Impacts of breast-care techniques on prevention of possible postpartum nipple problems.

An experimental study was designed to compare the effectiveness of three techniques on the prevention or reduction of nipple pain and cracked nipples during the first ten days postpartum. The methods were to apply warm compresses, to apply expressed breast milk or to give no treatment other than keeping the nipples dry and clean. Applying warm compresses or expressed breast milk was found to be less effective in preventing cracked nipples than simply keeping the nipples dry and clean. The number of cases with nipple pain was less in the group that applied expressed breast milk.