Breastfeeding while you have nipple piercings?

[charlottexox]

I'm planning on breast feeding DD #2 (didn't work well with DD #1) and just wondering if anyone else had / has their nipples pierced and how you managed with BF'ing?
I'm also worried in case they grow over 🤣

I don't have any personal experience of this but a baby 's suck is very strong. There's absolutely no way I'd be letting a baby put their mouth over a piercing. I can't imagine that you'd have any other option but to remove it when your baby was feeding.

I would speak to your midwife. They must have encountered this problem before.

I would just take the piercing out, then if wanted/needed get it redone. Wouldn't be worth the choking risk imo.

Agree you'd have to take it out, at least for feeds, and you can get very sore in the first couple of weeks anyway so it might not be good to put it back in between feeds while you're still getting used to it.

I was advised to remove my piercings during pregnancy because I planned on breast feeding. I got repierced once I had stopped feeding

Does anyone know if it's the same if I want to express?

This might help - kellymom is a super helpful bf resource

kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/body-mods/

There’s a whole section on nipple piercings!

Take it out to feed. The bacteria on the metal is horrible and not to go in a babys mouth. Would you suck on am earring? If the answer is no thats your answer.

My friend just took hers out.

Does anyone know if it's the same if I want to express?

I wouldn't plan to express exclusively, it's incredibly hard work - you're doubling everything and if you have a baby that feeds every 2 hours then you will never sleep. You also lose a lot of the benefits of feeding directly from the breast.

It's an alternative if the baby can't feed directly (like my ds) but would never have been my first choice.

@BellaJessica makes a good point about bacteria too.

They'll have to go I'm afraid. I've had a nipple piercing and have breastfed, not at the same time.
Would you seriously consider the full time 24 hour job of expressing just to keep the piercings? Expressing prevents the communication of the mother and baby through the babies saliva which reduces some of the immunity qualities of the milk.
I'd take them out sooner rather than later too to allow them to heal. The first days are likely to be sore enough without an irritated piercing.