Painful breastfeeding my dd whose little hands pull and scratch! how to carry on?

[BaronyArch]

When I breastfeed my dd, (nearly 5 months) she has taken to pulling her head back whilst grabbing the breast and pushing it away from her. I have to look at my breast stretched out like chewing gum! Not only is this painful but I have to hold my breast so that the nipple does not pop out of her mouth again and again. The worst part is that she holds the breast with both hands squeezing and pushing, very near the nipple, and her nails are just so painful. Newly cut nails are painful because they're sharp and longer nails are painful because they're longer - I have little cuts around my nipples! This evening it was so painful I just had to post (and this is from someone who has through choice gone through two natural deliveries with no pain relief). She is exclusively breastfed and so was my dd, for 14 months, so I feel I should be able to do this but it is just getting intolerable! How can I carry on? I need some advice.

I have heard of mums giving there babies a little soft toy to fiddle with while feeding. They only get that particular toy at feeding time. This may be worth a try. Might help focus her attention on the job in hand!

Do you have a fast let down?? My DD who is 12 weeks does something similar! For the 1st 2mins she will pull away and scratch, punch my boob until she gets control!! My let down is so fast that she is gulping and spluttering and I think is getting frustrated! Otherwise I don't know what to suggest!!

Hey thanks bumbums I've been meaning to get one of those crochet kind of toys for her to chew, but maybe I'll try straightaway with something that we've got. Gina thanks too but I've always felt I've got next to no milk - never see it, never shoots across the room like some people's do, and takes a while to feel that tingly feeling when I'm feeding. I've been thinking of putting scratch mits on her too but doubt she'll keep them on and think she'll just get frustrated. Like a little kitten!

My DD is a bit younger than yours but a real wriggler at times too. I find feeding her across my lap so her bottom arm is held down by her body and then holding her upper hand so she can play with my fingers seems to minimise the scratching. Otherwise Sainsburys do body suits with I'm built scratch mits which are a god send for when we are both half asleep!

Oh my gosh, ALot, I will now be straight online to Sainsburys. I was thinking she was getting too old for those kind of suits with the foldover hands but right now it sounds like a Great idea. Since it's winter I think I'll put her in it as underclothes in daytime as well and see how we get on. My ds learnt to keep his hands away just through me managing them out of the way but she is too eager to get them near her mouth and my sensitive parts! My dd was an enormous wriggler in the womb as well, in I way I knew we had this coming.

You could get a bfing necklace but I usually leather wrap her fingers around my finger or just distractmyself while she's feeding