How to feed with inverted areola

Inverted areola will make many mothers very anxious. This will affect the baby's milk drinking and make it impossible to breastfeed normally. The baby will not be able to suck the milk inside, which will cause the baby to lose the original breastfeeding ability. Therefore, appropriate treatment measures should be taken in time after it happens. Manual massage can be used to improve the problem of inverted areola. This method is very effective.

The nipple does not protrude but is sunken inward, which is called inverted nipple. The degree of nipple inversion varies from person to person. In mild cases, the nipple may only be flat or retracted to varying degrees. The nipple may bulge out or be squeezed out after stimulation. In severe cases, the nipple is completely sunken into the areola and cannot be pulled out, forming a crater shape, and is often accompanied by secretions or odor.

Even if the inverted nipple is squeezed out, it is generally smaller, often without an obvious nipple neck, and appears split. The incidence of inverted nipples in women is 1% to 2%, usually bilaterally but may occur on only one side. The degree of nipple inversion may be inconsistent. Inverted nipples affect the appearance of the breasts. In addition, since inverted nipples can accumulate dirt or grease, causing infection or odor, what is more serious is that inverted nipples make it difficult for babies to suck milk and lose the breastfeeding function.

According to the depth of nipple inversion, it can be divided into three degrees:

1. Partial nipple inversion, nipple neck exists, can be easily squeezed out, after squeezing out the nipple size is similar to that of normal people;

2. The second degree is that the nipple is completely sunken in the areola, but it can be squeezed out by hand. The nipple is smaller than normal and most of the time there is no nipple neck;

3. The third degree is that the nipple is completely buried under the areola and the inverted nipple cannot be squeezed out.

Inverted nipples can easily cause diseases such as nipple and areola inflammation and mastitis. Severe inverted nipples can lead to mucosalization of the inverted skin accompanied by eczema. Bleeding and erosion may occur, leading to chronic inflammation. The mammary ducts are connected to the inverted area, and the inflammation can spread retrogradely into the mammary gland, causing mastitis. If nipple inversion is not corrected in time, long-term inflammation will cause the mammary ducts to shrink due to chronic inflammation, making nipple inversion more serious and easily forming a vicious circle.

Inverted nipples seriously affect breastfeeding. Whether the nipples are flat or inverted, they will inevitably affect the baby's sucking, making breastfeeding difficult or even impossible after delivery. On the other hand, milk accumulation due to the inability to discharge milk may cause secondary breast infection.