Nipple

“ Not so with sickness arising from disease, or disordered condition of the stomach.
Shooting pains through—enlargement of—and other changes of the breast. When two months of pregnancy have been completed, an uneasy sensation of throbbing and stretching fulness is experienced, accompanied with tingling about the middle of the breasts, centring in the nipple. A sensible alteration in their appearance soon follows: they grow larger and more firm. The nipple becomes more prominent, and the circle around its base altered in color and structure, constituting what is called “the areola.” ”

“ Many young mothers have no prominence to the nipple, so that neglect on the part of the nurse may cause such to lose the benefits of suckling. A friendly adult or child could soon draw out the nipple by sucking so that the babe can get hold; after which the nipple cups should be kept in constant use, till the babe is strong enough to keep the glands soft, and the nipple pliable. Usually, at this juncture, all sorts of teas are suggested: molasses water, milk and sugar and water ”

“ But it is wisely provided by nature, that when the child reposes upon its mother's arm it has its mouth directly applied to the nipple, which is turned outwards to receive it, whilst the lower part of the breast forms a cushion, upon which the cheek of the infant tranquilly reposes. ”

“ The hole in the nipple should not be too large—if the child can empty the bottle in less time than fifteen minutes the hole is too large. If the milk drops out but does not run it is about right. Don't buy nipples too long or too large. A long nipple tends to gag the child and cause vomiting. A large nipple prevents the child from sucking properly and usually allows the food to be taken too quickly and with air, which causes colic and indigestion. It is well to have always half a dozen nipples of the right kind on hand. ”

“ All that we have further to say on suckling is an advice to mothers, that if they wish to keep a sound and unchapped nipple, and possibly avoid what is called a "broken breast," never to put it up with a wet nipple, but always to have a soft handkerchief in readiness, and the moment that delicate part is drawn from the child's mouth, to dry it carefully of the milk and saliva that moisten it ”

“ Gathered Breast.—A healthy woman with a well-developed breast and a good nipple, scarcely, if ever, has a gathered bosom; it is the delicate, the ill-developed breasted and worse-developed nippled lady who usually suffers from this painful complaint. And why? The evil can generally be traced to girlhood. If she be brought up luxuriously, her health and her breasts are sure to be weakened, and thus to suffer, more especially if the development of the bosoms and nipples has been arrested and interfered with by tight stays and corsets. ”

“ A sore nipple is another fruitful cause of a gathered breast. A mother, in consequence of the suffering it produces, dreads putting the baby to it; she therefore keeps him almost entirely to the other bosom. The result is, the breast with the sore nipple becomes distended with milk, which, being unrelieved, ends in inflammation, and subsequently in gathering.
692. The fruitless attempt of an infant, to procure milk when there is very little or none secreted is another and a frequent cause of a gathered bosom. ”

“ The changes in the breasts during pregnancy were practically all included in the enumerated signs and symptoms of pregnancy. They increase in size and firmness and become nodular; the nipple is more prominent and together with the surrounding areolæ, grows much darker; the glands of Montgomery are enlarged; the superficial veins grow more prominent, and after the third month a thin, yellowish fluid can be expressed from the nipples. ”

“ They are of no importance in the male, in whom they are usually rudimentary, but they are of great importance in the female. They manufacture milk, which is necessary for the proper nutrition of the infant, and they add a great deal to the beauty and attractiveness of the woman. They are thus a help to the woman in getting a mate or a husband. The projecting elevation of the breast, which the child takes in his mouth when nursing, is called the nipple; the darker colored area surrounding the nipple is called the areola.
[45]
The Pelvis of the Male. ”

“ We need not expect to remedy sore nipples to any great extent so long as the breast remains inflamed. We must first cure the breast, and then with reasonable care and attention the nipple will soon heal of itself. But if the general system is at fault, the blood impure, and the skin at any moment, on the application of a little moisture, liable to crack, then our object should be to employ such a course of constitutional treatment as is calculated to improve the system generally. Sore nipple often consists “in a long, narrow ulcer, wide as a horse-hair, and a sixteenth of an inch long ”

“ In women the supernumerary nipple is observed to increase at the time of the periods; in some cases during lactation so much milk is secreted as to make it a matter of indifference whether the child is suckled at the normal nipples or at the supernumerary one. In cases of polymastia the nipple is not always formed ”

“ To wash away any viscid mucus from the nipple, or any stale perspiration from the bosom, let the breasts and the nipples, before applying the baby, be first sponged with a little warm water, and then be dried with a warm, dry, soft napkin; for some infants are so particular that unless the breasts and the nipples be perfectly free from mucus and from perspiration, they will not suck. ”

“ The breast sometimes becomes so inflamed, so hard, so obstinate—all, perhaps, in spite of the best that we can do—that it is found impossible to extract any milk whatever from the lactiferous tubes. Under such circumstances the frequent sucking of the nipple by the child, or, what is worse, by the use of the miserable instruments which have been contrived for drawing the breast, it is often made very sore. ”

“ Mothers are loth to believe this failure of their resources, and in the case of some who have firm and well-formed breasts, there is but little change in their appearance to show that what remains may serve for beauty, not for use. But if while the child is sucking, the nipple is taken suddenly from its mouth, instead of innumerable little jets of milk, spirting out from the openings of the milk-ducts, the nipple will be seen to be barely moistened by its languid flow. ”

