When you breastfeed, you are likely to experience sore and cracked nipple at some point. Some more severe cracks can cause bleeding from the nipple too and even lead to infection. If you experience pain like this, a nipple cream can be a great help to soothe and alleviate the soreness and also heal the issue.
Which Is The Best Nipple Cream For You?
There are numerous nipple creams on the market, and you will probably be confused by the choices and not sure which one is the best nipple cream for you.
Why Not Lanolin-Based Nipple Cream?
Lanolin-based cream is effective in soothing and healing chapped skin, many older generations mothers use lanolin cream but now we know that lanolin contains a huge amount of pesticides. Some studies also suggests that lanolin-based nipple cream is not as effective people may believe.
Lanolin is first recovered from shaved sheep’s wool. The wool is soaked in chemicals to remove parasites before the lanolin is scoured out of it and therefore there are no truly organic options available.
Your baby will eventually ingest a portion of the nipple cream through breastfeeding. This is my main concern in Lanolin as well as most creams are not free from additives, and pesticides.
What’s else should I know?
If the label recommends that you remove the cream before feeding your baby, then it’s probably not the best nipple cream for you. A nipple cream that needs to be removed before feeding likely means that it’s not safe to be ingested by your baby.
Watch out for Chemicals! Some chemicals in nipple creams can cause even more irritation to an already sensitive area. Avoid balms made with parabens, triethanolamine, and petroleum products.
Look out for numbing agents andcareful of products that cause numbness. The ingredients used can interfere with the let-down reflex of milk or could numb your baby’s mouth enough to prevent him/her from being able to feed
Choose a balm that is easy to use. Look for smooth, non-sticky, balm as you will be using it in an area which is already painful and sore. You don’t want to cause yourself anymore pain than you are already experiencing.
Some examples of great herbs to look for in Nipple Butter
Lavender
Lavender essential oil has very powerful antiseptic properties. Applying it to wounds can not only increase cell growth causing the wound to heal faster, but it also decreases the appearance of scars. The oils anti-microbial action protects scrapes and wounds from infection, while allowing them heal.
Chamomile
Chamomile promotes smooth, healthy skin and relieves irritations thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Chamomile’s flavonoids and essential oils penetrate below the skin surface into the deeper skin layers of the skin, preserving its youthful appearance, completion and immune defenses. As a traditional medicine, it’s been used for centuries to treat wounds eczema, gout, skin irritations, cracked skin, abrasions, bruises, burns and canker sores.
Calendula
Calendula has been found to have strong anti-inflammatory properties via powerful flavanoids. Anti-inflammatory linoleic acid is also found in high concentrations in calendula. Its powerful anti-inflammatory properties make it a potent remedy for all kinds of inflammatory, issues like diaper rash, sore cracked nipples, dermatitis, eczema and more.