Why do nipples turn white during lactation?

I believe everyone knows the many benefits of breastfeeding your baby. It is healthy and nutritious, and can quickly promote the healthy development and growth of your baby. Therefore, many mothers in life choose to breastfeed their babies. However, breastfeeding also has many problems. Many mothers report that their nipples turn white when feeding their babies. What is going on? Let’s take a look with the editor below.

Breastfeeding mothers must be familiar with this situation: the baby spits out the nipple after feeding, the nipple immediately becomes hard and white, and the nipple feels uncomfortable. What is going on? The pain caused by this whitening of the nipples is usually described by mothers as "burning", but the pain usually starts after feeding and may last for a few minutes or longer. After that, the nipples will return to their normal color, but then a new pain will occur. This pain is described as "throbbing", which may last for a few seconds or a few minutes, and may turn white again. This phenomenon of the nipple becoming white and hard is called Raynaud's phenomenon. A possible cause is breast vasospasm. In this situation, although it is not very painful, it makes people feel uncomfortable. What should we do?

1. Correct breastfeeding. If you have cracked nipples or white bubbles, the chances of your nipples turning white and hard after your baby finishes feeding will be much greater. So first solve the nipple pain caused by other problems. If the baby is not latching on correctly, correct it in time. If nipple pain is no longer present, Raynaud's phenomenon is less likely to occur.

2. Keep the nipples warm. Raynaud's phenomenon basically occurs after the baby stops latching on to the breast. When the baby is feeding, the nipple is held in the baby's mouth. When the nipple is released, the nipple will become white and hard due to the temperature difference between the mouth and the outside air. After a while, the blood vessels in the nipple area relax and the nipple returns to its normal color, so mothers will only feel pain after breastfeeding. If you cover the nipple with your hand immediately after feeding, the temperature difference will be reduced and Raynaud's phenomenon will basically not occur.

3. Avoid friction pain. Mothers with Raynaud's phenomenon must know that it is very uncomfortable if hard nipples rub against clothes. So we need to take steps to avoid this friction. My small suggestion is that you should put on suitable nursing underwear (preferably cotton and breathable) immediately after feeding. I do not recommend using commercially available nipple shields, which are neither breathable nor effective.

4. Don’t overdo daily care. We don’t have to clean the nipples all the time. It is enough to clean them with clean water during bathing. Some shower gels, soaps, etc. are not recommended. The oil secreted by our own skin is a good protection for the nipples. If you use some bath products, it will wash away all of this and may cause pain.

5. Rest if it hurts too much. If the baby can be full on one side, feed the baby alternately from both breasts to give the nipples some time to rest.