Top teeth and breastfeeding

[Penguina]

My 5 month old has just cut his first top tooth and the second will probably be out by the morning....brilliant.

During tonight's bedtime feed I can really feel it. I'm worried that as it continues to grow he is just going to dig in to my nipple and that he is too young to learn that If I take him off immediately that he's not to do it again. What can I do? Absolutely refuse to stop feeding but I do not want to be bitten to shreds and to hate feeding again like I did in the early days.

Hope that makes sense!

[ItchyFoot]

I breastfed dd1 till she was a year and her teeth started coming in at 3 months. I found that there was a few days of sometimes getting bitten after each tooth came in but then we'd both learn to work around it and it would be comfortable again.

[JohnLapsleyParlabane]

From about 4 months we instigated biting time as part of the bedtime routine using a silicone baby toothbrush. My one year old has 10 teeth and I've almost ever been bitten by her, only accidentally when she's been sore because another tooth was coming through. I stop her biting when latched on by pulling her in towards the breast rather than removing her.

[Mummyhug]

I am now coming up to this stage with DD2 soon and am similarly worried.
Although thinking back to DD1 (I breastfed until 1yr old) I can't remember teeth being a problem at all except at the end of a feed when she'd pull and bite but at which point I would take her away.
Sorry I know this isn't helpful but thought I'd share my experience.
I hope you don't have a hard time with it x

[StarSpotter]

It's us usually only bad for a few days as they try the new teeth out, I have found! I feel your pain though.

[orangebird69]

I'm still bfing my 13mo. He had 13 teeth now. He got his first 2 teeth at 4mo. It's not been too bad tbh. Only bit me times. Sometimes when he's feeding and dozing his teeth dig in a bit but it really is ok.

[orangebird69]

3 times that should say.

[Whitelisbon]

I discovered that, if they tend to nibble or scratch with their teeth, if you reposition them so their head is tipped right back, like you would a newborn, they're much less likely to nibble, and it completely stops the scraping.

[curliegirlie]

Thanks Whitelisbon, I'll have to try that. I'm in a horrible vicious cycle with DD's feeding at the moment. She has about 9 or 10 teeth, and caused a wound on one nipple, which she keeps reopening. It's excruciating and a real faff because I suspect to solve the problem I need to exclusively express from that boob for a few days. How to find the time?!