I was just in the process of breastfeeding Willow and I happened to notice this little gel crystal on my breast.  It was about 1/2 inch from my nipple and I thought, “Hmm… why the heck do I get these little crystals on my breasts when I breastfeed?”  (This has happened maybe 2-3 times before now.)

I asked my husband what he thought might be happening and he wasn’t sure either so I Googled “gel crystals during breastfeeding.”  I was totally thinking that my breasts were producing these pretty little crystals… yes, I realize how silly that sounds in hindsight.  In any case, Googling it brought up a result about nursing pads and of course, it all made sense then!

I tore apart my nursing pad, I use the Johnson’s brand, and sure enough, inside were all these tiny little gel crystals.  The same kind you’d find in diapers or sanitary napkins.  They were sitting on top of the cotton batting and had somehow made it through the liner on my breast pad and found their way onto my breast.

Inside of the Nursing Pad - Note the Crystal in Center of Photo

Of course, like any momma, I got nervous instantly… had Willow been ingesting these often?  Were they harmful to her?  So, I picked up the phone and called Johnson’s.

The gentleman I spoke with was very helpful and courteous and when I asked what the materials used were in the nursing pads, he told me wood pulp and a super absorbent polymer material.  Which polymer was used, he didn’t know.  However, he assured me that the polymer was non-toxic.

The gentleman at Johnson’s even offered to document the case and send me out a free product replacement coupon so that I could purchase a new box of nursing pads at no cost.  I thought that showed really great customer service and was glad that they extended that offer!

In any case, I wanted to blog about it in case other people Googled, “gel crystals while breastfeeding” or anything similar.  Know that it’s coming from your breast pad and what you may want to do is just change them as soon as they get a little bit damp and also make sure to check your breast carefully before latching the baby on.

Hope this helps!