tutting / clicking noise when BF, painful nipples with a 6wk old

[CalypsoFramboise]

Appreciate some advice with my bf technique!

DD is 6.5wks old and has recently started 'tutting' hard when suckling throughout the feed, making my nipples sore and tender again.

La Leche League woman thinks that DD is clamping hard to stop over-fast let-down (also have white tipped nipples when feed ends, and shaped like a lipstick, and burning sensation for some time after feed), and potentially nipple confusion due to 1 EBM bottle late at night (admin by DH so I get a bit of sleep). I'm already doing all the things she suggested (making sure DD opens WIDE before latching, tongue out to cover gum, and making sure she is well supported).

BF cafe didn't have any spare 1-to-1 sessions left today, so will pop in on Monday. In the meantime as DD isn't gaining weight that well, I would welcome advice as to what the tutting noise is (LLL woman wasn't sure) and how to improve latch.

Many thanks!

Have they checked for tongue tie?

Yup, checked for tongue-tie yesterday by GP and that's not the issue... GP also at a loss for cause (and remedy!) for the strong tutting.

I had similar problems with DD1 and was told that the clicking noise meant that she wasn't latched on properly. She was still getting milk but it wasn't a good latch. I saw the breastfeeding counsellor and also rang the NCT Breastfeeding helpline which is totally wonderful and every person I've ever spoken to was beyond helpful, kind and an expert on the subject. Can't recommend it enough. And you don't have to be an NCT member (I wasn't).
Have you tried different positions of feeding? Lying down on your side (instead of sitting up) puts the baby at a different angle to the breast. So does the 'rugby hold'. Different hold may stop the noise/improve the latch and at the very least will move the soreness to a new area so that it's not always the same zone that is getting raw.
Can you see the hospital BFing counsellor? (if you delivered in hosp). They often run weekly drop-in clinics.
Good luck. BFing can be SO difficult but remember you are doing a wonderful thing for your child (and you) and the problems are fixable.

My DS2 made a clicking sound and as others have said it was the latch.

I got a lactation consultant who said DS2 had a shallow latch and that he kept breaking the seal possibly due to a fast let down.

One thing that helped was to use the exaggerated (or asymmetric) latch where your nipple goes in almost backwards.

I'd definitely see if your hospital has a clinic.

HTH.

My son made this noise whilst cup feeding due to tongue tie and following that when trying to latch him on the breast because he had a crazy tongue position. We saw a BF counsellor who was excellent.

oh we had this - LLL counsellor theorised it was high muscle tone, leading to over strong clamping down on the nipple - i remember the discomfort vividly, and the clicking noise! she said just as some babies have low muscle tone, and will have difficulty feeding as they will have a weak latch etc, others have high muscle tone and this can also cause difficulty
does your dd have unusually good head control, does she wave her arms around a lot, does she wake herself up unless swaddled? if so this could be the issue
i was advised to swaddle him or hold him very tight while feeding so he felt very well supported and could relax a little more
i don't know whether this was the solution but it did pass, luckily fairly quickly, although we had to carry on swaddling ds at night for ages, and he now uses that high muscle tone to be a ruddy climber

have reread your post - have you also considered thrush? causing pain in baby's mouth, meaning she is breaking off from sucking, causing the tutting?
you mention pain in your breasts and white nipples, which is why i ask

here's a good page on kellymom - i was wrong about thrush causing white nipples, sorry - but if there is pain i think it's always worth ruling out thrush

It's THRUSH!!!

Honestly. All the symptoms match - I had exactly the same and dd had no sign in her mouth.

Get fluconazole and cream for nipples and gel for baby asap. Take asidophilis and natural yogurt and sterilise any dummies or bottles.

What do your nipples look like? Are they pink and shiny? The burning sensation is definitely thrush. Hopefully you can get a gp who will prescribe fluconazole - some are a bit funny. It is recommended by the breastfeeding network - info is on their website.

I'd say thrush as well - I had no problems with latch but had very obvious thrush and definately had the clicking noises and the white tipped nipple.See your GP and ask for treatment for you and baby before it gets any worse.

Many thanks for your responses - crikey I hope that its not thrush! Will look closely into this, if only to rule it out (nipples don't seem pink and shiny but I'll assess the other symptoms).

Muscle-tone sounds possible too, DD does thrash about all the time and does have good head control - will attempt to swaddle at the next feed.

DD was born at home, so don't have much contact with services provided by my local hospital (St Thomas' London) regarding BF. If I don't get to see someone from either LLL or local BF cafe, I'll contact them asap.

Cheers ladies