[2] Cracked nipple can develop after the birth of the infant and is managed with pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment.
[11] In the event that a nursing woman experiences cracked and bleeding nipples or breast inflammation within one to two weeks immediately following an acute Toxoplasmosis infection (when the organism is still circulating in her bloodstream), it is theoretically possible that she could transmit Toxoplasma gondii to the infant through her breast milk.
[13][2] An uncommon infection in the mother, Chagas disease, can be transmitted to the nursing infant via cracked nipples.
Engorgement changes the shape and curvature of the nipple region by making the breast inflexible, flat, hard, and swollen.
[2][7] The cause of sore, cracked nipples can also be from a yeast or Candida infection in the baby or the mother or both.
[2] For first-time breastfeeding mothers, it normally takes a few tries before the latch is right, which can make the nipples tender and sore the first few days.
A little breast milk or purified lanolin cream or ointment helps the healing process.
[18] The nipples of nursing mothers naturally make a lubricant to prevent drying, cracking, or infections.
A little breast milk or purified lanolin cream or ointment helps the healing process.
[7] Breastfeeding professionals that include nurses, midwives and lactation consultants are able to assist in the treatment of cracked nipples.
[6] Advice from others is abundant but there have been some treatments that have been identified as not being effective in healing or preventing cracked nipples.
[8] In a survey in New York City, 35% of nursing mothers stopped breastfeeding after one week due to the pain of cracked nipples.
Mothers with higher education levels were more likely to continue breastfeeding despite the pain of cracked nipples.