teeth issues with breastfeeding

[Mrswu]

Hi, my 13m old has gotten a bit lazy in his latch and his teeth are causing indentations, at times painful.  I read the FAQ but how exactly do I get him to change his latch?  I have tried just getting him off and re-latching but that isn't working.

Also, we are still doing the DF, we managed to stop it for a month or so but then he got sick or something and it started again.  The pain with his latch is particularly bad when I nurse laying down at night or in the morning, but with both of these feeds I am trying to get him to either stay or go back to sleep... so I am not sure about changing the position I nurse in.  (does this makes sense?)

Thanks!!!

[~ Vik ~]

Hmmm...  We had some troubles with Dylan's latch on occasion - exactly as you describe, with those top teeth putting pressure on the aereola and leaving marks.  I just broke the suction with my finger and pulled out - he was usually so desperate to get back on that he opened his mouth right up and latched well the second time   Sorry, I know that's not too helpful   Hopefully some other moms will pop on with some more detailed BTDT advice.

Re the dream feed, are you planning to get rid of it?  At this age if he's doing well with his solids you shouldn't need it (though I absolutely understand needing it to get through illness!) and it might be worth either slowly weaning or stopping it cold turkey.  What does your routine look like?

[Mrswu]

Hi!  I have tried breaking suction but it often makes his latch worse or he just quits feeding altogether.  He has always been a distracted nurser so I don't want to shorten his session if possible.  But at the same time I would like his latch to improve so he gets more milk... arrrggg

I timed it tonight and I got 3 minutes on the first side before he decided to go check out some piece of fluff on the bed... then another 30 seconds, then just fought me so I switched sides and got 1 minute on that side before he was off... sigh.

I am starting to phase out the DF again but a couple of times I have just done it because he drank so little at his before bed feed.

His routine:

A 5:30  if we are lucky
E 5:40   Breast feed
E 7:30-8 cereal
S 9:30-10  Usually sleeps for 1-1.5 hours

E 11-12 Breastfeed (depends on how long his nap was and when he went down)
A
E 12-1 Lunch, usually about 1 hour after breastfeed
S 2-3 Usually sleeps for 1.5h but we don't let him sleep past 4 or it throws off his night sleep

E 3-330 breastfeed (right after his nap)
A
E 5:30 dinner
S 7-7:30 bed after 3/4h winddown

[~ Vik ~]

Don't forget that at this age they've gotten to be champion nursers! If he's on for 3m he could actually be getting a surprising amount of milk in that short time Have you tried nursing in a dark room while he's still a bit sleepy from his nap to minimize distraction? That helped us a lot with Dylan. Alternately you could give him a toy or wear an interesting necklace for him to fiddle with and hopefully keep him interested for longer.

Your routine looks fine to me, I think you're probably good to drop the dreamfeed if you're ready. If you're a bit hesitant you could try the gradual method in the FAQ! Sorry I'm on my iPod and can't post the link, but it's called how do I implement/drop the dreamfeed

[Mrswu]

Hi, we are working on the dream feed again.  I do feed in the dim room after his naps and that works but the last feed of the day is a bit of a problem.  I guess I could try a dim room again but for a while there he was falling asleep on the breast so I stopped.  I didn't think of trying that again.

I am still having trouble with indentations.  When I break suction and re-attach it tends to get worse or he quits nursing. 

Any tips?

[~ Vik ~]

Here's some information from kellymom.com (a lot of the information refers to toddlers, but the principles should still work for you!):

Teeth scraping, uncomfortable latch, or indentations on your nipple tissue from the teeth is not all that uncommon. It seems to be worse for most moms right when the teeth first cut through, and before they have a chance to wear down some and become less sharp. Babies may also change their latch a bit when they get new teeth, as nursing can feel different to them with the new teeth. With time, baby will learn to nurse better with the new teeth and you won't be so aware of them. Here are some suggestions that have helped other moms:

    * With an older baby, the weight of the baby can cause baby's mouth and teeth to "drag down" on the breast tissue. See if you can position baby so that her weight is supported well. Use pillows or a chair with arm rests to support her as much as you can. When she is nursing on the left side, bring her bottom in a little bit closer and vice versa. Don't let her nurse in a position that lets her weight and gravity cause her mouth to pull down on your breast and nipple. Try moving her body slightly in different ways (higher, lower, side to side, etc.) till the pressure on your breast is lessened.
    * Latch baby on and position her head so that it is tilted back more to get the pressure of the top teeth off your breast. For example, if baby is nursing in the cradle position on the left side, bring her body toward the right a bit. This will bring baby's chin up, with her head a bit cocked back, and that moves the pressure of baby's top teeth off the top of the nipple. Don't let her chin rest on her chest.
    * Some other ways to get baby's head tilted back more: ask your child to look at you while she nurses, or hold a book up high to read to your child and have her look at the book.
    * When you support your breast with 2-4 fingers underneath and thumb on top, push in against the chest wall with your index finger just before offering the breast. This will cause the nipple and areola to point down more, so that they don't rub against baby's upper teeth. This technique is often suggested for moms who have nipple soreness due to their nipples rubbing up against the roof of baby's mouth.
    * Ask baby to open WIDE and show her with your own mouth. Tell her that it hurts mommy and ask her to try again until it feels better.
    * A generous application of lanolin before and after feeding may be helpful, as will rinsing your nipples with cool water after feedings. When babies are teething they produce more saliva which can be irritating to nipple tissue. If baby is eating solids, sometimes food particles left in the mouth can also irritate nipple tissue, so it may help to rinse out baby's mouth or give baby a sip of water prior to nursing.
    * Any time you experience soreness, go back to the basics of latch just as you did in the early days.
    * It's also possible that some of the tenderness is a result of ovulation or an impending menstrual period. Many moms of older babies are more bothered with latch on and baby's teeth during these times.

(http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html#scraping)

Hope that something in there is helpful for you!

[Mrswu]

Thank you!  I appreciate some concrete things to try.