Having sore nipples can make pumping breast milk difficult. Because you need to regularly remove milk from your breasts, you can’t take breaks to let your nipples heal. But can sore nipples cause decreased milk supply?
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Can sore nipples cause decreased milk supply?
I recently was asked the following question:
My baby is now two weeks old, and I’m having so much trouble with pumping! My nipples are super sore and I’m starting to pump less milk. Can sore nipples cause milk supply to decrease? Is there anything I can do to fix the sore nipple issue? And how can I pump more milk?
First – on their own, sore nipples won’t cause your milk supply to decrease.
Milk supply is primarily driven by demand. That means that the more milk you remove from your breasts (either via your baby nursing or a breast pump), the more milk your body should make. Whether or not your breasts hurt isn’t a factor – with a few caveats.
The caveats include:
1. Are you pumping less often because of the pain?
Sometimes, when you’re having pain because of pumping, you pump less often. No one is eager to go do things that hurt.
If you pump less often, you’ll likely remove less milk, which in turn can caused decreased milk supply. Removing less milk means less “demand,” which can then mean less supply.
2. Are the sore nipples caused by incorrect breast shield size?
Breast shields come in many sizes, and the right size for you often isn’t the one that came with your breast pump.
Not only can pumping with the incorrect breast shield size cause sore nipples, but it can also cause inefficient pumping. This is because sometimes either too much or too little of your nipple is pulled into the breast shield, causing the milk ducts to not be compressed as designed.
You may want to measure your nipples to see if you need a different size, or you may want to try a different material or shape of breast shield.
Having the correct breast shield for you will likely help with both the sore nipples and the milk supply issues.
3. Are you tensing up because of the pain?
Sometimes, when you’re having pain with pumping, this can cause you to tense up. (Pain is stressful, after all!)
Stress can inhibit the release of oxytocin, which is the letdown hormone. The more letdowns you get, the more milk you pump – so not being able to get your milk to start flowing because of pain can cause reduced output.
Make sure that you’re using the highest setting on your breast pump that is not painful for you. Higher vacuum settings won’t help if you can’t get your milk to let down.
If you’re having pain with pumping and you think you have the correct breast shield size, here are six questions to ask to troubleshoot your issues. You may also want to see a lactation counselor and see if they are able to help. Pumping should never hurt.
Have you had issues with sore nipples and decreased milk supply? Tell us your experience in the comments!
Comments & Chitchat
Isabelle says
I’m a first time mom i was lost between breastfeeding, Pumping and formula feeding with my baby not latching well.. i had a dip in my supply. I power pumped for a 5 days and still no result…i took domperidone and still no result… has anyone dealt with such situation? I really dunno what to do switch to formula feeding … I can’t pump every two hours for the rest of my life
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Isabelle! So sorry that you’re dealing with this. How old is your baby?
Leah says
Hi! I have been exclusively pumping for 3 1/2 months now and returned to work a little over a week ago. I got sick and noticed a drop in supply by about 8-10oz/day (From 45oz to 36oz). The weird part is that the drop is primarily from one boob only. The left breast is producing 1/2 of what it used to. This has been going on for 6 days now and I have no signs of a clogged duct. Any suggestions on cause and ways to remedy this imbalance?
anna says
Hello! I had a similar problem when my baby was 3 months-6 months old! I would get mastitis like clockwork every month, and I found out it was because all the milk was not being pumped out of the breast. The remedy was to take a gel heating pad and micro it for about 25-30 seconds, then pump with the pad over my breast whenever I felt an episode coming on. Early mastitis symptoms: nausea/serious pain while pumping. Depending on your micro, the pad could get really hot so be careful! This combined with massage while pumping drastically increased my milk production and I never got mastitis again :). If you can get 1 gel pad for each breast and use the pumping bra, it will be so worth it! I’ve seen the gel pads for sale at Babies R Us but I’m sure you could find it at any CVS or Walgreens too.
The Extreme Pumper says
That is a great tip! I’m sorry that you got mastitis so much but glad you found something that worked – thanks for sharing it!