Pain when feeding 8 month old

[milkybrew]

DD is almost 9 months and has a pretty impressive set of teeth! Recently when breastfeeding it's been uncomfortable, sometimes actually painful. Are the teeth to blame? Is it going to get worse or anything I can do? Any advice gratefully appreciated!

Hi Milky - if she's playing with the nipple and not taking milk or biting, simply detach and be firm saying "no" (not shouting), and then reattach her.

They often squeeze the nipple between their lips/teeth when they're teething or, if they've had a reaction before, they do it again and again.

stick with it though - 9 months is fab!

Thanks loopy-she's definitely not biting, it's more that her top teeth are pressing into the breast as she sucks I think and causing some friction. She doesn't really play with the nipple either, she takes feeding very seriously! I guess it's just something I have to get used too, maybe try feeding in different positions and see how that goes!

Are you pregnant?

Try gently pressing the breast above her top lip, whilst she's attached, and see if she changes the position herself without coming off.

Stealth-OMG don't suggest that! In all seriousness no I don't think so. Been having periods every 5 weeks like clock work since 5 weeks post birth!

Loopy-will try that in the night, thank you.

Also when on the left side she's constantly pushing the breast away whilst feeding, still attached to it IYSWIM-is it coming out to fast? She's dropped 2 feeds over the past few weeks as she's really started to enjoy food. She still feeds at least 4/5 times a day though. Is it oversupply whilst things adjust?

I was about to suggest undersupply. Tugging and pulling can be from frustration from not getting enough milk or not getting it fast enough. If she's dropped feeds over the last few weeks, it may be that your breasts have already adjusted to the lost feeds and are now producing less.

If you ever slightly change the times you feed her, it may be that there isn't as much milk availbale at that time iyswim?

Unless you can see it's oversupply, I'd imagine it's a drop in supply (not a bad thing) and it may take her a little while to adjust to the change. the pulling/tugging she does, can be her trying to stimulate the breasts to produce more.

I hadn't thought of undersupply simply because I can hear her swallowing lots so assumed there was milk there. It's not likely that because we've dropped feeds my breasts will just stop producing is it? Generally feeds happen at the same times each day as she's really set her routine now! Thanks for the advice, my HV doesn't seem much help, she just seems surprised I'm still breastfeeding at all.

It's highly unlikely unless you have suddenly dropped from bfing on demand, frequently during the day to just one or two feeds a day (say over the course of a week).

It may be to do with your cycle though as some women experience slightly lower supply at ovulation and just before their period - they may feel especially tender too. Does that sound likely to you?

It might also be that you and her have got so used to bfing together that her latch has got a little 'sloppy' or she is just getting used to her new teeth (I know I have had uncomfortable feeding for a few weeks just after top teeth came through with all three of mine) and isn't sure what to do with her new mouth.

Another theory (I'm full of them at 4am!) might be that she has been having bottles/beakers with a much faster flow than a breast and is getting impatient at having to wait for a letdown (you have multiple letdowns during a bf but may only feel the first one [if at all]) so is doing the Jack Russell with a toy impression to get the milk flowing again. If that is the case then switching sides when she does it or breast compressions on the same side to help the milk flow may help - as may switching to a slower flow beaker/bottle for other feeds.

Thanks for all your advice, really appreciate it. I think it's a combination of her getting used to having all these teeth all of a sudden, and as you suggest truthsweet it's also probably down to my cycle. It seems a little better today!