When you’re preparing to breastfeed your baby, it’s normal to spend countless hours fretting over all the things that could go wrong. Will you make enough milk? What if your baby has tongue-tie? And just how bad is it going to hurt?
One thing you probably don’t spend time thinking about is the anatomy of your nipples — and whether yours are conducive to breastfeeding. In reality, a lot of women have normal anatomical variations to their nipples.
The most common difference is having flat or inverted nipples, sometimes also called retracted nipples. This doesn’t affect your ability to produce breast milk or breastfeed your baby, but it can make breastfeeding a little bit trickier (at least initially).
Perhaps you already know you’ve got inverted or flat nipples. Or, maybe your nipples are flatter (or even pierced) and you’re concerned about how this might affect your breastfeeding journey. In any case, we’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know about breastfeeding with flat or inverted nipples.
How does nipple shape and size affect breastfeeding?
Unsurprisingly, both the size and shape of your nipple can play a key role in how easy breastfeeding is. The most common issue is usually with your baby’s ability to latch on properly.
Typically when a baby latches on, the nipple extends all the way into the soft palate of the baby's mouth, encouraging them to suckle. A smaller, shorter, or flatter nipple may increase some of the challenges of breastfeeding, most commonly achieving an ideal latch, and people with these nipples may need more tools and support. This said, breastfeeding with flat or inverted nipples is entirely possible, and often nothing to worry about.