BF'ing and teeth

klmbbb · June 2012

LO's first tooth is coming in (bottom front). It's broken through the gums but not fully in, only the top bit is showing. Any advice to prevent/curb the biting? It hurts sometimes when she's feeding - not a lot, but enough to make me very uncomfortable. And this is coming from someone who's managed to get through sore/cracked nipples from a bad latch and a persistent case of thrush. I'm not sure if I can handle being bitten every time she feeds now though. Unfortunately, she doesn't take a bottle (H has been trying) so that isn't an alternative.

katiewhompus · June 2012

Make sure she is latched each time. DD has her two bottom and is pretty good about not biting if she is properly latched. I keep a finger near her mouth just in case.

jlsimon56 · June 2012

My LO bites at the end when she is bored, so I just watch for her to slow down and get bored. She just got a top tooth, and let me tell you - if you think a bite with just the bottom teeth hurt....it's nothing compared to when a top tooth is in too! Best of luck!

desdemona39 · June 2012

When LO bites, just take her off the breast for a few minutes each time she does it, and put her down if possible. Try not to cry out in pain because that can scare her into a nursing strike. My LO learned VERY quickly that biting = no nursing. I found that this phase passed quickly, and that nursing helps her teething pain more than anything else.

pepomntpat · June 2012

Is she biting or is her latch off?

klmbbb · June 2012

We had latch issues in the beginning. I let the bad latches slide a bit once my pain went away. I suppose it's likely the latch either starts out poorly out turns from good to poor during the course of the feeding (it's happened plenty before). I guess with teeth it's still important to get a good latch. Thanks for the tips.