Cream for breastfeeding?

kat4905

Hello,
I am a first time mom and trying to research breastfeeding options. What are your thoughts on nipple creams? Were they necessary for you? Are there any good natural ones you can recommend?
Thank you!

aylafsu88

I lived with nipple cream in the first 6 weeks. I put it on before and after every session. It saved my nipples and really helped get me through. I used Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter. It is all natural and worked well  for me. I think many women also  use coconut oil or olive oil which works well.

spicysurro

aylafsu88 said:

I lived with nipple cream in the first 6 weeks. I put it on before and after every session. It saved my nipples and really helped get me through. I used Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter. It is all natural and worked well  for me. I think many women also  use coconut oil or olive oil which works well.

This!!!

CLLDLL

I also used EMAB nipple cream and liked it. I didn't know about coconut oil at the time though. Coconut oil has gotten me through teething (aka biting). If you go that route get organic, virgin , cold-pressed from the cooking aisle though. You want that to keep it the least processed possible which increases the natural anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties.

marriedinaugust

I did lanolin last time but will probably do CO next time.

merc5411

**lurking from J13**
I'm the odd woman here because lotions/oils/creams didn't help my bf pain at all. Ice packs actually help, especially the "soothies" (I think that's the name). But a couple of my friends loved lanolin.

mb314

I had lanolin, but found that squirting a little bit of breastmilk and rubbing it on my nipples, then letting it air dry worked much better (and was cheaper).

rooftop

LO hated the taste of any creams I tried and refused to latch if there was any on. I finally started using coconut oil and it saved my nips.

sschwege

As pp said using BM is a great way to soothe/heal sore nipples.  It's safe, always available and free!

NYGirl02

I used lanolin and EMAB. No preference between the two. I've also heard good things about mother love nipple cream but haven't tried it myself. The gel soothe packs were also wonderful.

kat4905

Thank you!!!

MrsBigTime

I second the suggestions above, and I had EMAB, coconut oil, lanolin and soothies in my kit, but I never had to use any of them. I did the breast milk thing sometimes, but DD had a good latch and I got lucky and never had any pain. I only say that because I think sometimes we get so scared about things, especially when we hear horror stories (I was petrified my nipples would be torn up!), but we rarely hear things can (and do!) go easily sometimes. 

memo9

I like EMAB too.  Lanolin is like spreading honey on a raw wound.  Not fun.

Verstej2

mb314 said:

I had lanolin, but found that squirting a little bit of breastmilk and rubbing it on my nipples, then letting it air dry worked much better (and was cheaper).

This was me too! Super easy, cheap and it worked great for me!

transplantedhawkeye

you can also use your own expressed milk/colostrum.  You never run out of that, and you can also use it under lanolin or coconut oil or olive oil.

lavendergiraffes

The lanolin was so thick but I used it for a while until my mom got me some coconut oil - amazing! I used one or the other before & after feelings and sometimes in between. Once my milk came in I started using that more as well and I think that's what finally healed them. You may be lucky and not need anything but I definitely did!

painttheair14

I used mother love and absolutely loved it!

drpayne

Another vote for Mother Love.  I hated lanolin.  It's thick/hard to apply and it STAINS.

And who knew this?  I almost gagged when I read it (wikipedia).
Lanolin is also called wool wax or wool grease, is a yellow waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Most lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool. Lanolin is a wax. Historically, many pharmacopoeias have referred to lanolin as wool fat (adeps lanae); however, as lanolin lacks glycerides (glycerol esters), it is not a true fat.^[1][2] Lanolin primarily consists of sterol esters instead.^[3] Lanolin's waterproofing property aids sheep in shedding water from their coats. Certain breeds of sheep produce large amounts of lanolin, and the extraction can be performed by squeezing the sheep's harvested wool between rollers. Most or all of the lanolin is removed from wool when it is processed into textiles, such as yarn or felt.

usernewname

I used EMAB lanolin coconut oil and the jack Newman cream.

The EMAB worked the best for me but it stains so used pads or shirts you don't care about

deux

This is only clinical, not scientific evidence, but my mom is an IBCLC and she and her colleagues see WAY more infections (both bacterial and yeast) when a mom has been using lanolin on broken skin. It seems to "trap" nasties in there. It's probably okay if you're absolutely sure the skin isn't broken, but if it is, then go for coconut oil or EMAB or other natural oil based balms. Breast milk is great as well, but you still need to watch for yeast bc it's sugary. Coconut oil is anti fungal, great choice especially if you suspect thrush.