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Infant feeding

15 month old breastfeeding like a thug.

7 replies

Jenkeywoo · 20/06/2007 13:47

I love breastfeeding and my short term goal is to get to 2 years, but these last couple of weeks dd has been a breastfeeding pest. She has started slurping my nipple in at high speed and sucking in a really rough way that makes my nipples scream in pain. If I take her off and try to reposition her she just screams furiously and then ends up feeding for much longer. She has never slept well but I accept night-wakings gracefully as we co-sleep and until now it has never bothered me . Now she wakes up prodding and poking me and then wants both sides and hangs onto to me for an hour+ . I end up getting her off cos I'm in so much pain and she then screams and DH has to settle her. DH does loads to help and does settle her every other time she is up but he does need sleep too. DD has hemiplegic cerebral palsy and is a very emotional little girl with lots of attachment issues. I do not want to stop breastfeeding but am not sure how to get it back to a place where she is breastfeeding nicely and not chewing my nipple like a hungry lion!

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snugglebumnappies · 20/06/2007 17:23

DD hit a stage like this at about 12 months, would nip and twist the other breast whilst feeding, "slurped" at the nipples, like you described and generally made feeding her a misery I just had to be frim with her, if she was on the breast and it was painful then she had to come off and try again, I practiced "big mouth" with her, encouraging her to open her mouth really wide beore she went on the breast, if she nipped and twisted I would take her off and put her down for 15-30 seconds, just long enough for her to know that what she did was wrong, and then offer her the breast straight away again. She also used to wake very frequently in the night for feeds and I was constantly tired but did not want to stop feeding her. At 18 months old I was pregnant again with DS2 and DH just said, that's t, she has to go in her own bed as you need sleep, I fretted, she went in her own bed and slept much better! You may not be ready to end to co sleeping yet, but if it is draining you how about co sleeping with your DDD in her room and making a gradual transition? Hope things get better soon

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Jenkeywoo · 20/06/2007 19:03

thanks snugglebumnappies - at the moment her room is a total tip so we vow to get it sorted and then I can feed her in her room then come back to my bed hopefully - or if she's in my bed at least there's a bed to escape to! Today she fed at 1pm (both sides, 45 mins in total) then started moaning at 4.30pm so I fed her at 5pm (planned to try to go through till bedtime but couldn't take the complaining). I thought that would settle her but she was cross that I wouldn't let her just hang out at the breast so then cried till 6pm when dh got home. I just wish I knew why my nipples are so sore, even my t-shirt rubbing on them is painful today.

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snugglebumnappies · 20/06/2007 20:48

Do you think there is the possibility it could be thrush? It could also just be that she is baing lazy and not 'fixing' at the breast well, like I said i had to try and retrain DD to use a big open mouth as she had got used to using a 'soup slurping" technique that wasn't very comfortable

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Jenkeywoo · 20/06/2007 23:20

I don't think it's thrush as i always thought that thrush gave deep pains throughout the breast. I think like you say it's her being lazy - tonight I realised she had her lips tucked in and it was painful so I kind of untucked her and re-arranged her latch and it was loads better. Thanks for support

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TooTicky · 20/06/2007 23:43

My 4 have all done this at times - it is just a phase. Hope it passes quickly for you!
Does she have something to bite? Just a chance her teeth might be involved. My dd2 is growing some side teeth atm and can get a bit fierce with her feeding but she loves me to press my nose/chin/cheekbone into the side of her face - seems to offset the teething pain.

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snugglebumnappies · 21/06/2007 14:02

Deep seated thrush will cause breast pain, however it can also be quite mild causing tender nipples, sometimes with a burning sensation, normally causes colour change on the nipple to bright pink compared to the darker areola.

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Jenkeywoo · 21/06/2007 14:08

Thanks tiktok and snugglebum - yes I think there must be some molars coming through as I touched the side of her gums today and the lip went down so it must have been really tender. I've also been working hard at distracting her as she wants to feed so often - I've always fed her on demand but she is demanding more than I can give - I fed her at 7am and by 8.30 she was tugging at my top and crying. I managed to distract her until 11am and I think my nipples are welcoming the break! I don't think my body can cope with such frequent feeds when she's being rough. Hopefully this will pass with time as I wouldn't want this to be what stops me breastfeeding but maybe my body is finally telling me it's time to slow down and she doesn't really 'need' to demand feed at 15 months. thanks.

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