Teething and breastfeeding

[xrawrkittenx]

Hi there, my 11 week old is starting to teeth (early i know) but his cheeks are red, hes dribbling and is getting rather cranky throughout the day, not fun when you have a very active dd whos 3.... Anyway he normally feeds really well but the past two days he latches on for about five - ten minutes then pops off and doesn't seem to be able to latch back on (this is only when his cheeks are really red) he then sits and cries for a while. Is this only because he's teething? I bb my first but I can't remember her doing this for the life of me lol!

This really does sound like teething behaviour. Your DS may not teethe in the on the same time scale as your DD did, but often these things are similar between siblings. Both my DDs cut their first teeth quite young, around 12 and 15 weeks. Was your DD an early teether? Regardless of whether or not she was, you might find that your DS has red cheeks and gum discomfort off and on for weeks, before there is any sign of an actual tooth. Did you use teething powders or granules with your DD? Some parents find the homeopathic teething granules (Boots sell them) give at the very least a distraction - the baby seems to enjoy the sensation of the powder in his mouth. Just be prepared to change his bib frequently all the time because of the drool and to change his nappy as quickly as you is practical, because his stomach may be more acidic than usual because of all the salivating and his bottom may get sore. Good luck!

Blimey, have a prize xrawrkitten if you managed to wade through all my strangely punctuated, badly edited sentences there! Really must preview my posts!

I didn't really answer the breast feeding aspect directly, either, sorry! My experience is that teething babies do latch on then off, on then off and 'snuffle' more frequently while suckling when they're teething. The alternative might be that your DS has a cold brewing?

Lol I've seen worse!! Yeah she had her first tooth cut at 3 months so I'm guessing hes going along those lines as well. I was just a bit concerned because he is usually a little guzzler and for him to be fussing isn't normal. Also his poos are coming out a bit greener than normal and very sort of mucousy looking (tmi I know) I've read somewhere that this can be from the dribble from teething. He seems quite content just to be left to chew on his hands though. I've never used the granules, might send oh down to the chemist now!! Thanks for your advice!!

Hi xrawrkittenx,
sounds like teething to me too. My DS2's first teeth popped out last Monday morning at 8 months, but I have been on the look-out for aaaaages. I am a great believer in amber teething necklaces. They really worked for both my DSs in terms of cutting down on drooling and soothing red cheeks.
But with regard to the BF issue, it could be that your supply has changed. Perhaps you have a stronger let-down reflex and he is struggling a bit to cope with it, hence the frustrated cry afterwards? This might explain the green poos too: more foremilk.
It could also be oral thrush: it makes the mouth sore and some babies find it difficult to suckle.

Well I was going into the doctors to book appointments and quickly spoke to the nurse there today. His poos have gone back to being yellow now but she said it was probably just teething too. Very random! I've never heard of amber teething necklaces before, is that just something they can munch on? Poor little man just keeps looking at me and chewing on his hands with his bright red cheeks, I feel so sorry for him lol

No, it's not for chewing on, it's worn next to the skin (only when the baby is awake, obviously!) Read more here

As PommePoire says, its not for munching. It's to perfect the surf dude style.
Honestly, it works well. I leave the necklace on all the time, even as night. If you are concerned about this, you can put it around the ankle, stuffed in a sock, as long as the amber touches the skin.
Amber is said to have anti-inflammatory properties.
hth

whhahaha

I received an amber teething necklace for my DD and spent some time imagining that the baby is supposed to chew it....I mean you would totally expect that something intended to bring relief to the gums would be best delivered by putting it in your mouth right?

Imagine my astonishment when it turned out that the 'active ingredient' (a piss poor pain/inflammation reliever with respect to ibuprofen/paracetamol) is supposed to somehow seep out of the amber (solid-solid diffusion being famously geological in its timescales) and then be absorbed by the skin in large enough quantities to be useful at the point of need in the mouth. If you digested the fecking amber there wouldn't be enough...

Anyway I would like ask the people who say amber necklaces work how the hell they know that it worked?

I am here to tell you that I have never given DD an amber necklace (too worried about strangulation) and that really really worked too. She stopped crying, the redness went away and her teeth came through. Magic huh?