The more a baby nurses, which stimulates the breast, the more milk is produced which builds up the milk supply. A pregnant woman may discover that she has flat or inverted nipples. Inverted nipples are caused by adhesions which hold the nipple back toward the chest wall. When baby tries to grasp the nipple during a feeding, the nipple may pull away instead of protruding into his mouth. It is ideal to check for inverted nipples during the second trimester of pregnancy because they may be able to be corrected before the baby arrives.
Press fingers together several times around the nipple base.
If the nipple protrudes easily while pinching, the nipple should not require any preparation for breastfeeding. If the nipple appears to be inverted but protrudes during the test, no prenatal preparation is necessary. If the nipple appears to protrude but goes back in when pinched, it is inverted and will benefit from prenatal treatment. If the nipple appears inverted and remains inverted during compression, prenatal treatment is indicated. Occasionally the nipple will appear to be flat or only slightly inverted and responds to stimulation as an inverted nipple.