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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Any tips to persuade a sleeping toddler to let go of my poor sore nipple?!

14 replies

DitaVonCheese · 11/05/2011 21:23

Very grateful if anyone has any suggestions that I've not thought of already.

Back to feeding 2.5 yo DD to sleep now that she's dropped her last nap - this works brilliantly for us so fine with that. What is not so good is that she tends to clamp down when she's fallen asleep and it takes me 5-10 minutes of agony to extricate myself. It doesn't help that I'm pregnant so have sore nipples anyway

Very very occasionally there is the sound of angels singing and her jaw will go slack and I can slip away. Most of the time though, any attempts to move just make her suck harder, regardless of whether I move fast or slow. Going very slowly usually means she ends up furiously nipple-feeding for a few minutes - OW! I generally try to prise her jaws apart with my finger but it's not ideal. Tonight I tried holding her nose but she just swiped my hand away and I felt horrible doing it so didn't try again.

Any other suggestions from anyone out there? :(

OP posts:

AngelDog · 11/05/2011 21:37

Have you tried making bedtime earlier? I wonder if she's a bit overtired (she probably is slightly if she's recently dropped her nap), and I always used to find that DS wanted to hang on tightly if he was overtired.

Have you tried the Pantley Pull-off as she's falling asleep (rather than waiting till she's completely out)?

enidroach · 11/05/2011 21:52

I used to slip my little finger into child's mouth - cover my nipple and quickly push it out and kind of touch above child's lip to push the mouth/head back so the teeth couldn't clamp down. Usually worked.

TruthSweet · 12/05/2011 09:30

You could try pushing her lower jaw upwards (Sounds bizarre but it does work [well at least for mine!]) so her jaw springs open then quickly getting your nipple out (covering like enid suggests to avoid grazing on teeth).

HTH

Original poster

DitaVonCheese · 14/05/2011 21:08

Thanks all and apols for the delay in getting back to you. Had a good few nights then tonight was horrible :(

First night she fell asleep and unlatched herself. Bliss. Last night DH came up as I was trying to extricate myself and he stuck his finger in her mouth and prised her jaws apart for me very effectively.

Tonight was a disaster. She fell asleep within minutes and on my good side too (one side is far far more painful than the other - usually start on the good side in the hope she'll fall asleep on that one, only to have to switch sides and then trying to remove super-sore one from her grip) but would not bloody let go. She is amazingly good at fighting me off with her hands without actually waking up - most of the time I can't even really get my finger in her mouth. Tried pushing her jaw up but didn't seem to have any effect. Eventually managed to wake her up by trying to get away and had to swap sides to calm her down :( Oh and she bit my good side too in the struggle so that's now sore :( Then had ten minutes of trying to get away, lying in the dark trying not to cry and thinking about how much I hate breastfeeding sometimes :( I've been grumpy for a couple of days anyway and I think my hormones might be getting the better of me. Just hate that toe-curling JUST STOP TOUCHING ME RIGHT THIS MINUTE feeling. Plus trying to get away generally involves a bad latch for 5-10 min and it's so uncomfortable.

ARGH. Sorry for rambling on.

Angel we did move bedtime forward to 6 when we dropped the nap but it's gone a bit tits up recently as she's adjusted to not sleeping in the day. Tonight it was past 8 because we have Family Movie Night on a Sat night so perhaps that had an effect. Not sure PPO would work - think she'd just clamp down harder - plus the thought of repeatedly dragging my nipple between her teeth fills me with horror!

OP posts:

AngelDog · 14/05/2011 22:58

Have you thought about trying to get her to sleep again without feeding to sleep? I know you said it was working well...but it doesn't sound like it is at the moment.

Dotty38 · 14/05/2011 23:19

That sounds like a nightmare. You say it works well but really it only works for her not for both of you. Personally I'd stop feeding her. Take a special drink of warm milk in a special bedtime only mug/cup which is strictly only for bedtimes making it so special she'll want it, maybe let her choose it at the shop. Would you plan to continue feeding her when you have the new baby?

I second the idea of an earlier bedtime especially as she's just dropped daytime sleeps I think they do get very overtired while adjusting to no sleep in the day.

StealthPolarBear · 14/05/2011 23:22

IMO you need to start putting her down awake. I managed this with DS when he was bit younger (coming up to 2??) because of pregnancy and this (not so much clamping but the removal of a nipple would cause him to wake). I used to tell him I needed the toilet and would be right back, near the end of a feed (it was no lie). I was amazed he didn't scream and even more amazed that usually by the time I came back he'd be asleep. Being able to put him down awake naturally flowed from there.

StealthPolarBear · 14/05/2011 23:23

At 2.5 she would understand mummy needs the toilet. Make sure you take a while washing your hands :o

Original poster

DitaVonCheese · 15/05/2011 00:01

Dotty yes, I plan to continue feeding both of them. Weaning isn't really an option and certainly not ten weeks before her sibling arrives, unless she self-weans obviously :)

Feeding to sleep is working for us, really. When she was 14 months, bfing stopped making her sleep and I was gutted, so delighted that it suddenly works again now she's dropped her nap. It's quick and easy, I get a lie down and DH and I get a longer evening together. It's just the bloody getting her to let go once she's asleep. I think I need one of those inflatable thingies that you use to open locked car doors (hopefully that will make sense to someone).

Thanks again for the replies. Had a good sob on DH earlier, on a variety of other things not this (too much stress going on at the moment :() and feeling better. Plus wine + chocolate :)

OP posts:

Original poster

DitaVonCheese · 15/05/2011 19:11

Result! Tonight just got DH to bring my book, read for ten minutes until she was well and truly under and then her jaw went slack and I could escape :)

Fingers crossed it works tomorrow too ...

OP posts:

AngelDog · 15/05/2011 20:25

StealthPolarBear · 15/05/2011 20:30

Glad to hear it :) Good luck for tomorrow

Scootergrrrl · 15/05/2011 20:31

How will the tandem feeding work when you also have a newborn clamouring for attention and milk? I'm interested because DS who is 14 months is very similar with the clamping down when he's falling asleep thing, and I can't imagine what I'd do if there was another one demanding the same thing at the same time!

Original poster

DitaVonCheese · 15/05/2011 22:10

Thanks

Scooter I'm not sure as I haven't done it yet but I'm thinking two breasts, two babies :) I think a lot of tandem feeders don't necessarily feed two nurslings at the same time so perhaps DH can bathe new baby while I settle DD or something - I don't know how it will work yet. DD quite likes the idea of nursing at the same time as her brother (well, she finds it very funny anyway) :) Though he's another couple of months away yet so no doubt things will have changed again and I won't be feeding her to sleep then!

OP posts:

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