We’ve had a few clients recently report that they are concerned about nipple blebs so we thought it could be helpful to break down what exactly is a nipple bleb and how to treat them.
Nipple blebs look like a small white spot on your nipple. It may almost look like a blister. These can be very painful! They can happen after a plugged duct is released, but not all the time. Nipple blebs are not an indicator of a poor latch. They are common with oversupply and altered microbiome. Blebs are an indicator of ductal inflammation.
What to do:
Do not pick or try to pop the bleb like a pimple. This can cause tissue damage and
scaring. Sometimes these blebs go away on their own from baby nursing or by pumping. Sometimes they may take a week to 10 days to resolve. Most are somewhere in the middle. There are several techniques that can help loosen these blebs so that they pass more quickly:
Soak a cotton ball in olive or coconut oil and put that over your nipple in your bra for 30 min or so (use plastic wrap between the cotton ball and your bra to help prevent staining!). This can soften the plug / bleb up a bit to make it easier to pass during nursing or pumping.
Sunflower Lecithin 3600mg daily (1 capsule 3 times per day)
Probiotics to prevent further milk blebs (here is our favorite for lactation)
Heat, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and ice:
heat right before feeding
Tylenol/Ibuprofen for inflammation
Ice between feedings to reduce swelling
We recently also discovered that serrapeptase could be helpful at resolving blebs by applying a paste or water and serrapeptase directly to the nipple.
If none of these tricks work, you may want to visit your IBCLC or provider.
Need more help? Book a visit with Wisco Lactation! We offer home & office visit in SE Wisconsin and NE Illinois. We also offer virtual visits worldwide.