does nipple size matter for bf? (embarrassing!)

[beaniebaby25]

Sorry if tmi but currently TTC and worried whether i'll be able to bf as my, um, nipples are quite small ... any advice from experienced mumsnetters?

Nope not at all! I had tiny nipples pre-baby & with each pregnancy & breastfed baby they've got bigger

they get bigger while you are feeding (nipples and babies ). Small is better thin too big I think - given how small babies mouths can be to start with.

It really shouldn't affect it. And your areolae will almost certainly get bigger when you are pregnant anyway. If you have flat nipples, which a lot of first time mothers do, it can make establishing breastfeeding trickier but it's still perfectly possible to breastfeed -- check out www.kellymom.com for information.

I had tiny nipples (and norks) before DS1 and now DH describes my nipples as "big toes" Norks have also gone up 2 cup sizes!

No, not at all. They get bigger though - my breasts are unchanged from breastfeeding, but my nipples are definitely the worse for wear

ah thats reassuring, thanks ladies. small-ish boobs too so hopefully everything will get a bit bigger which might make it easier. its the kind of thing you can only really ask MN!

oh and lol at "big toes"

nope, mine v small (I like to think 'dainty' ) pre-DS, and no areolae really to speak of; they didn't change much when I was pg either, apart from darkening. Now nearly three months into breastfeeding and they still look pretty much the same to me - haven't grown particularly and areolae still barely there, but breastfeeding has been fine from the off.

my mother constantly reminds us about her small nips and she breastfed 6. i think she was alarmed at the sight of my sisters enormous nips when bfing.

good luck!

I have small boobs - A cup on a good day - and (before I breastfed DS) had small, flat nipples. Bf was absolutely fine, and as a bonus, nipples look a lot perkier now .

i had no doubt i wanted to bf when i had ds but he didnt latch on properly for the first few days.

i had mw after mw showing me different ways of doing things and each had their own theory of why he wouldnt - it got laughable after a while but i was quite upset cause each time it seemed to be something different - his tongue's too short, his jaw is misaligned, my nipples were too small - they brought out a nipple guard thing to try and give him more to suck on and it was massive - i didnt really believe that that was what 'normal' nipples should look like but they said it was.

anyway, the upshot was, my nipples were fine as was his jaw and tongue and it just took him (and me) a few days to work it out - 10 months on he is still bfeeding very happily.

MY nipples were a bit flat, and small, and we did struggle at first but got there in the end. Feeding kind of draws the nipple out and they were fine after a few months.