Painful nipples and breast feeding

Is there anything that can help relieve painful nipples during breast feeding?

The topic of painful nipples during breast feeding is incomplete and very rarely mentioned. Most doctors don’t have a clue how to treat this condition nor do they ever ask the breast feeding mother about the problem. In fact, a painful nipple is a very common why many women stop breast feeding. Over the years, many interventions have been developed to treat the painful nipple. These include use of petrolatum jelly, peppermint oil, glycerin, nipple protectors, breast shields, light treatment, yoga, acupuncture and so on. All I can tell you is that none of them work well. What works in one female does not always work in another female. The use of pain medications is not recommended as the drug may be transferred to the baby and can lead to adverse effects. The only advice I can give is try one the above interventions and see if it works. But do not persist and spend more money on buying more crap. There is no evidence that any one of the above interventions is any better than the other. If the nipples are painful, then the only choice is to stop breast feeding. Trust me; babies not breast fed grow up healthy like everyone else.