Sore nipples are one of the most common reasons new parents struggle with breastfeeding, but the pain is not something you simply have to push through. Most nipple soreness stems from a shallow latch, and fixing that alone can dramatically reduce discomfort. Beyond latch correction, a combination of topical treatments, cooling or warming techniques, and protective barriers between feeds can speed healing and get you through the toughest early weeks.
Fix the Latch First
A shallow latch is the number one cause of sore, cracked, and bleeding nipples. When your baby only grabs the nipple itself, the tissue gets compressed against the hard palate with every suck. A deep latch distributes that pressure across a much wider area of breast tissue, which eliminates most of the friction and pinching that causes pain.
Here’s what a good latch looks like: your baby’s mouth is wide open, covering not just the nipple but about 1 to 2 inches of the areola. The latch should be asymmetric, meaning your baby takes in more of the lower areola than the upper. You should be able to see some areola above your baby’s upper lip, and their chin should rest against your lower breast. If the latch is right, you won’t feel sharp or pinching pain.
Position matters just as much as the latch itself. Bring your baby to the breast rather than leaning your breast down to the baby. Keep their ear, shoulder, and hip in a straight line so they aren’t twisting to feed. A breastfeeding pillow or a small stool under your feet can bring your baby to the right height without you hunching over. If you’re consistently struggling with latch despite adjusting positions, a lactation consultant can spot subtle problems you might not see on your own.
Topical Treatments That Help
Once nipples are already sore or cracked, keeping the skin moist between feeds promotes faster healing. Two of the most widely used options are lanolin ointment and hydrogel dressings, and they work differently.
Purified lanolin creates a moisture barrier over damaged skin, preventing scabs from forming and allowing the tissue to heal without drying out. It’s safe to leave on during feeds. A study published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing found that hydrogel dressings (thin, cooling pads placed over the nipple between feeds) provided significantly greater pain reduction than lanolin by day 10 and day 12 of use. The hydrogel group also had zero breast infections during the study period, compared to eight in the lanolin group, and participants using the gel pads stopped needing treatment sooner.
You may have heard that expressing a few drops of breast milk and rubbing it onto your nipples works as a natural remedy. Breast milk does have some antimicrobial properties, but a comparative study found that lanolin combined with breastfeeding education was more effective than expressed breast milk at reducing pain and healing cracked skin. On day 3, the lanolin group showed meaningfully better outcomes for both pain intensity and tissue healing. Expressed milk isn’t harmful, but if your nipples are significantly damaged, lanolin or hydrogel pads will likely do more.
Protection Between Feeds
Even with a good latch and topical care, nipples need protection from friction against clothing and bra pads between nursing sessions. Breast shells, which are hard, dome-shaped covers worn inside the bra, keep fabric off the nipple entirely and allow air to circulate.
Silver nursing cups are another option. Made from sterling silver, these small cups sit over the nipple and use silver’s natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to support healing. They’re designed to be worn continuously, day and night, between nursing sessions until pain and damage resolve. Because they’re reusable and don’t require any cream or ointment underneath, some parents find them more convenient than repeatedly applying topical treatments.
Warmth, Cold, and Pain Relief
Cold compresses or chilled hydrogel pads applied right after a feed can numb surface pain and reduce swelling. Wrap ice or a cold pack in a cloth to avoid direct contact with damaged skin, and limit use to 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
Warm compresses are more useful if your pain is caused by vasospasm, a condition where blood vessels in the nipple constrict after feeds, temporarily cutting off blood flow. Vasospasm causes a distinctive color change: the nipple or its tip turns white or pale during the spasm, then shifts to purple, blue, or red as blood flow returns. If this pattern matches your symptoms, applying a warm compress or heat pack right after breastfeeding can relax the blood vessels and relieve the burning or throbbing pain that comes with it. Keeping your chest warm in general (avoiding cold air on exposed nipples after feeding) also helps prevent episodes.
When a Nipple Shield Makes Sense
A nipple shield is a thin silicone cover placed over the nipple during feeding. It can provide a physical barrier that reduces direct friction on damaged tissue while you heal. Shields are typically recommended when you have flat or inverted nipples that make latching difficult, when your baby needs extra stimulation to trigger their sucking reflex, or when transitioning from bottle to breast.
That said, a nipple shield is a short-term tool, not a long-term fix. It doesn’t address the underlying cause of the pain, and prolonged use can sometimes affect milk transfer. If a lactation consultant recommends one, they should also create a plan to wean your baby off it. Your baby’s weight should be monitored during shield use to make sure they’re getting enough milk. When you’re ready to transition away, try removing the shield during feeds when your baby is latching most easily, or pump until your milk lets down and then switch to direct breastfeeding.
Signs the Pain Is Something More
Normal soreness from a learning curve typically peaks in the first week and improves as your latch improves. Pain that gets worse instead of better, persists beyond the first couple of weeks, or appears suddenly after a period of comfortable feeding can signal a deeper problem.
Mastitis, an infection of the breast tissue, causes a wedge-shaped area of redness on the breast along with a fever of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher. Left untreated, mastitis can lead to an abscess, a pocket of pus that often requires surgical drainage. If you notice spreading redness, flu-like symptoms, or fever alongside your nipple pain, prompt treatment with antibiotics can prevent it from progressing.
Persistent burning, shooting pain deep in the breast, or shiny, flaky skin on the nipple has historically been attributed to a yeast infection (thrush). However, recent research has raised questions about whether yeast infections actually occur on the nipple as commonly as once thought. If your pain doesn’t respond to latch correction and standard topical care, a healthcare provider or lactation consultant can help identify what’s actually going on and avoid unnecessary treatments.