breast feeding, teething, sore nipples, any tips

[ickletickle]

i am first time mother with a 5.5 month dd, who is being breastfed but is teething... no teeth yet but right nipple is pretty red raw.

can anyone give me tips?

Sorry to hear you are suffering. You've probably heard it all before that if you're latched on properly there should be no pain...Well, it's true in theory! First thing is to let your nipple heal before giving it back to baby which means expressing the milk before boob becomes engorged. You need to be warm and settled for this and I found it was more comfortable to express by hand than using a machine.You'll soon get more than a few drops if you practice. Good luck!

Keep feeding.

Lots of lansinoh, don't let the nipple dry out. If it dries out it may crack some more.

Check and recheck the latch. Babies with teeth bf without mangling the nipple, so you just need to re-visit a good latch. If your lo keeps on nipping or slipping on the nipple. Unlatch her with your little finger and start again. It can get very annoying when you've done it for the umptenth time, but your lo will soon learn

If you think she's using you as a teether, get her some teethers you can put in the freezer to relieve the pain. Or raw sticks of carrot out of the fridge are good too. Oh, and the Nelson homeopathic teething granules are great. Sainsburys sell them.

Hope this helps