Written by Jenell Henning
Updated by Wendy, IBCLC June 2025
OUCH! BLEBS HURT.
If you've ever had a bleb (also known as a milk blister) you know that they can be both painful and difficult to get rid of. They can also lead to plugged ducts because they prevent milk from exiting the breast normally.
WHAT IS A MILK BLEB?
A bleb is a little white spot on the tip of the nipple that can look like a pimple with skin covering a white dot. It can also look like a nipple pore with milk stuck inside it (sometimes referred to as a plugged nipple pore). When you get rid of one, the milk may look like a tiny line of toothpaste, or like small granules of sugar. There may also be a little blood. r you may notice nothing at all.
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
Getting rid of a bleb and the pain that comes with it is a huge relief, so we thought we'd share five tips* for getting rid of them:
1) Use a warm wet compress before each feeding.
If your skin has covered up a nipple pore, softening the skin with a warm water wet compress before feeding will help to loosen the skin so that when your baby nurses, the skin opens and releases the bleb. Some mothers also try a saline soak (2 teaspoons Epsom salt to 1 cup water), soaking in the bathtub, or using olive oil on a cotton ball worn inside a bra in between feedings.
2) Loosen the milk stuck in the pore.
If the bleb is being caused by milk stuck in a nipple pore, you can try putting a smallish amount of vinegar on a cotton ball, and then leaving it inside your bra over the bleb for a few hours. Vinegar dissolves calcium, so it may help to loosen dried milk stuck in a nipple pore. Warm, wet compresses also help to loosen plugged nipple pores so that your baby can remove them while nursing.
3) Apply pressure, gently.
Your baby is the best person to apply pressure to the bleb when they nurse, especially after you apply a warm wet compress. But you can also –- gently — manipulate the area behind the bleb after using a compress to see if you can get the bleb to release. A pump is generally not very effective because it pulls instead of pushes from behind the bleb.
4) Prevent infection by using a double antibiotic ointment.
If you think that the bleb might be infected, or to prevent infection after a bleb opens up, consider using an antibiotic ointment on the affected area. Choose one that doesn’t contain neomycin, because that can cause skin irritation for some people. Use a tiny amount, just enough to cover the area, and apply after feedings.
5) Open it, safely.
Ask your healthcare provider to open the bleb using a sterile instrument. After the skin is opened, either by your provider or yourself, be sure to use an antibiotic ointment (see above) on the affected area to prevent infection.
If you need extra milk supply support during this time, Motherlove has lactation supplements to help. Consider increased nursing or pumping to bring your supply back up as well. You may even try power pumping.
Need to soothe nursing and pumping nipples? Check out our best-selling organic Nipple Cream.
