Will this affect my ability to breastfeed?

Hey mamas,

I have had my nipples pierced for about 10 years prior to getting pregnant. I took them out within the first month of finding out. I am currently 34 + 3 weeks and I haven’t had anything come out of my breasts at all. Although I understand that some women don’t lactate until baby is actually born, I can’t help but worry that I’m a little behind or that having had my nipples pierced may have affected my ability to produce milk. Are there any signs prior to lactation that I should be aware of? Or anything that I can do to assure that I will have milk available for that first feeding after birth?

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I had my piercings in the entire pregnancy and was going to keep them in even during breastfeeding period. They got taken out after he was born though and I just didn't get them put back in that day and my holes closed up so I guess I'll just get them repierced after I'm done breastfeeding. I had no leaking at all prior to giving birth either and have been breastfeeding for almost 4 weeks with no issues though it did take 5 days for my milk to come in which is on the longer end of common for FTMs.

I'm a tattoo artist and body piercer and i have never once heard of nipple piercings affecting your ability to brestfeed. I had mine pierced before having my baby and he's 9 weeks old and I'm having no trouble making enough milk or breastfeeding him. I also didn't have colostrum come out until 36-37 weeks

this is great to know! If you don’t mind my asking, do you still have holes from the piercings? And if so, how do you clean them properly to assure that baby doesn’t get any germs from the hole? Mine haven’t completely closed up because I’ve had them pierced for so long.

thank you so much for the reassurance! What did you do in the meantime before your milk came in to feed baby? That’s the part that always confuses me.

Just keep feeding them colostrum. By the 4th night though my baby just wanted to nurse constantly(he also has a lip and tongue tie were fighting) and just screamed if we stopped and I felt like he was starving. Finally caved at 2am and made him 2 oz of formula. He drank 1 oz and then slept hard. Then my milk came in the next morning. So if I had just stuck it out a few more hours he wouldn't have needed the formula but I just couldn't take his crying and I felt like I was starving him. It did screw with his poops for a day though since I changed his food. Typically milk comes in about 2-3 days and they just get colostrum which is plenty for them.

As long as your keeping yourself clean they should stay fairly clean, you can do saline soaks to help as well. Before your milk comes in you have colostrum which is kinda like an in between point of amniotic fluid and breastmilk so it's an easier transition for your babies digestive system.

@Kylie I talked to one lady that kept a saline solution with her when she would breast feed and would put her piercings in it when she took them out to feed so they got cleaned each feed

I actually had surgery on one breast for a mass I had as a teenager. They did an incision that is a half circle around my nipple and oddly enough that’s the one that is producing the most colostrum (I’m about 40 weeks now). I was worried about the same thing because of scar tissue but it hasn’t been an issue.

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