An
interesting topic of conversation arose while my girlfriends and I
were enjoying out regualr Sunday brunch! My friend Katie, just had a
baby. What's so interesting about that? Well, the conversation
revolved around whether or not her pierced nipples were an issue.
It's something I had never thought about before, but once it came up
we were all bombarding her with a million and one silly questions.
I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I blurted out the classic...
"When you take out the rings, does milk leak out of the holes?"
Thankfully
for us, Katie was not phased and answered our questions without any
embarassment, but I thought I'd share my new found knowledge with you
guys so you never have to look as silly as I did!
The
short answer is that NO nipple piercing does not mean you cannot
breastfeed. Katie pointed out something that made a lot of sense to
me. She said that since breast feeding has been around since the dawn
of time and body modification – including nipple piercing – has a
lengthy history, then surely the two must be compatible otherwise it
would have evolved as a male only adornment! With that being said, no
piercer will perform the piercing on a pregnant lady or a lady who is
breastfeeding. In fact, Katie said that she was told at the time of
her piercings that it's best not to breastfeed for at least a year
afterwards to ensure it is properly healed. She has had her nipple
rings for about 4 years now so it was not an issue for her
personally.
So
here are the facts according to Katie:
"Lot's of people told me all sorts of horror stories about breastfeeding with pierced nipples, but most were untrue,so only concern yourself with fact! In most cases, the piercings have no effect on your ability to breastfeed. Some mothers even say it increases the flow of milk making nursing easier. I have heard that some mothers keep their jewelry in while feeding, so long as they wear barbells. However, I personally prefer to take my barbells out and clean the area before each feeding. It's extra work, but my baby is more important and I'd never forgive myself if she were to choke on my jewelry because it came out during a feed."
So
there you have it, while there will always be a few exceptions, most
people successfully breastfeed with nipple piercings. And in case you
are wondering... NO – the milk doesn't leak out of the holes!!
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