There are different shapes of nipples out there. Some are flat; others are inverted while some protrude outwards away from the chest.
For women who belong to the former, breastfeeding is a little more complicated and they continually look for how to make their flat nipples stick out for breastfeeding. Some belong to neither group because their nipples fall in between.
Flat nipples lay with the areolas and the surrounding skin of the breast. Sometimes women confuse flat nipples with “sleeping” nipples, but that is not the case. The latter appear flat, but when stimulated by cold or sexual excitement, it becomes erect. The former don’t respond to cold or sexual stimulation.
The shape of the nipples is also influenced by the amount of fat in the breast, how long the milk duct is, and the number of connective tissues under the nipples. These factors determine if your nipples protrude, stay flat, or becomes inverted.
Medical professionals have discovered that the appearance of the nipples can be altered during pregnancy as well as the first three weeks after birth. It is common to find women or mothers with flat nipples express their anxiety over breastfeeding of their babies.
However, there is no need to panic because, with a bit of patience, breastfeeding would become easy for you as well. In this article, we will show you how you can make your flat nipples stick out or protrude for easy breastfeeding of your lovely baby.
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How to make your flat nipples stick out for breastfeeding- 8 Ways
1. Stimulate your nipples
This is one of the earliest method known to women around the world. Most nipples would protrude when they are stimulated. Hence for women with flat nipples, you can draw out your nipples if you stimulate it by placing your forefinger on your areola and squeeze it gently.
You would see the nipples protrude if you can do this for a few minutes. Repeat the process on the other breast as well.
2. Hand press method
When your breast is full, or very heavy with milk, using your hand to press a bit of milk out would make it easy for your baby to latch on to the nipple easily. You can do this easily by cupping your breast with one hand and use your thumb and forefinger of the other hand to make a shape that resembles a “C” near your areola and not on it.
Then you should squeeze gently and release. Ensure you repeat this process until you have a nice rhythm going on. Little drops of liquids would appear first before your breast milk appear. Then your baby can latch on the milk and during the baby sucking it would draw your flat nipples out.
3. Make use of a breast pump
The suction power of a breast pump can draw out your flat nipples, especially when other methods have become unsuccessful.
There are several types of breast pump in the market. Both electronic and manual models. You can even get them through your health insurance. However, this can limit your choice of purchase because health insurance providers usually would want you to buy from a specific seller.
It would be wise, though if you can get in touch with your health insurance provider to get more information.
Furthermore, there are other suction devices that you can make use of. Accessories like nipple extractors and nipples reactors exist under several brand names and are available for easy purchase.
There function by pulling the nipples into a small cup, and they are usually worn under the clothes.
Read Also: Best Breast Pump For Exclusive Pumping
4. Consider the use of nipple shields
This is a nipple shape shield which fits perfectly over the areola and the flat nipples as well, and it is flexible also. It is considered a temporary help with lactating. This is because it has been talked about in some quarters as interfering with the breastfeeding process and breast emptying.
This is because it reduces the transfer of milk from the breast to the baby’s lips. Concerns have been expressed about it becoming additive to the baby, and also illegal use can cause damage and injury to the breast of its user.
5. Use breast shells
Breast shells are also worn like the nipple shells, but their make up differs. Breast shells are plastic shells. They are flat shaped so they can be worn without anyone having an idea they are there. They help draw out the nipples like the nipples shells, and they also help in the protection of sore nipples.
6. Hold the breast
This is another old method. There are two ways to do this, and we will explant them as best as we can. The first one is the V – hold method and the C – hold approach.
V – hold: you are to use your forefinger and middle finger to hold your nipple or place your nipple between the fingers as mentioned earlier. Your remaining fingers are to be placed under your breast. Then you are to press down your chest to aid you to squeeze your nipples and areola out.
C – hold: you can do this by placing your hand around your breast so that your thumb is on top of your breast while the other fingers are beneath the breast. Ensure your thumb is behind the areola and then squeeze your thumb and fingers gently.
The most crucial role of this method of hold is to ensure that the breast fits into the mouth of the baby easily by making the nipple flatten.
7. Consult a professional
There is nothing wrong with seeking professional help when you find it difficult to breastfeed your baby. You can talk to a gynecologist or a lactation expert. These people would help find professional advice to address your problem.
If you don’t know what to speak with professional directly or don’t know who to contact, you can search online for international lactating consultant association.
8. Surgery
These days, surgery can address any issue with human anatomy. From beauty and cosmetic surgery to enhance the beauty and boost confidence to hip and breast enlargement and hair transplants. You can have surgery done for any issue you might have with your body.
So breastfeeding issues shouldn’t be any different. When natural or orthodox methods have proven unsuccessful, you should consider surgery. Speak with your doctor, and they would help you by giving you an idea of all your options and help you chose the best one.
There you have it. These tips we have listed and explained here would help your flat nipple stick out for breastfeeding your baby. Furthermore, you must know if your baby is getting adequate breast milk from your flat nipples.
You can check for this by looking at the baby wet diapers. For a baby getting sufficient breast milk, their diapers should be wet five times in a day. Anything short of this indicates a problem of inadequate breast milk.
In conclusion, flat nipples can stick out for breastfeeding if you employ the tips we have listed above. All it requires is patience, and your flat nipples would not be a problem to you feeding your child with your breast milk. From all of us here, we wish you good luck with your baby.