Nursing mothers especially first-time mums often ask lots of questions related to breastfeeding and this isn’t bad at all as long as they inquire from well-trained or qualified medical personnel. “Can I use coconut oil on my nipples while breastfeeding?” – This is one of the numerous questions new breastfeeding moms always ask.
When it comes to matters that concern breast and breastfeeding, one has to be exceptionally careful because any mistake could lead to health defects such as breast cancer and the rest.
It is advised that every product made with chemicals of any kind should not be applied anywhere near the breast, talk less of the breast itself. Organic products should be used to avoid health complications.
With this knowledge, natural coconut oil passes the test because it has no chemical that can be harmful to the breast and to the baby who might consume it during breastfeeding.
Apart from it being consumable and safe, coconut oil has other benefits that nursing mothers and babies enjoy.
Once a baby is born, s/he becomes vulnerable to pathogenic infection, hence the need for immunization and other hygienic procedures. Consuming coconut oil in the right proportion helps to fight against fungal and bacterial infections in babies’ body systems because of the presence of Capric, Caprylic, and Lauric Acid.
Coconut oil nourishes the mum’s skin as well as the newborn’s. It also helps to combat diaper rash which is always a concern to most mothers.
Can I Use Coconut Oil On My Nipples While Breastfeeding
Back to your inquiry about if you can use coconut oil on your nipples while breastfeeding. The answer is YES, so long as moderation is applied, but once you notice that your baby is sensitive to it, avoid applying it and consult a well-trained medical practitioner for advice on what to do next.
Is Coconut Oil Safe For Nipple Pain?
Absolutely, it is.
Cracked or sore nipples can be very painful, especially while the baby is suckling. The pain can be so unbearable that at times nursing mothers hurry to make use of lots of nipple creams to make sure the nipples heal as fast as possible.
But the thing is, most of the products they get from the market aren’t healthy for the breast and the baby, but guess what, coconut oil is superb.
Coconut oil is an antimicrobial and antibacterial oil and it’s 100% natural. It deals with the bacteria or fungi that might cause sore nipples, and helps the nipple to heal as fast as possible.
Since it’s natural, it doesn’t have any side effects on the breast or the baby. It is a great option.
Cracked nipples can lead to mastitis and if not well treated, it will lead to a more life-threatening situation such as cancer, but the use of natural ointment such as coconut oil does the magic.
The good news is that, it is very much affordable and available. Every nursing mother is expected to have it because it’s very essential.
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Does Coconut Oil Affect Breast Milk?
Research has proven beyond reasonable doubt that coconut affects breast milk positively.
Coconut oil contains a good level of Lauric acid which is an essential ingredient in breast milk.
It contains healthy fats that your body needs to produce milk, and to plus it up, it increases the level of antimicrobial activity in the breast milk which helps to keep your newborn away from infection.
8 Ways to Use Coconut Oil for Breastfeeding
The benefit of coconut oil can not be overemphasized. Coconut Oil can be used in diverse ways by breastfeeding mothers. Coconut oil can be used as;
1. As a body cream
Most nursing mothers dump their body cream for coconut oil after delivery because of its immense benefit to their skin and also that of their babies.
Coconut oil comes with lots of vitamins that are good for the babies and their mothers, such as vitamin K, and E.
To make use of the oil well and gain massively, apply it to your hands, feet, lips, and every part of your body that seems dry. After application, the skin will absorb the oil and keep you and your baby’s skin in good condition.
2. As a hair cream
One of the things that nursing mothers should take seriously is keeping every part of their body clean and healthy including their hair as anything they do will have an indirect effect on their babies. Making good use of natural products such as coconut oil is a good practice.
The how-to is simple. It involves rubbing the hair entirely with a sufficient level of coconut oil. This will then sink into the hair follicles and act as a detangler and also as an ointment which reduces hair breakage and damage.
3. As a diaper rash cream
Babies put on diapers almost all the time and it exposes their buttocks to fungal activities which results in rashes.
Coconut oil can be used as an ointment which will act as a barrier to erase the rashes and prevent further occurrence. Instead of using inorganic creams on babies’ buttocks, it’s wise to use unprocessed coconut oil.
It’s not hard to use. You just need to wash your baby’s buttocks after you remove the diaper, allow them to dry completely for some minutes, and apply the little quantity of the oil in the affected area. After application, allow the skin to absorb the oil before wearing your baby a fresh diaper.
4. As a nipple cream
Coconut Oil is a good medication for a cracked, broken, or sore nipple. Nursing mothers often apply it on their nipples before or after breastfeeding to help heal their sore nipples and also help to scare away microbial infections.
They do not bother about the effect on their babies if they ingest it from their breasts because it’s 100% natural.
5. As food
There’s a long list of cooking oil in the market, but not all are healthy or good for consumption, especially for nursing mothers.
One of the challenges that women face after nursing their children is the challenge of getting back to shape and it’s very tedious. A good way to achieve this faster is watching the kind of food they take.
Coconut oil contains healthy fats that are good for breast milk production and does not accumulate in the body. Use natural coconut oil, not refined and hydrogenated ones for cooking and baking.
