Summary of Use during Lactation Lanolin is a yellow fat obtained from sheep's wool. It has traditionally been used topically to treat sore, cracked nipples during breastfeeding.
Lanolin sensitivity can cause an itchy and tingling feeling on your nipples, rash and swelling which can worsen over time if not appropriately addressed or stopped.
Soften a pea-sized amount between fingers and apply to the entire nipple area after each feeding or as needed. Apply before showering to protect sensitive nipples. No need to remove before breastfeeding.
You can apply lanolin cream or paste directly onto your nipples or any affected areas on your areola anytime you are experiencing nipple pain, or as a preventive measure. You can safely apply the cream to cracked and bleeding areas, but any open areas may need additional time to heal.
Nipple cream made from ultra-pure lanolin – a natural product obtained from sheep's wool. This moisturises and supports healing. It's harmless for your baby, so there's no need to wash off lanolin before breastfeeding.
Overdose. Excessive application of lanolin is unlikely to cause any serious effects, it may make the skin white and soft. Symptoms should resolve with discontinuation of lanolin application.
If your nipples are cracked or bleeding, it's okay to continue breastfeeding your baby. To help relieve your discomfort, use the care tips given above. Call your doctor or a lactation consultant if you find it too painful to breastfeed or if you've tried home treatment for 24 hours and it doesn't help.
Cracked nipples may benefit from applying a moisturiser such as white soft paraffin (Vaseline®) or purified lanolin. Some women may not like a particular choice of treatment. It may be useful to check whether they have any allergies to creams or cosmetics.
Because the lanolin industry relies directly on mass-produced wool, lanolin also supports cruelty. Before getting deeper into why you should say no to lanolin, it's important to point out that “cruelty-free” wool has emerged in opposition to the mass-produced wool industry.
Additionally, lanolin can hold up to 400% of its weight in moisture while still being semi-occlusive, which allows your lips to breathe. Unlike petroleum jelly which sits on top of your lips, lanolin moisturizes and protects the skin without trapping in other toxins, for the ultimate healing hydration.
Coconut oil is thought to work as effectively as lanolin, if not better, as it contains natural healing properties that can help to prevent infection. Lanolin is more of a general moisture barrier and won't have any natural healing properties.
Usually, nipple fissures appear because your baby isn't latching onto your breast to nurse correctly. Your baby may struggle to get enough milk, putting more strain on sensitive nipple tissue as they try to feed.
Self-help tips for sore nipples
wear a cotton bra so air can circulate. keep feeding your baby for as long as they want – keeping breastfeeds short to "rest" your nipples will not ease nipple pain and could affect your milk supply.
While achieving a good latch is an important step to pain-free breastfeeding, even mothers of babies with a good latch can find breastfeeding painful at first.
Sore nipples can develop for many reasons including a poor breastfeeding latch, not using a breast pump correctly, or an infection. Then, once you have them, sore nipples can lead to a difficult let-down, a low breast milk supply, or early weaning.
Breastfeeding or Pumping Often to Avoid Engorgement
Keeping the milk flowing will help avoid excess build-up of milk, causing pain and sometimes cracking of nipples.
As often as you like. For optimal protection, use Multi-Mam Lanolin at least twice a day.
In general, lanolin can be used daily and is found in many different skincare products and formulations.
Lanolin can be harmful if it is swallowed.
Because of its high fat content, lanolin is occlusive, meaning it prevents the evaporation of water from the skin (transepidermal water loss). This keeps skin moisturized and helps the skin heal.
In the first day before intervention the mean score of nipple soreness was 4.34±0.70 & 4.53±0.54 for the breast milk and lanolin groups, respectively. No statistical significant difference was found between the two groups (P=0.743).
Lanolin has been recommended for healing nipple traumas due to its effect on the formation of a barrier that avoids losing the natural moistness of deeper skin layers, and thus increases cellular growth(3,5,9,14).