feed are a sign your baby may not be properly attached. Your baby may also seem unsettled after feeds. Having sore nipples when you're trying to breastfeed a new baby can be stressful and upsetting.
Signs of a Poor Breastfeeding Latch
Your child is sucking in their cheeks as they try to breastfeed. Your baby does not have their lips out like a fish. You can see that they have their lips tucked in and under, instead. You can hear a clicking or smacking noises as your little one tries to suck.
Lipstick nipple
If your nipple comes out of your baby's mouth flattened, or slanted like a new tube of lipstick, it's a sign your baby's latch when breastfeeding isn't deep enough.
Sore nipples can develop for many reasons including a poor breastfeeding latch, not using a breast pump correctly, or an infection. Then, once you have them, sore nipples can lead to a difficult let-down, a low breast milk supply, or early weaning.
First – on their own, sore nipples won't cause your milk supply to decrease. Milk supply is primarily driven by demand. That means that the more milk you remove from your breasts (either via your baby nursing or a breast pump), the more milk your body should make.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends using medical-grade purified lanolin (a wax secreted by wool-bearing animals like sheep). But if you have a lanolin allergy or simply want other options, products made with easy-to-recognize oils like olive, coconut, cocoa or shea butter are generally good choices.
Additionally, lanolin can hold up to 400% of its weight in moisture while still being semi-occlusive, which allows your lips to breathe. Unlike petroleum jelly which sits on top of your lips, lanolin moisturises and protects the skin without trapping in other toxins, for the ultimate healing hydration.