Teeth. Ouch. It really hurts.

[latchmeregirl]

Ds (nearly 10 months) has just got a top tooth and feeding him is excrutiating. He's not biting me, bless him, just doing what he's always done, but every single suck, on both sides, his little fang goes into me and by the end it's agony. We didn't have any problems with the bottom teeth apart from the occasional nip which I dealt with by a firm no.

I managed to feed dd until nearly 18 months by which point she had a full set of gnashers so am somewhat surprised to be having problems now, but this cannot go on. I really didn't want to switch to formula - was hoping to get to one and start giving him cows milk - but I'm going to have to if something doesn't change, and soon. Please help!!

Oh dear, poor you. I would change the position of ds at the breast, if necessary getting help from a breastfeeding counsellor or other expert. Ds needs to learn to suck using his lips, but of course the question is how to teach him.

You don't have to use formula if you don't want to: even if you can't sort this problem out, you could give him expressed breastmilk for a couple of months.

nipple shields? for a few days at least to give you time to heal, then try again?
worked with my ds1.
good luck

If it helps I really think this will pass fairly soon. When mine have been teething they have changed the way they feed and hurt me. But it has settled reletively quickly once teething phase has passed.

I have a theory It is probably crap but... I think when they are teething they sometimes use feeding as a kind of massage on their gums or some such, they sort of opened their mouths less and suck as though through a straw and get the nipple against their gums rather than a good mouthful. Tis just my odd theory mind

Oh and in the meantime I recommend lansinoh. a lot.