14mo - teeth cutting bottom of nipple - help!!

[JeewizzJen]

Hi to all you toddler feeding mums!

DS is 14mo and for the last few weeks I've found feeding him on the left (his favourite) side has become more and more painful, because his top teeth are rubbing. He's actually managed to cut through the skin now too . I can barely stand to feed him on that side at the moment. For some reason it doesn't really happen on the other side - well, certainly not to a great extent.

Most of his feeds are lying down, lying on my left side (before naps, and a million time a night it seems). When I feed lying down on the right boob I just kind of lean over a little more to do so, rather than moving him to swap sides.

He's never really had a problem with latching at all, and I've not really had any soreness before. I've tried getting him to open his mouth more (difficult at night), and I've tried him at various 'levels' up the bed in line with my nipple, but so far I've not found anything that works.

Does anyone have any experience or advice please? It huuuuurts!!!

I experienced this with my daughter when she was a bit younger and just cutting her first teeth. It was very sore and almost made me give up breastfeeding, about which I was very sad.

The only advice I could find was to try and change her latch or file the baby's teeth. I didn't manage the first and wouldn't do the second. I tried to feed from only one breast at a time to try and give my cut nipples a rest. When the cuts were really bad on one side I expressed from that side for a few days, and let her feed from the other. In the end it just got better, she seemed to change her latch herself after a couple of weeks when she had got used to the teeth. It did take a few weeks though.

Since then I have managed to carry on feeding, and although when she gets new teeth there is still sometimes a little soreness, it has never been as bad as the first time.

I hope it gets better for you soon, I feel your pain!

I had this with DD1 when her top teeth were first coming in. It was on both sides but much worse with one than the other.

I'm afraid I don't have any magic tips. I just smothered lanisoh (sp?) and rubbed breast milk in and let them air dry when possible

And it passed. I can't remember how long now, maybe a fe weeks.

Are they new teeth? Hopefully it will pass for you too.

Thank you both. They aren't new teeth no, but I think they've just reached a size now where they are much nearer the nipple. I do hope you're both right and it does pass! I really need this side to heal properly so I can have a good go at tackling the latch. I think I may have mastitis again on that side though, it's sore just like it was a few weeks ago and the red patch has appeared....

I had this when my DD was 14mo. Change the position. I swapped her so she was lying the same way for both sides. Gave the sore bit a break.