Elastic nipples: What are they and what you need to do about them—if anything!

A Deeper Look:

While in the process of creating content for this website, I have reviewed a lot of literature, and what I have learned in regards to elastic nipples is that it is an under discussed topic.  In fact, none of my favorite resources discuss the issue.  Having said that, this is what I understand to be true about elastic nipples.

The first thing is that to some degree, ALL breastfeeding mamas have elastic nipples.  I’m sure you recall that pregnancy stretched our bodies in many ways—our bellies expanded for one thing!—but another way our bodies stretched was in the ligaments in the pelvis to allow for a baby to be delivered.  This ligament stretching was due to the hormone relaxin.  That same hormone also provides your nipples some elasticity to make it easier for a baby to suck milk.  So all breastfeeding mamas, to some degree, have elastic nipples.

But most mamas are not complaining about them.  Why is that? Well, elastic nipples are not a problem unless they are causing a problem.  Many nursing mamas are not concerned with the elasticity of their nipples because it is not causing them pain or discomfort.  Conversely, many pumping mamas are concerned about the elasticity of their nipples because they can physically see the nipples stretch to touch the back of the flange tunnel and/or they are experiencing:

• pain or discomfort
• cracked nipples or other injury to nipples from hitting the back of the flange tunnel
• difficulty emptying their breasts of milk because of the extra tissue being pulled into the flange tunnel, which compresses the milk ducts and reduces milk flow
• difficulty achieving let-downs

If you are seeing your nipples stretch to the middle of the flange, just past, or even the back of the flange, this is normal and nothing to be concerned about as long as you are not in pain or experiencing any of the other bullet points listed above.  If you are experiencing any of the issues listed, you should make sure that you are using the proper flange size.  Sometimes, the problem is not the elasticity of the nipples, rather, the flange is ill-fitting.  A too-large flange will mimic the issues commonly attributed to the “elastic nipple” issue because there is space enough for more tissue to be drawn into the flange tunnel.  For more information on flange sizing, click here.

If you are using the correct size flange and experiencing pain or issues emptying your breasts, you may have what is commonly referred to as “elastic nipples.”  I used quotation marks because as mentioned above, most mamas have elastic nipples to some degree, so the commonly used term feels inaccurate and misinformed.  But anyway, if you do have elastic nipples, there are a few things you can try to resolve the pain or milk release issues: 

• try lowering the suction strength of your pump
• using lubrication (coconut oil or olive oil or other substance specifically designed for breastfeeding lubrication), 
• changing the setup of your flange by using silicone inserts or a softer flange designed for elastic nipples
• try using flanges with longer tunnels

Breast pump cushions, such as those made by BeauGen can help.  The BeauGen cushions are designed to go inside your breast flange and they held to hold back breast tissue and prevent too much of it from entering the breast flange tunnel.  BeauGen cushions reduce the diameter of your breast flange, so you may need to use a breast flange one size up in order to accommodate the space the cushion uses.  BeauGen cushions are currently only compatible with flange sizes 21mm-28mm but they do work with most pumps, including Spectra, Medela, Willow, and Elvie.

Additionally, Pumpin’ Pals offers a breast shield that is designed with a more gradual angle from the breast shield funnel into the nipple tunnel and their x-small and small silicone flanges with Elast+Assist Technology can help improve milk flow for mothers with elastic breast tissue because the silicone helps to keep more of your breast tissue outside the flange tunnel.  It’s worth noting that if you decide to try the Pumpin’ Pals silicone flanges that they suggest trying the flanges without lubrication a few times before deciding whether the lubrication is necessary.  Pumpin’ Pals explains that they only offer the silicone flanges meant for elastic nipples in the smallest sizes because as a company, they found smaller nipples tend to be more elastic.  

Another option, is to use breast flanges that have a longer tunnel.  Nenesupply offers  one such flange and it seems to work for some mamas who have elastic nipples. 

The EP&Me Take:

I wrote a little about my elastic nipple issues in my post on flange sizing, so if you’ve already read that post, some of this post may sound familiar!

In the beginning of my pumping journey, I struggled, mainly due to the fact I was using the wrong size flange.  Even once I was using the right size flange, my nipples still nearly hit the back of the tunnel, so I wondered: Do I have those “elastic nipples” I hear mamas talking about?  Earlier my pumping journey I tried the Pumpin’ Pals flanges to see if they would successfully counteract this issue (Pumpin’ Pals flanges are designed with a more gradual angle from the breast shield funnel into the nipple tunnel and their silicone flanges with Elast+Assist Technology can help improve milk flow for mothers with elastic breast tissue).  Unfortunately, the Pumpin’ Pals flanges did not work for my lifestyle—I could not get them to stay connected to the base connector while I pumped (and admittedly I moved around a good bit), which was a MESS!  Fortunately, because the right size flange had fixed my pain issues, I didn’t need to find an alternative flange to accommodate the elastic nipple issue.  However, I know many people love Pumpin’ Pals and have great success with their products, so do not let my experience discourage you from trying them!  Similarly, because I was no longer pumping in pain, I never tried BeauGen cushions or sought out a breast flange with a longer tunnel.

No matter where you are at in your pumping journey, it is never to late to start pumping more comfortably!  If you have elastic nipples and are suffering, I hope this post gives you hope and has provided a way forward.  Good luck mama!