Caregiver interventions
In most cases, sore nipples are due to nipple injury, caused by incorrect positioning or attachment of the baby on the breast. Once the attachment is corrected, the nipples will usually start to heal. It is important to continue to feed your baby when they are indicating they want to feed (or express in replacement). Try not to put off feeds, as this will only overfill the breasts and make the problem worse. Some women will change the way they position their baby to feed, to take the 'pressure off' the area on the nipple that is grazed, cracked (or damaged). This may entail lying down to feed, or placing the baby in a 'football hold' to feed.
Image 11-88 shows a woman feeding her baby using a 'football hold'.
Changing the position of your baby is a temporary solution, but it can help to keep the feeding going, especially if it feels painful at times to feed in the position you normally use. However, the baby will still need to learn how to latch properly, so that a long term solution to your sore nipples is reached.
Other strategies that women with sore nipples have found helpful include: