Sore nipples are usually due to one or both of two causes. Either the baby is not positioned and latched properly, or the baby is not suckling properly, or both. However, babies learn to suck properly by getting milk from the breast when they are latched on well. (They learn by doing). Thus, “suck” problems are often caused by poor latching on. Fungal infection (due to Candida albicans) may also cause sore nipples. The soreness caused by poor latching and ineffective suckling hurts most as you latch the baby on and usually improves as the baby nurses. The pain from the fungal infection goes on throughout the feed and may continue even after the feed is over. Women describe knifelike pain from the first two causes. The pain of the fungal infection is often described as burning, but may not have this character.

Breast milk is the best food for a newborn; nothing comes even closer to provide all the nutrients that the baby will need later in life. Breast milk is much easier to digest then any formula in the market, at the same time it provides protection against infections, prevents future food allergies, helps the growth of healthy teeth, and most important it improves brain development.

Breast engorgement is a common problem that occurs in the feeding mothers in the first two or three weeks after delivery and is more annoying to women with poor skin elasticity. Engorgement is due to increase in the milk filling the breast together with blood and fluid retention in the same area.

Home Remedies for Sore Nipples

Application of cool compress to your nipples, before nursing can help in alleviating sore nipple problem. Let the child suckle the nipple which is less sore as the first suckle is the most active. Keep switching sides with each feeding, thus avoiding pressure from the baby's mouth on the same part of the breast.

Control leakage with a hand correctly applied. The milk production system is so sensitive to stimuli that a woman can begin to leak milk when she's out shopping and she hears a baby cry, says Stock. If that happens, take the heel of your hand and press the nipple into the chest. If you leak a lot, she says, find some good reusable breast pads you can launder yourself, preferably 100 percent cotton. "Men's cotton hankerchiefs work well," she says.

Calendula cream or ointment is useful in treating cracked nipples, abscess or any other breast injury. Apply it right after nursing and clean it before next feeding. By cutting an Aloe Vera leaf, apply fresh gel to heal sore and cracked nipples.

While feeding the baby from the right breast, express a little milk and apply it on to the left breast and vice versa. Repeat this a few times until the soreness subsides. Breast milk is a great cure to quickly heal cracked or sore nipples.

Use vitamin E for cracked nipples. If you notice a crack in the nipple, topical application of a small amount of vitamin E can help. When you finish nursing, says Stock, take a capsule of vitamin E, pierce it, squeeze out a drop, and rub it into the nipple. The secret, she says, is to use minimal amounts.

To prevent cracks, tears and chapping of nipples apply Olive oil, or Sweet almond oil, or Lanolin or Comfrey ointment. Use this throughout the latter part of the pregnancy and beginning weeks of nursing. Do not use soap, cologne, deodorant and powder on your nipples or breasts. Avoid washing nipples with soap as it leads to chaps or cracks.