Let’s talk about nipples. For 35 years my nipples were not something I thought much about. They came out of my shirt in the shower and when I had sex. One afternoon, long before having kids, and in the midst of my “My Boobs Are Sexual and I’m Proud of It” stage, my coworkers started to tease me that they could see my nipples through my shirt. I was mortified, “Hard nipples?! What!? You can see them through my shirt??” They all giggled, “Yeah, Abby, we thought you knew.”
They thought I knew? Who in hell walks around with their hard nipples showing their shirt? Now I know the answer to this question; a mom. Except now my nipples bring “hard” to a whole new level. They are bigger and darker and even when I am toasty warm I look like Madonna circa 1990. And now with 2 kids running around I am certainly not rushing out to change my wardrobe.
They say people bond through rough times. My nipples and I sure have bonded through soreness, dryness and rawness. They have been bitten, scraped by teeth and cracked open. While some women never experience any of this others experience it at extremes I never knew. Sometimes it ends breastfeeding relationships all together when mama can’t find a way to stop the pain or bleeding.
Nipple cream is a popular intervention for any kind of nipple problem, but some of them don’t work while others have gross ingredients. I have very sensitive skin making my already sensitive nipples ripe for problems. Because of this I put nipple cream on even when I am not experiencing issues. There is always something bothersome, mild or extreme, lurking around the corner. Because I am a frequent user it’s important to me that it’s guaranteed safe for my nursing boys.
I used the lanolin stuff before I learned that it’s doused in pesticides. Then I used coconut oil, but it didn’t provide the deep penetration of actual nipple creams. I have now landed on Motherlove Herbal Company’s Nipple Cream. You can even get it at most Targets if you need it in a hurry! Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, shea butter, marshmallow root and calendula flower. All organic, all safe for baby, all safe for me, all cruelty free and all honest-to-goodness relief for the sensitive lady parts, and any other part, really. Just smear it, ladies! And feel the love!
Check out all of Motherlove’s products on their website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Abby Theuring, MSW
