9 months of discomfort and now....teeth!

[RighteousDude]

feeding Dd has never been a painless experience

We've been checked and double checked. Latch is good, no obvious tongue tie but my nipples have been misshapen, blanched and scabbed the whole time

We've perservered and made it to 9 months ebf. She's got her first tooth, I know it shouldn't make a difference, her tongue should cover her lower teeth. It doesn't. It's agony from the start of the feed to the end

I don't think I can do this anymore. It really really hurts. A razor sharp tooth digging in my already sore and tender nipple

I don't want to stop. I'm lazy, bf suits me and Dd, I fed Ds until he was 18 months

Is there anything I can do to MAKE her cover her tooth with her tongue

I'm tired of hurting myself 5/6/7 times a day :(

When ds got his bottom teeth he went through a stage of nipping/outright biting just for fun. Basically I got cross - partly this was reflex because it bloody hurt - and snapped loudly "NO, do not bite, it hurts mummy", unlatch him and look stern. He did cry a couple of times but it seems to have worked as I've felt the beginnings of a tentative nip but then he stops! I think 9 months is old enough to understand that you will get cross.

She's not biting or nipping. I can feel the tooth digging in from the moment she latches on

I've tried different positions. The tooth is still in contact. I don't think she can not iyswim

So sorry youve been uncomfortable feeding all that time and wiyhout wanting to sound patronising, well done for keeping going!

Who has checked both latch and tongue tie? The tongue should definitely cover the teeth so that combined with the other 'symptoms' you have suggests there is a problem that should be able to be resolved.

I've really struggled to get any help

Three midwives checked for tongue tie. Then the dr, who is also bf peer supporter, then I've seen two different Nct counsellors and the breastfeeding support person attached to the hospital

She can stick het tongue out and it's not obviously tied. God knows I've looked at enough pictures!

The hospital's bf supporter said she's probably got a posterior tt, but by that stage she was 5 months and she said to separate it would be traumatic

I was managing the day to day feeding. She is mercifully quick and is a means to an end feeder unlike Ds who would've fed all day for fun

I've always said her mouth feels hard if that makes sense. Now it feels sharp and hard

have you looked at Milk Matters?

or pm me and I will see if I can add you to the tongue tied babies group on FB. it is full of people who seem to really know their stuff.

Thanks mawbroon that's really kind
I did look at milk matters back when she was new and we were struggling
I dunno though. If it is a tongue tie then I worry it's too late to do anything about it

Not too late, but it would involve a GA.

DS1 had his done earlier this year, but he is 6, so a whole different scenario from you.

My daughter had a posterior tongue tie and there was nothing visibly wrong (everyone except a LLL volunteer missed it). I did have the classic nipple problems like you, and pain, and she was inefficient at feeding.

It was snipped at 10 weeks (without any anaesthetic) and everything was fine once she relearned to latch.

As Mawbroon says, once they're that age they'd need a general anaesthetic, and it might take her a while to learn to latch properly (although maybe not as she's teething anyway, as latch alters with new teeth).

But the risks are low compared to the risks of not nursing her any more, both health-wise and as a parenting/bonding thing.

If it was me I would definitely have it cut.

Could you use nipple shields temporarily to protect yourself? I know there are sometimes said to be issues with supply, but if she isn't inefficient anyway and you use the modern very thin ones it might not be a bad idea till you can get it done. I used them to help her to learn to latch (she was also 3 weeks early) and it was fine.

My DD2 had a 50% posterior tongue tie and she got snipped at 5wks - she went from 12 feeds to 8 feeds overnight and there was nothing visible to speak of. It totally changed her tongue movement and I thought she was sticking her tongue out - but it turned out, it wasn't far enough! Really worth exploring if you want to keep feeding....