“ The nipple and its encircling areola are usually of a brownish colour; but in beautiful women they sometimes retain the pink colour characteristic of these structures in the virgin. In parous women who have suckled their children, the breasts are usually pendent, and often the left breast will be found to be somewhat larger than the other; generally also in such women the nipples are longer and thicker than normal. Not infrequently the nipples are withdrawn into a furrow of the skin, and become prominent only on local stimulation or as a result of sexual excitement. ”

“ The nipple is cylindrical rather than conical in shape, and covered with finely wrinkled black skin, which is sometimes hard and horny. When not giving suck, the breasts hang slackly down, like short empty pouches. ”

“ Breast and Nipples.—The nipples should be cleansed after each nursing with warm boric solution. If they are cracked and sore a lubricating ointment should be applied and a nipple shield should be used. If the breasts become distended they should be massaged gently every two or three hours, and they may be pumped if necessary. In this state the patient must not have regular liquid diet, and the bowels must be kept freely open with saline laxatives. A compressed binder is comforting and beneficial. ”

“ Pain is felt in the side or breast, of a severe cutting character, referred usually to the neighbourhood of the nipple, but it may be also at some distance from the affected part, such as through the middle of the body or in the abdominal or iliac regions. ”

“ Nursing.— When the mother's nipples are of the normal size and well formed, the healthy infant instinctively suckles at once when placed at the breast, but sometimes it has to be taught; by squeezing out a few drops of milk to wet the nipple, the child will usually take hold, or a little sugar and water may be put on the nipple; a little patience and tact are all that is necessary to insure success. But the infant must be taught to nurse at once before the breasts become engorged with milk. ”

“ There are only a few cases where persistent manipulation will not develop the nipple and make it stand out prominently.
If the nipple is tender it should be washed two or three times a day with a mixture of alcohol and water; one part of alcohol to three parts of water is sufficient. In washing the nipple with this diluted alcohol it should be dried and a little petrolatum or vaseline rubbed in. This done two or three times a day during the last month or two of the pregnancy will generally produce a good healthy nipple. ”

“ In selecting a wet-nurse for a very small and feeble babe, you must carefully ascertain that the nipples of the wet-nurse are good and soft, and yet not very large: if they be very large, the child’s mouth being very small, he may not be able to hold them. You must note, too, whether the milk flows readily from the nipple into the child’s mouth; if it does not, he may not have strength to draw it, and he would soon die of starvation. ”

“ The powerful effect which stimulation of the nipple produces on the sexual sphere has led to the breasts playing a prominent part in the erotic art of those lands in which this art has been most carefully cultivated. Thus in India, according to Vatsyayana, many authors are of the opinion that in approaching a woman a lover should begin by sucking the nipples of her breasts, and in the songs of the Bayaderes of Southern India sucking the nipple is mentioned as one of the natural preliminaries of coitus. ”

“ The Indian woman has a conical breast, firm and well supported, the point being turned so far sideways that the breast 531seems to arise under the arm-pit, the nipple being actually projected on the arm in a full-faced view of the chest. In the negress the breast is more cylindrical, looser, and more flaccid, the nipple being turned forward and downward, so that in a front view it is projected on the chest. In the Indian the inguinal region is broad and distinctly set off from the prominence of the abdomen, while in the Negro it is a mere fold. ”

“ In debilitated women, however, the strain of milk-production may lead to general lack of muscular tone, and involution of the womb thus be hindered rather than aided by lactation.
On the objective side, then, the nipple is to be regarded as an erectile organ, richly supplied with nerves and vessels, which, under the stimulation of the infant's lips—or any similar compression, and even under the influence of emotion or cold,—becomes firm and projects, mainly as a result of muscular contraction ”

“ Touch sensations are without doubt the first of all the sensory impressions to prove pleasurable. We should, indeed, expect this from the fact that the skin reflexes have already appeared before birth, while a pleasurable sensitiveness of the lips is doubtless a factor in the child's response to the contact of the maternal nipple. ”

“ In the case of this, as of other pouched animals, the young animal is removed, while very small and imperfectly formed, from the womb to the pouch, in which the teats are, and is there placed with its lips against one of the nipples. But the young animal taken altogether is not so large as the nipple, and is therefore incapable of sucking after the manner of common mammals. ”

“ Care must be used in removing a nipple to take it by the rim, not to touch other nipples during the process and not to dip the fingers into the water. The best way is to remove them by means of a glass rod, which is boiled with the nipples and kept with them in the cup when not in use. There [78] are several advantages of this method of caring for nipples: it is easy; it reduces to a minimum the necessary handling of the nipples after boiling; and it reduces the probability of using the wrong nipple, since boiled nipples are always in one kind of receptacle and used nipples in another. ”

“ It is better to buy nipples that can be turned inside out. There should always be at least two nipples clean and ready for use. [59] Immediately after the feeding the nipple should be removed from the bottle, washed in cold water, scrubbed inside and outside, rinsed well, and placed in a jar of sterile water or a two per cent solution of boric acid. Nipples should be boiled daily for about three minutes.
When it is time to feed the baby the bottle should be taken from the ice box and placed (still corked) in a dish of water deep enough to come above the milk line. ”

“ But if the nipples are sunken so that they are below the surface of the breast, or if they are only slightly above the surface of the breast, they must be treated. Gentle traction must be made on them with the fingers three or four times a day. ”

“ Ladies who never wear stays have much better nipples, and more fully-developed bosoms; hence such mothers are more likely to make better nurses to their babies. There is no doubt that the pressure of the stays on the bosom tends both to waste away the gland of the breast (where the milk is secreted) , and to cause the nipple either to dwindle or 276to be pushed in, and thus to sadly interfere with its functions. ”