My daughter had her nipples pierced and let heal. now she has too heavy flow when breastfeeding.?

Question

Anyone else experience anything like this? baby started spitting up a lot and doctor thinks that is the cause.

She took them out over two years ago. and so I think they are healed up. Yes she is spitting up quite a bit. Just wondered if anyone heard of it b 4. She has decided to pump. the next best thing. thanks

Answer 1

Having your nipples pierced does not cause your milk to come out too fast, overactive letdown effects many women. In fact in some cases scarring from a nipple piercing could cause a reduction in flow -but that is very rare.



Forceful Let-down (Milk Ejection Reflex) & Oversupply
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
Is forceful let-down the problem?

Does your baby do any of these things?

* Gag, choke, strangle, gulp, gasp, cough while nursing as though the milk is coming too fast
* Pull off the breast often while nursing
* Clamp down on the nipple at let-down to slow the flow of milk
* Make a clicking sound when nursing
* Spit up very often and/or tend to be very gassy
* Periodically refuse to nurse
* Dislike comfort nursing in general

If some of this sounds familiar to you, you probably have a forceful let-down. This is often associated with too much milk (oversupply). Some mothers notice that the problems with fast letdown or oversupply don't start until 3-6 weeks of age. Forceful let-down runs the gamut from a minor inconvenience to a major problem, depending upon how severe it is and how it affects the nursing relationship.
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http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/mom-activities.html
Body Piercing

There is no evidence that nipple piercing (or other body piercing) affects breastfeeding. Some professional piercers recommend against getting a new nipple piercing while breastfeeding. Be sure to observe safety procedures and choose a reputable piercer, to help protect against diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. For more information, see Links re: Nipple Piercing and Breastfeeding (this website).

http://www.llli.org//llleaderweb/LV/LVJunJul99p64.html
Several lactation consultants interviewed for this article said that breastfeeding problems were often observed in women who did not remove nipple jewelry before nursing. These difficulties included poor latch, babies frequently coming on and off the breast, slurping, gagging and milk leaking from the baby's mouth. Once the nipple jewelry was removed the problems stopped. In contrast, Elisabeth Speller tells of a nurse who had her nipples pierced and breastfed while wearing nipple rings.


http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,3x0z,00.html
There is no research to date showing that breastfeeding will be negatively impacted in a woman who has had her nipple pierced.

Nipple rings may increase nipple sensitivity. This, along with scarring could theoretically cause some discomfort that is not normally present for the nursing mom. There have also been reports of leaking of milk from the pierced area.

For a woman who continues to wear a nipple ring, it would be wise to remove prior to nursing her baby. If the nipple ring is not removed prior to breastfeeding, choking could occur

Answer 2

I really don't know if a pierced nipple would cause a heavier flow, but if that is the case, there are things you can do to help slow it down.

How old is the baby? How much is the little one spitting up? The reason for spitting up could be a lot of different things and not necessarily related to the nipple ring. Is the little one just spitting up after feeding from the side that is pierced?

To slow down the flow, gravity can help. Have her recline while breastfeeding. Also, get her to try a different hold, instead of cradle hold, try doing the football hold. Also, maybe only feed for a few minutes at a time and try a burp, then have the baby relatch.

Good luck. There is nothing more precious than a mother breastfeeding.

Answer 3

I had my nipples pierced and they did not heal all the way before the baby was born. When I breast fed him those holes were not affected, the milk still came threw the one it should of, and there was no extra milk because of it. Just because she had them peirced doesn't mean that there should be EXTRA milk coming out of them. I really do not think that this is the problem. but then I again I am not a doctor... To see for sure I would suggest pumping, put the milk in a bottle and let the baby try that....if he/she still spits up you know it is not because of flow since the bottle would eliminate a "high flow". Good luck!

Answer 4

I had mine done before, and flow was normal for me. I think it's just the person. Everyone's body is different, I don't think having piercings or not makes a difference. Mine were healed, or so I believe, by the time I had my first son, and most definately with my last. Maybe she should strictly pump instead. The baby is still getting the goodness of breastmilk, and any type of close feeding is still bonding with the baby.

Answer 5

I had mine pierced and one tore out - it scarred, the other was taken out normally. The one that tore has a pretty slow flow, while the one that was taken out has a very fast one. I've always thought the the piercings were behind it as well. I also had an overactive letdown, though, and would squirt the back of my son's throat - this was the biggest problem. If she pumps a little before nursing, that should help.

Answer 6

Yeah, that happened to me to. It probably is the cause. I would tell her to just pump that breast for now and when he gets a little older he'll be able to handle it a little better.