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Nipple Rings & Breastfeeding

by Colleen Dietz with Allyson Jackson, IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), Childbirth Educator, Doula

As the evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding continues to grow, Eve in Hand asked a professional piercer and mother of two, Colleen Dietz to tell us about her experiences. Certified Lactation Consultant, Allyson Jackson doesn't agree with it all, and she tells you why after Colleen weighs in.


Pierced nipples do not generally interfere with healthy breastfeeding. Some mothers have said that their piercings increased their milk flow, making nursing easier. I have had both of my nipples pierced and have successfully breastfed two children. My first nursed until he was 3. My second son is eighteen months and still nursing. I have had almost five years of successful breastfeeding. Some nursing mothers say they keep the jewelry in during feedings. I don't recommend that for a few reasons.

First, there are concerns to the baby raised by keeping jewelry in during feedings. For example, jewelry may interfere with a baby latching on properly. A captive bead ring or barbell could prevent a child from getting an adequate latch. In addition, infants are born with a strong suckle, and the barbell or the ball could come loose, choking your child. Obviously the health and safety of your baby are very important.

So you've got a couple choices: Remove the jewelry during the whole time you'll be breastfeeding, or take it out only for feedings and replace it each time. One advantage of taking it out for the entire time that you breastfeed is that it'll be much easier to keep the piercing clean without the jewelry in place. However, taking jewelry out permanently means the piercing might close up, requiring re-piercing. Not a big deal, really, but something to consider.

If you remove jewelry only for feedings, all that changing may make your nipples sore. They're already enduring your hungry suckling baby. You might not want to keep changing jewelry too. Even if your nipples don't get sore, frequent jewelry changes are inconvenient. A newborn nurses about ten times or more a day. It's best to take out the rings completely for the first weeks of nursing. Once your milk supply is good and the baby isn't nursing so much, you can replace rings between feedings. The holes could close in that time, but what I did was put the jewelry in once a day for a bit and then take it out. It kept the holes open.

If you're not pregnant yet, but think you will want to breastfeed one day, I recommend that you get horizontal as opposed to vertical piercing. A piercing can be a perfect host for bacteria. In my experience, horizontal piercings are less likely to get infected. If an infection sets in, it's likely because the piercing did not completely heal. If piercings are still healing during pregnancy, they may not heal properly. I think it's because hormonal changes in the pregnant body cause the piercings to heal differently.

Do piercing holes stretch during pregnancy?

Although they'll stretch a bit during pregnancy, they won't likely stretch to the extent of causing significant leaking later. Some women put in a larger guage to open the entrance and exit incisions a little for the specific purpose of aiding breastfeeding.

If I take the jewelry out for the whole time I breastfeed, how long before the piercings close over?

It's really a unique thing, dependent mostly on time and personal traits of healing. One woman I know got her nipples pierced and just a few weeks later, she got pregnant with her first child. She took the jewelry out after giving birth, which was about a month too early. Hers healed over.

Is there leakage?

I had some milk seep out the sides of my nipple, but it was kind of funny, not a problem. Every body is different. The nipple has many ducts and holes for the milk to come out and unless there is a lot of keloid scarring in the nipple, it will probably be fine. With some women, leakage is present, other times it's not much of a bother.

What about a nipple piercing that has grown over and is scarred? Will I be able to breastfeed?

Scar tissue on the nipple is not like a scar anywhere else. Milk can permeate the old piercing even after it has closed.

I encourage anybody to breastfeed, pierced or not. I have only known two people who had serious problems. A friend of mine got an infection when her son was 16 months old. She would get a plugged duct and redness, swelling and tenderness. And I met a woman who told me she had her nipples pierced at 23 and had a baby at 30. She did everything right, taking the rings out at ten weeks pregnant. When she started breastfeeding, she kept getting infections on one side, with redness, swelling and pain. They are the only people I know of that happening to. But problems are possible even if they're rare. The skill and training of the piercer has a lot to do it, I think.

While your doctor can advise you on a lot, few are informed about piercings. For the best advice on nipple piercings, find a good piercer and talk to them about it.Talk to a Certified Lactation Consultant. I encourage women to breastfeed even if they have pierced nipples. I just believe your experience is your own. Get information and facts, and then trust your body.

Allyson Jackson Responds:

As a Certified Lactation Consultant, I am adamant about saying that no nursing should ever be done with the jewelry in. The baby could choke to death. Also, there is no evidence-based research to prove this, but it has been suggested that nursing with jewelery in could possibly damage the baby's palate and compromise the baby's jaw development. Leave jewelry out! The benefits of breastfeeding are so great, both to baby and mother. It is worth the little effort to take the jewelry out.

I also say that leaving the jewelry out the entire time you're breastfeeding is best for both mom and baby. If you choose to put jewelry in when not nursing, rubbing a little of the milk after each feeding may decrease the chance of the piercing getting infected. Breastmilk is filled with antibodies. Most people do not know this. Breastmilk is a living substance that changes daily to meet babies needs and is the perfect food. I urge expectant and nursing mothers to talk to a Certified Lactation Consultant. I am available for questions each month.


Legal Disclaimer

The assistance that you receive via our Website is not meant as a substitute for professional guidance from your health care professional. Please seek help from your health care professional if you are experiencing problems with breastfeeding or if you have continuing concerns.

Information given cannot be construed as medical advice. Please check with your health care provider when making decisions concerning lactation that may impact the health and well-being of you and/or your breastfeeding child. If you are concerned about your breastfeeding situation, or about your health or the health of your child, please call your health care provider immediately. Additionally, please be aware that the lactation consultant tailors her response to a specific situation. Our response may not be appropriate for other mothers, since each mother and baby couple is unique.

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