6. As an energy booster
Apart from these benefits listed here, coconut oil has been revealed to be an energy booster. This is primarily because of the presence of long-chain triglycerides and medium-chained triglycerides.
This is how it works. When you ingest the long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), the fat molecules travel through the blood to tissues where they are needed. The medium-chained triglycerides then go towards the liver and engineer an immediate energy supply.
This is one of the reasons medium-chained triglycerides are used in sports nutrition. It’s easily absorbed by the body and gives a high level of energy as fast as possible. You don’t have to take it raw, use it for diverse meals; for your stir-fries, chicken seasoning, etc.
7. As a medication for seizures
Babies under the age of 6 months and 1 year often have convulsions and this is because of the low concentration of ketone in their blood.
Coconut oil contains a good level of medium-chained triglycerides, enough to increase the ketone concentration in babies and on the long run, prevent convulsions from happening.
8. As oral health improvement medication
Since every part of the baby’s body is improving, as a mother, you might want to put extra effort into making sure your baby has good oral health by ingesting a healthy amount of coconut oil which will be passed down to the baby through breast milk.
Do you know that you can transfer microbes to your baby via mouth-to-mouth kisses? This isn’t to scare you away from playing with your baby, you just need to maintain healthy oral health and one natural way of doing it is by swishing coconut oil in your mouth.
The coconut oil will then react with your saliva and reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth to a moderate level.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Breastfeeding Moms
Generally, coconut oil has lots of benefits, especially among breastfeeding mothers. The benefits are too substantial to ignore. They are:
1. Coconut oil nourishes the skin
The problem of dry skin among new moms is solved using coconut oil. This is because coconut oil contains rich and saturated fats that are capable of holding back moisture in the skin.
The best part is that it takes very good care of the skin without the user worrying over possible side effects because there are none.
This is why it’s advised that mothers use this all-natural product instead of products made with certain chemicals that might bleach their skin and even cause skin or breast cancer.
Nursing mothers should also avoid the use of unnatural products on their faces because the newborn can easily lick their faces while playing with them.
2. Coconut oil keeps the hair healthy
Coconut oil isn’t just a skin moisturizer, it keeps the hair in a good state as well. This is why a lot of hair food companies adopt the use of coconut in manufacturing their hair products.
Coconut oil contains Vitamin K and E which are medicine for the scratchy scalp, dandruff, and overly light hair. Aside from all the medication aspects, coconut oil is adequate for hair growth.
3. Coconut oil prevents infection
Coconut Oil is an antimicrobial product. It helps to chase away bacteria and fungi around injury on the skin thereby preventing infection.
Every nursing mother is advised to carry coconut oil everywhere they go especially when their babies start to crawl. This is because they are prone to having cuts on their knees and sometimes elbows while crawling and coconut oil helps to disinfect the wound.
Not just babies, coconut oil also works on their mums as well. It helps to erase eczema whether it’s caused by a cream reaction or not.
4. Coconut Oil for Diaper Rash
One of the many challenges nursing mothers face is getting rid of diaper rash. It’s heartbreaking to see your child’s skin covered with rashes and you don’t know what to do. Some of them rush to buy expensive chemical-formulated creams but most times, they turn out to be fake.
Coconut oil when applied to your baby’s buttocks prevents every microbial activity that might result in rashes.
5. Coconut Oil for Breastfeeding
Coconut oil isn’t oil to joke around with after delivery as it is your go-to product for sore or cracked nipples. It’s 100% safe and leaves you with no effect.
6. Coconut Oil is among the best for consumption
Among the best oil, coconut oil stands tall because of its health benefits, especially for lactating mothers who need it for their breast milk production.
Nursing mothers are advised to go for this oil for their cooking and baking instead of ordinary fats like margarine.
When incorporated into meals, it will boost the breast milk antimicrobial fats known as medium-chain fatty acids or MCFAs which will help the baby fight infection and also help in boosting the immune system.
Coconut Oil And Sore Nipples
It’s been established that coconut oil heal broken, sore or cracked nipples because of its anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains an anti-yeast component that helps to fight against the possibility of the occurrence of thrush and other infections on the nipple.
Also, note that the best kind of coconut oil to use as a nursing mother is the 100% natural one. Overly refined one might not retain the properties needed to solve the problem of sore nipples and might not be good for the baby who will ingest it during breastfeeding.
All you need to do is apply natural coconut oil on your nipple after breastfeeding and allow it to sink in. The oil can stain your cloth hence, you should wear a cloth that isn’t too important to you after application. Ensure that you consult a well-trained medical practitioner if the pain persists or becomes serious.
What Kind of Coconut Oil is Best for Breastfeeding
Coconut oil is the best for lactating mothers, that’s true but not all kinds of coconut oil does the job well.
Since people came to the knowledge of the importance of coconut oil, they’ve been out producing lots of them but unfortunately, they get rid of the important properties and present the public with overly refined coconut oil that isn’t potent.
Natural coconut oil is the best for breastfeeding. You can make one your self and if you can’t, go for trusted brands that sell 100% natural coconut oil.
Inasmuch as coconut oil is all good for the health, it’s wise to consume it in moderation to avoid health complications such as heart disease. Also, remember to use little quantity on your baby’s skin and your nipples as well.
