*aspade*

Dobie_Mama

I need some boob help, lady!

What can I do to help Lil with her wonky teething latch? It was bad when she got her top teeth in, but she adjusted pretty quickly on the right side. She is shredding my left nipple though. Literally peeling skin and bleeding. I'm pretty partial to having two nipples. Any suggestions for helping her adjust to the left side as well?

aspade

Sorry, Dobie, I don't even have this open as a tab anymore--too slow!

I'm not sure why her latch is different from breast to breast--does she sit that differently?  (Which teeth is she getting in now?)  Is the latch bad the whole time, or is it more at the end?  (I'm wondering if you need to mimic the angle on the left--is that possible?)

The very best thing you can do, and I had a huge biter, is to numb her hurting gums before you nurse, before she comes anywhere near your nipple.  Let her gnaw on something super cold for a bit first; or rub diluted clove oil on her gums; and if it's really bad, break out the tylenol.

Then you have to be vigilant near the end of the nursing session, when some babies like to use the breast as a teether, and end it.

You could also pump on that side till you're healed--it sounds really painful!  Rub some mommy milk on there. 

Sorry you're in pain!  : ( 

Dobie_Mama

No worries! I appreciate the insight!

I don't think she sits very differently side to side. And a good bit of her nursing is side lying as she still nurses a lot during the night. She just got her top front and has one lateral top all the way in, the other part of the way in. Perhaps it's that her teeth aren't "symmetrical" so she's pulling my nipple at an odd angle on that side or something? I may try not moving her tonight when she wakes and nursing her from my left breast with that one on top, if that makes sense, to see if it's different.

Good call on the cold/clove oil/tylenol on her gums! I'll try cold wash rags during the day today and some diluted clove oil before bed. And definitely the BM on the nip. I don't know why I didn't think of that. Duh, Dobie.

Thank you again! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.  

Dobie_Mama

So, an update. She did better on that side night before last if I nursed her side lying with lefty as the top boob, but then last night it all went to hell again. I have a scab on the top of my nipple, which blows. I'm *think* I'm done pumping at work so maybe having a break during the weekdays daytime will give it a chance to heal up. And hopefully she gets her act together on the left side soon! I'm going to keep trying the position since it did seem to help some.