Breastfeeding and teething

[Schmoop]

DS is 5.5 months old and his first lower tooth broke through the gum over the weekend. Today I discovered one of his upper teeth has also started erupting.
He normally wakes once a night anywhere from 4am-6am for a feed (goes to bed at 8pm) but last night also woke at 2am so I fed him as he seemed hungry like he does at his normal wake time. Should I have avoided feeding at 2am, he's not the type of baby to be settled by a cuddle usually.
Also he point blank refused his last nap of the day in the cot despite being tired so I ended up feeding to sleep in my arms.
What i'm basically wondering is should I use breastfeeding as a 'tool' to soothe him during his discomfort or am I creating a 'rod for my own back'?

I can't really answer your question, but I'm in more or less the same situation. My baby wakes a lot at night now, I think it's indigestion or something because he does seem to be in pain or discomfort.
I feed him every time he wakes because it's the quickest and most reliable method of soothing him and getting him back to sleep. He doesn't understand if I just try to cuddle him and gets more and more desperate, rooting and crying. This, in turn, makes me stressed out, so I almost always just end up feeding him.
Like you I'm starting to wonder if he's making the association between waking and feeding but, well... it works!

Bf is more than nutrition. It is a great source of comfort and connection. If you have the ability to soothe and reassure your baby during a bout of distress then there is no reason to avoid using it

As for teaching him 'bad habits' - pah! You are teaching him his pain and discomfort matter and that he is loved and cared for, that the world is an ok place, that you are there when it's not so ok.

That is a great lesson. It builds confidence, not neediness.

Totally agree with Tiktok, more reading here Should I Nurse My Baby to Sleep?

What do you think, Schmoop?

Yes that's just what I was hoping to hear really I was just having a momentary wobble in whether I was doing the best thing for my baby.
His few distressed moments seemed to have been a couple of times where he needed that extra bit of comfort and I'm glad I provided that.
Considering he has 3 teeth coming through at once he's doing remarkably well and has done his longest stretches of sleep the last 2 nights ever!
thank you for the support and encouragement