Nipple piercing

A nipple piercing is a piercing, centered usually at the base of the nipple. It can be pierced at any angle but is usually done horizontally or, less often, vertically. It is also possible to place multiple piercings on top of one another. A nipple piercing typically takes 2-4 months to fully heal. Some people have noted that they can take up to a year and a half to fully heal. It's recommended that if stretching a nipple piercing, the piercee waits at least the healing time of their piercings between stretches.

Nipple piercing and breastfeeding 

A common question among women who consider nipple piercings is how it may affect breastfeeding. There is no evidence to suggest that proper nipple piercings can cause any complications with lactation. A letter in JAMA suggests improperly pierced nipples and scarring may result in blocked ducts.

It is recommended that good care is taken to prevent infection by using a piercing professional and good body piercing aftercare. Frequent re-piercings can also damage the nipple and cause complications. It is also recommended that the piercing be healed before breastfeeding. Most body piercing professionals will refuse to pierce a pregnant woman for this reason and because piercing causes stress on the body that could potentially complicate a pregnancy.

Several complications have been noted involving breastfeeding with a piercing present, so it is recommended to remove nipple jewelry before nursing. Several complications resulting from nursing with nipple jewelry inserted can include poor latch, slurping, gagging, and milk leaking from the baby's mouth.

It can also be a potential choking hazard for the baby. As the baby sucks, the ends on a barbell (if worn) may come loose and could possibly lodge in the baby's throat (a captive bead ring, properly inserted, would lessen the risk of anything becoming loose, falling out, and lodging in the throat). The baby's gums and tongue as well as the soft and hard palate could be injured by the jewelry.

Whilst there are some arguments made against having a nipple piercing and breastfeeding, it is still stated by experts to be an okay practice:

"There is no evidence that pierced nipples will affect your ability to breastfeed. Your breasts will still produce adequate milk for your baby, and unless your body rejected the piercing right after you had it done, there is no reason to anticipate any additional problems with infection. It is unlikely that the holes that are left in your nipple will cause a problem. Each nipple has 15-20 tiny nipple pores that the milk comes out of, so even if some were damaged, there should be plenty left for nursing. Breast surgery often damages the milk ducts inside the breast, and this can definitely create problems. The situation with nipple piercing is very different." - Dr. Kendall-Tackett

Female with pierced nipples Female with pierced nipples Female with pierced nipples A piercing is made on a female breast Female with pierced nipples Male with left pierced nipple Female with pierced nipples and lip Female with right pierced nipple and hip tattoo Male with left nipple vertically pierced Female with pierced nipples (captive bead jewelry) Female with pierced nipples & nose, and tattoos Female with pierced nipples, nose & lip, and tattoos