Normally when a woman starts breast feeding; the intense pressure that falls on her nipples leads to them cracking. This condition is extremely painful and can lead to the nipples bleeding and this can interfere with her being able to feed the child. This normally happens when the child is unable to latch on properly during feeding and adds pressure to the breast. There are certain measures you can take to reduce the pain and make feeding your child less painful.

Here are a few tips to help you to ease the pain of the cracked nipples and to help them to heal quickly. Firstly you must make sure that you place the baby properly and that she latches on well to the nipple before you start to feed. Improper positioning can lead to cracking of the nipples. If you are unable to position the baby well and need help you must consult your lactation specialist. If the child does not latch on well then you must place your finger between the breast and the child’s mouth to break the suction and then place the baby once again.

After the baby finishes her feeding then you must use a hot or cold compress on the area to ease the pain. Hot compresses are good to relieve the stress but if you experience bleeding then cold compresses are the best as the hot compress will increase the flow of the blood.

Avoid using any lotions, creams and soaps on the area as it may lead to irritation and also affect the feeding. You must also experiment not using a bra for a few days and check if you are more comfortable. You can also try rubbing a little milk on your nipples to help fasten the recovery.

In an effort to cure the pain you must also massage vitamin E oil on the area. This helps to ease the pain and heal the skin. Chamomile helps to prevent damage to the area and helps to ease the discomfort while breast feeding and also to heal the broken skin.