EBF baby refusing breast because of teething pain - quick help please...

[YouMaySayImADreamer]

My DS is almost 5 months and ebf. BF has been going well but he's been suffering badly with his teeth the last week or so and has been really fussy when feeding, pulling on and off, chewing my nipple, and sometimes screaming and seeming to want to nurse but then pulling off.

He usually cluster feeds all evening but tonight he has been furiously chomping on his fist, and being very fussy at the breast. I have been offering constantly and he will start off but then pull off crying or screaming. He has stayed on less and less time each time ive offered tonight until eventually he was just screaming when he even tried to latch on.

He has just worked himself up into such a frenzy that for the first time ever, my DP has just taken him out in the car to settle him and he fell asleep within two minutes, literally. I am gutted. Normally bf is a foolproof way to settle him and he has never not fed to sleep.

So, what do I do now? Express? Sleep and see what he does when he wakes up? (I suspect he was massively overtired and may be better able to feed after a sleep). My breasts feel so empty - im panicking that my supply has dropped or maybe its a good sign that he has been getting some milk after all? He has been sick on me a few times so I think he is getting something.

Help!

[aFullOnMonet]

Your supply won't have dropped after one day, especially now he's 5 months old. If I were you, I'd just give him some calpol and try feedjng him again when he wakes up. My dd loses her appetite sometimes when she's teething but she soon gets it back. Like you said if he's been sick he must have swallowed something.

[YouMaySayImADreamer]

Thanks. Have given him calpol and teething powder, think maybe he was past the point of tiredness though maybe. Didnt know whether I should express or he will get the milk back up if it drops?

[Icandoitbymyself]

Some wonderful mumsnetters suggested the following to me a year or so ago. If your baby is in pain from teething give a little calpol then use bonjela on his gums. This helped us break a tough feeding strike which was due to teething. Also, if you wait till baby is asleep and the wake him gently offering the breast he will be more likely to take it. Anyway this worked well for us. Pore you and poor dc, . I hope this will pass soon. Oh, and don't worry about your milk supply. At this point it should be well established. Def. express a bit to prevent your breasts from becoming engorged. Also, maybe an old wives tale but eating oats and drinking fennel tea is supposed to aid with supply.

[Icandoitbymyself]

Sorry meant to say that after calpol and maybe 5-10 mins after applying the bonjela offer the breast.

[YouMaySayImADreamer]

Thanks so much Ican . I was worried about bonjela as I heard it can make it hard for them to feed but will just do my best to avoid his tongue and give that a whirl.

My DP took him out last night and brought him back in about 11.15. I put him on the breast lying down (I don't remember as DP thought I was awake but musnt jave woken properly) and DP says he did start drinking. But I woke up at 3am and only felt a bit full. So now i'm worried sick about my supply. I sat up and dream fed him and he took a good feed off one side and a kindve half feed off the other. So I put him back down and went to pump, and hardly anythi g would come out. I got an ounce in 45 mins. Argh am panicking that my supply has been dropping over the past week and I havent noticed...can I get it back and how?

[captainproton]

To increase supply you can try to express between feeds, since the more a baby feeds the more milk you make. Expressing tricks your body into making more milk. But honestly I doubt your supply will be affected. The only thing that ever worked for teething with my DS was pain relief. Good luck the teething stage is horrible, we are currently waiting for molars to erupt, I feel your pain.

[MI5agent]

Don't panic about supply. At nearly 5 months your body does a fab job of regulating how much milk he needs. Growth spurts and small feeding strikes are entirely normal and your body will adjust.

Express if you want but stress and panicking about it will also hinder what comes out. Get some newborn pictures of your ds on your phone whilst expressing, it will help the oxytocin and help you relax.

Hope his teething gets better, definitely utilise calpol and powders.

[aFullOnMonet]

I'm back to say again, really try not to worry about supply. You've been breastfeeding for 5 months. It will take more than one day with less feeding to lose it! You can express if it will stop you worrying but I wouldn't bother. ( I hate expressing though).

[YouMaySayImADreamer]

Thanks all! I have bought some teething gel today as powders and calpol didnt touch it quick enough last night I think and he just become really overtired. He's fed ok today and I expressed an hour or so after a feed mid morning and was able to get an ounce despite not expressing in ages so my supply must be ok. I also hate expressing though! Just worried I needed to express missed feeds.

This is my second ebf baby believe it or not...sometimes I just need a reminder to trust my body, so thank you for calming me down

[FlaviaAlbia]

There's a teething liquid called Anbesol that my friend swore by it so I got it for my DS too and I found it was much easier to apply than teething gels and it numbs the gum really quickly yes, he's my pfb and I tried it on my own gums first that might be worth a try.

[Purl1Knit1]

I found that at about 4-5 months I stopped feeling "full", unless DS really hadn't fed for absolutely agree (eg if he missed a couple of feeds). So maybe it's that your supply is calming down a bit after the over-full period of the early days.