What are these bumps on my areola?

They are so important while breastfeeding!
These tiny bumps that surround your nipple on your areola are called Montgomery glands or tubercles. Some moms have said they thought they were pimples on their areola. Truth be told – they are one of the essentials ways a mom’s body communicates with her baby.

In many ways the breast is like a tree with roots growing deep from inside the mother. These roots are formed by her blood vessels bringing rich nutrients to her milk cells and by the milk ducts that fill her breast. When the milk is made and brought out of the breast as the baby feeds, the milk brings that nutrient-dense, nurturing, living food for baby to grow their beautiful “leaves” of development and life.
Montgomery glands are part of the root system. They serve 3 major functions that we know of. Since we are always discovering additional things about lactation and how women’s bodies make milk, I love to preface things that I write with that consideration. We must never underestimate the importance of any specific part of breastfeeding or function of our body. It has an important purpose, even if we don’t understand fully how or why.

When a baby latches to the breast, the Montgomery glands on the mother’s areola make contact with the baby’s saliva. This is where the fascinating communication begins. These glands or tubercles actually take in small amount of the baby’s saliva and use it to asses for baby’s needs. If the baby has been recently exposed to an illness or been putting every they can grab into their mouth – the mother’s body quickly gets to work building antibodies to help her baby fight these pathogens.
In the hospital setting with our premie NICU babies it is common practice in many places to teach mother to swab her areola with a used baby’s oral care swab. This assists that mom’s body to make specific milk that mirrors her fragile baby’s needs.
This is one of the reasons why latching directly at the breast has such great benefits. If you’re a pumping mom, consider doing orals swabs on your Montgomery glands to target your baby’s needs.

Another important role Montgomery glands play in breastfeeding is that they excrete a fluid onto the areola and nipple. This fluid is antimicrobial and covers the surface of the nipple keeping it clean for baby. That’s why I don’t recommend moms to wash their nipples with any soaps or apply lotions. We don’t want to disturb that system already in place to protect our babies. Many of the nipple creams or balms that women use actually do disrupt this system. If you have cracked, irritated or damaged nipples your first line of treatment should always be your own milk. Usually I see nipple damage occur in the first few days after birth, when colostrum (the first thick milk) is present. This early milk does wonders for skin and should be your first nipple balm. Express a few drops of colostrum and rub it across your damaged area on your nipple. Allow it to air dry and repeat several times a day.
*** If you are having pain with latching or pumping and it is causing damage, call your lactation consultant! Getting pumping assistance or changing positioning or latch is the only way to prevent further damage.

Also, the Montgomery glands help to lubricant the nipple. The same fluid they secrete mixes with the babies saliva to allow the baby’s lips and mouth to glide comfortably as the baby suckles. While there shouldn’t be a lot of movement of the baby’s lips when they nurse, the nipple is stretched and expands in baby’s mouth. The friction can occur as baby is latching on and pulling/tugging on the nipple. If you don’t swipe away this fluid with soaps or creams then moms can a less chance of nipple adhesions or “skid marks.” Again, if you are experiencing these painful problems, reach out to your local lactation consultant for help with positioning! When a mother is an exclusive pumper she does not have the full lubricant since her baby’s saliva is not mixing with the gland’s fluid. Many pumping moms use a lubricating spray or oil to help decrease friction in their flange. Make sure you use a food grade oil like coconut oil or olive oil. And don’t use it excessively – only enough to slightly moisten your areola not enough to drip any oil into your milk.

Remember when you latch your baby that there is communication happening between your body and baby even without you saying a word. Your body knows how to make the milk your baby needs even if it’s only a small amount of breastmilk a day. The older toddler who may only nurse a few times a day still receives benefits from breastmilk. Because those Montgomery glands are still hard at work building antibodies for the child as they are exposed to more and more in their little world. Our body just packs those antibodies into smaller amounts of milk. Mama’s milk has magic and knows exactly what baby needs.