Breastfeeding with nipple piercings? Find out your options and what to expect.
If you have nipple piercings and are planning to breastfeed, you might be wondering if they’ll cause any problems and what to do with your jewellery.
There isn’t much research on how nipple piercings affect making breastmilk and breastfeeding but many women with nipple piercings do successfully breastfeed. There are options for managing nipple jewellery. Understanding their effects on safety, comfort and milk supply can help you make the best choice for you and your baby.
Does piercing affect breastfeeding?
Most mums with healed nipple piercings are able to breastfeed without issues.
Healing matters: Piercings need to be fully healed before you start breastfeeding. Healing can take a year or more. If your piercings are recent or still healing, you may be at higher risk of infection or discomfort.
Possible effects: In some cases, nipple piercings can affect milk flow if milk ducts or nerves are damaged. Multiple piercings, severe infections or other past problems with piercings may increase the risk of damage and scarring. This makes breastfeeding problems more likely.
If only one nipple is affected: The other breast may compensate by producing more milk.
There’s no way to know if your milk flow has been affected until you begin to breastfeed. Keep in mind that many women with pierced nipples have no problems. Feeding your baby often from birth will give you the best chance of building up a healthy supply.
Safety: Why removing nipple jewellery before feeds is recommended
Removing nipple jewellery before breastfeeding helps keep feeds safe and comfortable for your baby.
Feeding can be harder with jewellery in place.
Jewellery can interfere with latch. Your baby may slurp, gag or come on and off the breast, making feeds stressful for both of you. Milk may leak from your baby’s mouth and they may not remove milk effectively. Over time, this can reduce your milk supply. These issues usually improve when the jewellery is removed for feeds.
Jewellery can injure your baby’s mouth.
Nipple jewellery is often wider than the nipple to allow for swelling after piercing. This extra width can rub or press on delicate tissues, which may harm your baby’s lips, gums, tongue or palate.
There is a choking risk if jewellery comes loose.
As your baby sucks, the nipple changes shape and the piercing hole can stretch. This may loosen jewellery, with the risk that your baby could breathe in, swallow or choke on it. If you choose to feed with jewellery in, check that it’s secure before every feed.
Options for nipple jewellery while breastfeeding
When it comes to nipple jewellery, you have three options.
- Remove the jewellery before each feed and put it back in afterwards.
- Leave the jewellery out for the whole time you’re breastfeeding.
- Keep the jewellery in while breastfeeding (although this is not generally recommended due to safety concerns)
Other things to think about
- Comfort: Some mums find nipple jewellery uncomfortable during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Others prefer to keep it in.
- Convenience: Removing jewellery for every feed can be fiddly, as babies feed often.
- Hygiene: If you’re taking jewellery in and out, you’ll need to keep everything clean to avoid infection.
- Piercing holes may close: The longer jewellery is left out, the more likely the holes are to close.
- Future plans: If you’d like to keep your piercings open or re-pierce after breastfeeding, this may influence your decision.
Your options for nipple jewellery while breastfeeding
- Take your jewellery out just before your baby feeds and put it back in straight after.
- Temporary plastic retainers may help keep the holes open between feeds.
- Good hygiene is important. Wash your hands and jewellery at each feed and store jewellery in a clean container.
- Absorbent breast pads can help with any leaking between feeds.
- Some mums choose to leave their jewellery out for the whole time they are breastfeeding.
- This can make feeding simpler, as you don’t need to remove and replace jewellery many times a day.
- Piercing holes may close over time if jewellery is left out for months.
- If you plan to have your nipples re-pierced after breastfeeding, wait a few months after weaning, as breasts may still make milk for some time.
- Keeping jewellery in during feeds is not generally recommended due to safety risks.
- If you do choose this option, check that jewellery is secure before each feed.
- Watch for signs your baby may be having difficulty feeding, such as coming on and off the breast or milk leaking from their mouth.
- Some mums find flexible jewellery more comfortable than metal as their breasts change.
- Breast pumps may not fit well over jewellery; hand expressing may be an easier option.
Getting support
If you’ve had a nipple piercing and are having problems breastfeeding, support is available. An ABA breastfeeding counsellor, your doctor or a lactation consultant can help.
Make sure to mention your piercings, even if the holes have closed.
Support is available, and many breastfeeding challenges can be worked through with the right help.
© Australian Breastfeeding Association June 2026
- Garbin, C. P., Deacon, J. P., Rowan, M. K., Hartmann, P. E., & Geddes, D. T. (2009). Association of nipple piercing with abnormal milk production and breastfeeding. JAMA, 301(24), 2550–2551. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.877
- Holbrook, J., Minocha, J., & Laumann, A. (2012). Body piercing: complications and prevention of health risks. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 13(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.2165/11593220-000000000-00000
- Martin, J. (2004). Is nipple piercing compatible with breastfeeding? Journal of Human Lactation, 20(3), 319–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334404266876
- Nipple Piercing. (2021). In Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®). National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500564/
