Lip Blistering

Have you ever noticed lip blisters on your baby? Or someone else’s baby?

If not all over the lips, how about a blister on middle of the top lip?

Many people think that blisters are normal, particularly that blister that can show up in the middle of the top lip.  BUT, any lip blistering is not normal!  Common, but not normal.

So why does blistering happen?  Blisters are a sign that the lips are trying to grip the breast for dear life!

With an optimal latch, the tongue is doing the majority of the work with gripping onto the breast and creating a seal.  If the tongue is not able to do that, then the lips start helping a bit too much.

It could be something positional- you aren’t in an optimal position for feeding and maybe baby is too far away from you or turning his head awkwardly and can’t get a good seal.  Or, it could be because the tongue has restricted movement, like in the case of a tongue tie.

The only way to know for sure is to investigate further with an IBCLC!

Hope that helps!

Jess