One of the reasons that women may want to correct inverted nipples is that they desire to breastfeed their infants and are afraid that having inverted nipples will prevent them from successfully breastfeeding their babies.
The good news however is that even with inverted nipples, or flat or retracted nipples, most women can in fact breastfeed; that these are not in themselves deterrents to breastfeeding.
A consultation with a lactation consultant will clarify matters greatly and the following will be useful in breastfeeding even with inverted nipples:
- The Hoffman technique consists of placing firmly, fingers at the base of the nipple and then pressing and then rolling the nipple. This can be done a number of times a day to correct the inversion of the nipples.
- Wearing a breast shell can help in pulling out the nipple.
- It is also suggested that a breast pump be used to pull out the nipple and then have the baby latch on properly.
Also, remember that a baby needs to latch on properly to the aureole surrounding the breast and the shape of the nipples is really not that much of an issue. Even with severely inverted nipples, pumping breast milk is still an option.
