Ok- so been ebf for 4 months, why am I having probs now?

7 replies

Sistermoondance · 21/03/2011 18:41

Wonder if anyone has any ideas... I have been successfully ebf for 4 months but in the last few days my dd is pulling at my nipples really hard (ouch) and making them sore. She also keeps pulling off and on all the time.

I am now trying to feed her and getting as frustrated as at the beginning. She doesn't sound snuffly so think she can breath through her nose. I have been winding her more just in case, tried sitting on my own in case other people are distracting her. When I squeeze my boobs there is still milk there. What could be going wrong? I am getting quite upset and my nipples are getting so sore. I don't want to give up now :(

OP posts:

cluelessnchaos · 21/03/2011 18:49

Teething?

Original poster

Sistermoondance · 21/03/2011 18:54

Hmmm potentially teething, she is quite dribbly and sometimes has pink cheeks and her gums look slightly uneven- but she isn't chewing everything in sight or more grumpy than usual and I can't see any teeth under her gums.

If she is teething is there anything I can do to help her feed? I mean if I thought she was in pain I would give her calpol but she doesn't seem to be...

OP posts:

sungirltan · 21/03/2011 18:59

first thing i thought too was teething. when my dd very first started teething she wanted to chew everything! try some teething rings or whatever you want to give her and some teething powder. she will stop doing it dont worry

Original poster

Sistermoondance · 21/03/2011 19:03

She isn't chewing my nipple though, just tugging and pulling it as she comes off or looks up as though she has forgotten to unlatch herself. And she is on and off and pulling her head back a lot and wiggling about :-s

OP posts:

seashore · 21/03/2011 19:11

def sounds like teething, red cheeks, dribbles, it's axactly how my ds was at feeding times this time last year, on and off, on and off etc, it can be very frustrating, we worked through it, he started teething so early it was rare to enjoy a relaxed feed like I had done with dd, it'll get easier, I'd try some calpol close to a feed.

GracieGirl · 21/03/2011 21:07

I'd ring the NCT breastfeeding helpline and go through it with them in detail. They've been brilliant for advising me when I've had problems. Good luck!

Cosmosis · 22/03/2011 10:00

I found DS went through a period of doing this, it was when he started realising the world didn't stop when he was feeding, and hadn't yet realised that if he wanted to look around he should unlatch, so he looked around while still attached, which leads to a lot of nipple contorting!

Now he unlatches to look around, which is far less painful but does mean the world and his wife either see my nipples or gret a lovely spray of milk

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