Nipples Changing Color with the Willow Pump

With a conventional or standard breast pump, blanching of the nipple (nipple turns white) or nipples turning purple is typically a cause for concern, or as least a cause to assess. With the Willow Pump, this happens much more frequently and causes a lot of concern amongst pumping parents.

Why Do My Nipples Change Color with the Willow Pump?

Nipples changing color is certainly a reason to be assessed by a lactation consultant with expert experience with this particular pump. This assessment allows us to sort out what’s happening, assure your nipples are not being damaged, create a care plan to heal from existing damage, prevent further damage, and fix the situation overall.

What are some Reasons Nipples Change Colors?

Bruising:

Bruising occurs when the tissue is traumatized and blood vessels under the skin burst. Depending on the stage of healing, bruising ranges from a dark blue/purple color to a pale green. When pressure is applied to a bruise, it can appear blanched temporarily.

Vasospasms:

Vasospasms are the sudden and rapid constriction of the blood vessels in a particular body part. This can cause the area to become white, and cycle through to a bright red and dark blue/purple phase. Vasospasms are often intensely painful in the moment and happen intermittently. Vasospasms can be a result of an underlying medical condition such as Raynaud’s Syndrome, or a response to ongoing trauma from pump flange damage, excessive suction, or a poor latch. Nipple tissue that is potentially suffering from a bacterial or fungal infection is prone to this issue.

If Vasospasms are due to trauma, we can treat the issues causing the trauma and restore appropriate blood flow. If the Vasospasm is due to an underlying medical condition, we can have a health care provider treat the underlying condition with medication. There are supplements that we can use to decrease symptoms in both cases, but we have to have that thorough understanding of the why for the issue in order to use the appropriate options to allow for improvement. 

Trauma:

In some cases, ongoing trauma causes transient color changes unrelated to blood flow or bruising. Typically, this is a result of alignment concerns or poor support for the pump and flanges putting atypical pressure on part of the nipple. With the Willow, this can sometimes be an early indicator the nipple is at risk for stretching past the end of an insert, and if we don’t catch this sign, the risk of the tissue stretching past and mushrooming increases. There are also cases where the color change is related to localized tissue trauma from a latching concern that is exacerbated under constant suction and becomes temporarily discolored.  

Is this a Complicated Concern?

It is! Understanding normal nipple function, response to normal latching or pumping, and how to interpret the markings and symptoms is complicated. Figuring out how to protect the milk supply and address these issues is even more complicated. Miss an issue, or misidentify the issue delaying treatment, and you put the entire breastfeeding journey at risk.

Are Nipples Changing Color ever Normal?

It certainly can be a normal response to constant suction, and we do see the same phenomenon with the only other constant suction pump on the market (Limerick Pumps). 

If I do an assessment and the nipple is properly sized, the discoloration is symmetrical, resolves spontaneously and rapidly after pumping, and there is no pain or discomfort, it can be “normal”. I put that in quotes because we are drawing only on clinical experience with this pump with a limited number of people, so this idea of “normal” could evolve overtime as we learn more about the normal tissue reaponse to this type of suction. I don’t recommend a DIY approach to determining if this is normal because of the high risk of tissue damage if you mistake the color as normal when it’s not. 

Color changes with the Willow are also something to monitor over time to assure they are not the earliest manifestations of an issue that will progress overtime. Find a lactation consultant who knows the Willow Pump (a lot don’t - read the hazards here), and be proactive about your health and breastfeeding journey.