A Review of Nursing Comfort Creams

Not all nursing creams are created equal, and I may or may not have learned this the hard way.

(may being the more accurate of the two)

After six-ish years of nursing, I can attest: sometimes it hurts.

I say “sometimes” because most of the time, it doesn’t hurt. And what’s more, it shouldn’t.

I wouldn’t have known this, had I not read “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.” by the La Leche Group acknowledges. I would have assumed that, like many good things, pain was inevitable. But LLC explains that almost any mommy and baby team can make nursing work (yay!). They say that if it starts to hurt, that only means that something is off and needs to be fixed. Nursing hasn’t “reached” its end. I know it sounds like wishful thinking, but I love the concept that pain doesn’t equal incapability.

I’m going to be honest– most of my experience with breastfeeding has been pretty pain-free. (With the exception of mastitis and being bit, which always hurts no matter what). But, there have been occasions where the latching has been off, or baby is teething and we need extra support.

Throughout my six-ish years of nursing, I’ve tried quite a few creams. Some were better than others, and if you’re on the market for nursing comfort creams, I hope this can help! I saved the best for last.

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Nursing Cream Review

 

Pure Lanolin

For starters, I tried 100% lanolin as given to me by my hospital. As a first time mom, I did what I was told and put it on. It was only later that I understood lanolin to be derived from sheep’s wool. Maybe it works for some people, but for me, as soon as I knew it was from sheep, that was all I could smell. haha. (And throughout my journey to conscious consuming, I now know the wool could be derived from unethical farming).

 

Medela Tender Care Lanolin Cream

I tried one other “brand” of lanolin cream, and the smell wasn’t any different. Medela Tender Care Lanolin Cream now comes in a “pure” variety called Puralan with a single-ingredient, but at the time mine had hypoallergenic additives and still considered itself “natural.” Lanolin just isn’t my favorite. The Medela Tender Care still had a sheep-smell to me and the goopy, yellow consistency was off-putting. It worked, but I didn’t enjoy it.

 

My Brest Friend Nipple Cream

Aw, if there was such a thing as “sentimental” cream this would it be it. My Brest Friend Nipple Cream was my first non-lanolin cream and just the sight of the bottle takes me back to my earliest motherhood days. The cream is made of natural and organic ingredients, so it is very obviously completely safe for mom and baby.  There is no need to wipe it off before baby nurses, and its clear in color, so no staining anything!  It had a very slight butter smell, but it is very pleasant and relaxing.  What I loved most about it was obviously it’s effects– it is soothing if you’re hurting, but it also is effective at preventing those hurts in the first place.

A slightly con is the consistency. The coconut oil “solidifies” a bit and so when it comes out of the tube it’s grainy. (The texture does not hurt sores, however). Rolling it between your fingers to warm it before application helps tremendously with smoothing it on. Once you apply it, the cream will melt onto your skin anyways, so warming it beforehand is not strictly necessary.

 

Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter

My very favorite, hands-down, is the Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter. It had a luxurious consistency, faint but pleasant scent, and flawless ingredients. It does have a yellow color since its base is olive oil instead of coconut oil, but I don’t recall a single stain! Additions like shea butter, sunflower oil, mango seed butter, Candelilla wax, and soybean oil make this *chef’s kiss!* Each of those ingredients provides a nourishing benefit that make this cream extra buttery and soothing. Amongst this lineup of nursing comfort creams, I haven’t found anything better!

Vegan option: Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter now has a beeswax-free option! Try their Vegan Nipple Butter. And let me know what you think 🙂

Ol’ Reliable

Last, but never least: high-quality natural-living staple plain coconut oil <3. I never needed to do this myself, but it would totally work in a pinch. It won’t necessarily have the healing properties that a blend like the Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter would have. But as a barrier, lubricant, and post-nursing soother, coconut oil will always be a safe bet.

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Have you tried any of these creams? I would love to know if I missed one! Leave a comment below with your go-to nursing comfort creams?

 

 

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