What to do if your nipples are big and flat

Some breastfeeding mothers feel that their nipples are too short and they cannot breastfeed their babies. In fact, the length of the nipple is not important. The baby sucks on the breast, not the nipple. The nipple is merely the entrance and exit of milk. The baby sucks on the nipple and the "big nipple" on the front of the breast. Therefore, the width of the breast is more important than the length of the nipple.

There are many breastfeeding mothers whose nipples look flat and short, but their breast tissue has good elasticity and they have no problem breastfeeding.

The nipples of some breastfeeding mothers seem to have poor elasticity, but the expansion properties are improved during pregnancy, and the elasticity will be further improved after giving birth due to the baby's sucking and elongation.

Inverted Nipple

Sometimes, some mothers' nipples are not very elastic, and when they try to pull them out, they become deeply sunken in the breasts. This is called "inverted nipple".

Which nipples are “inverted nipples”? This can be clarified in the following ways:

Press the nipples on both sides of the nipple with your hands, which can make most of the nipples stand out and stretch them. Then the mother can stretch the nipples and nipples to see if a "nipple" can be formed.

If the nipple is easy to pull out, it has good elasticity.

If the nipple is only protruding a little, it means that the elasticity is poor.

If the nipple cannot be pulled out and instead sinks deeper, this is called a retracted nipple.

How to deal with flat nipples

If the nipples widen easily, the mother can be confident that she has good nipples and can breastfeed the baby well, even if they appear short.

If one or both nipples are not elastic enough, the mother must believe that she can breastfeed.

The mother should understand how the baby sucks the breast rather than the nipple. Both flat nipples and nipples with poor elasticity can provide breast milk to the baby if the baby's mouth can absorb enough of the breast. At the beginning, the mother needs to help the baby master the correct sucking posture. Exclusive breastfeeding can be successful if the mother has patience and perseverance.