Can You Breastfeed With Nipple Piercings?

Even if the following points are not imminent problems, you should still pay close attention to them! Staying on top of potential risks is essential when you are breastfeeding your baby. It becomes even more critical if you have pierced nipples, so don’t neglect the following aspects!

• You can rest assured knowing that pierced nipples don’t cause any problems in terms of the breastmilk supply. You will have just as much breastmilk as you would without pierced nipples.
• If your nipples are pierced, you might have certain uncomfortable situations while you are breastfeeding. This is because the milk might leak through the piercing holes. But if you learn how to work around that, you shouldn’t have any problems breastfeeding your baby.
• You will have to pay attention to potential infections if your nipples are pierced. Pierced nipples are prone to develop infections, and, in this case, if scars appear as well, your holes might close. If this happens, you need to make sure you check your milk holes to keep them open and treat your infection as soon as it appears. It is also a good idea to increase the level of hygiene just to avoid such infections in the first place.
• Make sure your baby doesn’t swallow the piercings! This is crucial because it is a big hazard for such a situation to happen, especially if your maternity nipple rings are small. But this applies to any type of jewelry you might wear on your nipples. Your baby might also find it harder to latch on if you wear nipple jewelry. To avoid such situations and eliminate the risks altogether, it might be a good idea to remove your nipple jewelry when you are breastfeeding.
• If your nipples are pierced, it is essential to share this information with your doctor. They will let you know if your piercings might be a problem and how you can breastfeed your baby in the safest way for both of you.
• In case you notice that your breastmilk tends to leak more than you can stay on top of, use special nursing pads to avoid unpleasant situations. You can wear them inside your bra and not be concerned about leaking breastmilk anymore.

There are situations in which pierced breasts (not nipples) could lead to certain breastfeeding issues. The primary situation that might become a significant issue is if you have your areola pierced.

The areola is the darker skin area that surrounds your nipple. Piercing this thin skin might lead to cuts in the milk duct channels. This could have a significant impact when it comes to your milk flow.

It might also lead to milk ducts that get plugged, and it could damage your reflexes as well, particular the letdown reflex. But the reflexes are only affected if the piercing touch the specific nerve area.

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As a strong piece of advice, it is vital to not pierce your nipples or any other areas of your breasts in the months when you are breastfeeding.

• Avoid doing that when you are pregnant as well. Your nipples in particular and your breast’s skin, in general, are very sensitive. It can take up to six months for your piercings to heal.
• In case of an infection, things can get even more complicated. If you really want to pierce your nipples, do it at least one year before you are planning to get pregnant.
• After you are done breastfeeding your baby, you can pierce your nipples at any time.

A bonus tip would be to pay attention to metal allergies. It is common for women who have their nipples pierced to develop specific allergies to the metals they wear as jewelry.

If you know you have such sensitivity, go for gold jewelry, platinum, or surgical stainless steel. These metals seem to be the safest ones to avoid potential allergies.

As long as you take into account these aspects, you should not be exposing yourself to any risks.

One of the main questions that come in mind when thinking of pierced nipples is the level of sensitivity. We know that your nipples are highly sensitive, but do they remain the same once you pierce them? The answer to this question could be a very subjective one. Not everyone has the same level of sensitivity to start with.

• If your nipples are not very sensitive before piercing them, they might actually get to be more sensitive once you went through the piercing process. You will feel each touch more intensely, and this could have its downfall as well. If you are breastfeeding, it might even bother you if your nipples are too sensitive, and it might create a certain level of discomfort.
• Paradoxically, if your nipples are extremely sensitive by their nature, having them pierced might diminish this sensation a little. But these cases are rare as in the majority of situations, pierced nipples tend to be more sensitive rather than less sensitive.
• The way your nipples are pierced also has an impact when it comes to sensitivity. If you have them pierced horizontally, they tend to get more sensitive than if you have them pierced vertically. Most likely, this is the reason why the majority of nipple piercings are done horizontally.