The human body is quite the interesting, well-oiled machine! When you are pregnant, your body already begins preparing for what will happen after you give birth to your baby. Breast changes start becoming noticeable very early on during pregnancy, and can be one of the very first pregnancy symptoms you are aware of. Your breasts might start growing, and they can feel heavier and tender. Later on in pregnancy, you might start leaking colostrum – the first milk mothers produce for their babies. If you have itchy nipples as well as leaking milk, you can wonder if everything is OK. But, itchy nipples are not an uncommon symptom during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
Itchy nipples can be, more than anything else, really irritating. After all, you are not really going to scratch them, even if you want to! But there is no reason to be concerned about itchy nipples. The itch is a natural result of all the other breast changes, and most of all the fact that your skin is stretching.
As a mother of two, I remember the itchy nipples during pregnancy very well. There is nothing more embarrassing than wanting to scream and grab onto your breasts to quell the itch (Well, perhaps there is – weak bladder control and pregnancy incontinence). And coming up with solutions can be tricky. But, if your nipples are itching and you can’t bear it anymore, there are things you can do. Try slapping them, or putting an icepack on them. For some pregnant women, gently massaging the whole breast can also offer relief from itchy nipples.
Itchy nipples are most likely to happen during the second and third trimesters of your pregnancy, and they will be gone by the time you give birth.