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To test the effectiveness of two topical treatments in preventing and treating sore nipples, eleven breastfeeding primigravida women applied lanolin cream or tea bags on one breast in the immediate postpartum period. The subjects' treated breasts served as the experimental group; the contralateral breasts served as the control group. Following delivery, a baseline of nipple soreness was recorded and treatment was begun. Nipple soreness ratings were recorded twice daily by the subjects from the third to the eighth day postpartum. Nipple soreness for both groups peaked on the fourth day postpartum. When nipple soreness ratings of the untreated and treated breasts were compared using a t-test, no significant differences were found. Use of these agents neither prevents nor reduces nipple soreness.