Very fair skin and breast feeding...

[Bellyrub1980]

I'm a red head and I have very fair skin. Infact I didn't even know I had areola until I became pregnant simply because they had no pigmentation. (Surprised by how massive my areola are actually, but that's a different subject!!)

I've heard that women like myself can be much more prone to sore cracked nipples, which seems to be a big factor in packing it in.

I feel a bit silly asking this but is there anything I can do now (39+3 preg) to prepare my nipples and toughen them up??!

In the past I know people used to do things like run them with a toothbrush but I imagine this would just lead to soreness and possibly cracking - not what you want!
I am not an expert, but my advice would be to have nipple cream (eg lansinoh) and apply it after feeds - it always made mine feel better. And to be very precise about attachment, as any nipple sucking (rather than a bigger mouthful iyswim) could cause soreness for you.
Best of luck

Hi, I'm fair skinned and breastfed my dd for a year without any cracks or anything so don't worry. Get yourself a tube of lanasoh (sp?) ointment and pack it in your hospital bag, use it from the start and you'll be fine. There's nothing you can do to toughen your nipples up. Good luck.

I only have an electric tooth brush! Haha!

I know to toughen my feet up for heels etc (I blister incredibly easily) a chiropodist recommended rubbing surgical spirit over them every night.

Has this ever worked to toughen up nipples?! I'm guessing not as even Google couldn't find anything!! But thought I may as well ask.

Actually, not sure Id want surgical spirit sinking into my breast milk...

That's good to hear Iggi! I already have lansinoh packed in my hospital bag. So I'll shall be all over that!

Yep as well as lansinoh when my nipples were sore nipple shields were a saviour!

I have very fair skin that burns easily and I have had no soreness at all, got some lansinoh but never opened it.

That's good to know. Maybe I'll be okay then. Having read through a lot of the threads on here this morning it seems as though the latch is the biggest factor in avoiding soreness rather than skin quality.

I have fair skin and had cracked nipples with each DC. Try to prevent by ensuring the baby has the correct latch. If they do crack, yes it's painful but only as they latch on. It's worth persevering.

In the weeks leading up to dd's birth, my midwife suggested I went topless as much as possible to toughen up the nipples! I am fair skinned too but they were fine until around week 5, but even then the soreness only lasted a few days and I attributed it to lazy positioning. It resolved with a few applications of lansinoh.

Start using Lansinoh now! I started using it at 35 wks pg, dS1 now 8 wks and ebf and I've never had any issues.

Sounds like an old wives' tale to me tbh. Toughening up does nothing so don't worry about it :) in fact you want them to be soft, not hard. Heels do a totally different job.

The best advice i got was that it will hurt at first as the baby draws the nipple in, but remember 10 10 - count to 10 seconds or 10 sucks and the pain should stop. And after 10 weeks it should be completely gone. If you experience it lasting longer, seek help with the latch.

I am very, very fair skinned, and fed ds for 23 months with no soreness at all

Good question! I can't help with your actual question but can say that I am also super, super fair. While I do have noticeable (although light) areola, I am the kind of fair that is politely referred to 'alabaster' and less politely referred to as 'ghost' - only two make-up brands make a colour light enough to match my skin. I was also told that I might have more soreness due to my skin tone but I actually think that I had less than most. My 27 month old still feeds before bed and the only real problems with soreness came when I became pregnant with DC2, but that got better with the 2nd tri. I think you have every chance of BF-ing successfully, especially as you're giving it some thought beforehand.

I'm a red head with very fair skin. No soreness at all. I had been told the same as you but i was fine...no prep work on my nipples either! !

I'm also fair-skinned and only experienced cracking/pain on one nipple, which was for other reasons I don't need to go into here.

Lansinoh is great stuff.

Also it might be worth spending a few pounds in advance for some Medela nipple shields, just in case you need some. They come in different sizes and using one of those for feeds on my painful side got me through.

And yes, it was absolutely worth persevering once we were through those first couple of weeks. Good luck!

Don't do any toughening-up of your nipples - there is no need! Anyone who gives you that advice is misinformed.

I am fair-skinned and had no trouble with soreness etc. DS is 2 in a couple of weeks and still going strong!

It's great to hear so many positive stories from other fair skinned ladies!! I really had just accepted my nipples would be raw... But clearly its not necessarily the case. This has cheered me up quite a lot!

I have sensitive skin so breastfeeding can make my nipples sore or my actual breasts bright red.

I use a nipple cream that can be applied just before breastfeeding as well as after. I also use a massage oil for the breasts (not nipple) usually on a morning after a shower or on bad days before breastfeeding. I noticed that if my milk flow is not flowing that great or I have blocked duct, the DC suck harder which makes my nipples sore so I try and prevent it.

Breast wipes are also good for a quick wipe before and after, if you're in public or for convenience. I use them when I'm at NICU pumping in the chair.

But just a good soak and wash and a moistuizer (I can't spell today!) can help too :)

I have much fairer skin than my family and found BFIng perfectly fine so far.
The helpline i calked for general advice said soreness is hormonal in some women. You can't toughen up, but let down and latching can be tender for a week or 2 even if correct. I found this but it wasn't too bad and lanolin cream sorted the one tiny chapped nip I got.

Oh yeah and like multiple mama says, feeding after a hot shower works wonders if you're sore- or after applying a hot compress (nappy full of hot water or "gift size" hot water bottle). Bliss after an achy boob hour or two in a bra!

After 6DC 4 of which are still breastfed, I've never had chapped, dry, cracked nipples. Only sore on the occassions mentioned before and only a few times when I fed during pregnancy.

We fair skinned people do pretty well!

For DC2, my doctor prescribed Jack Newman's all purpose nipple ointment www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&id=76:all-purpose-nipple-ointment-apno&Itemid=17 . It made a huge difference. I used it after every feed for the first two weeks, and it really helped soothe my sore nipples. My OB (I'm not in UK) routinely prescribes it for fairer mums, just in case.

I have a 9 week old and I'm very fair skinned. I did get sore and cracked nipples and did at one point think about stopping all together. Not sure if this is recommended but when one of them was too painful I would express on that side and feed from the less painful one for a day. Then swap over when the other became painful. I only had to do this for around 4 days to let them heal (and toughen up) then after about 4 weeks it didn't hurt at all and I am so pleased that I persevered. Definitely use the lanolin nipple creams and check your latch, the staff I had at the hospital were great at helping, don't be afraid to ask just to check. Good luck!

Yes, I'm fair skinned and never had cracked nipples. I had some soreness in the beginning and then again when pregnant with number 2. I've been breastfeeding for 8 years now and get sore before my period, so from my rather small sample of one I'd agree that it is probably hormonal. Good luck!

I'm fair skinned, and got very sore mostly as a result of having a baby with a teeny mouth and therefore a slightly odd latch. Second the advice for shields and lansinoh