Teething help

[nikalicious]

So DD just cut one of her top incisors and the other one is about to cut any day. She hasn't been biting during nursing, but rather scrapping her teeth, almost exclusively on the left side, which produces more milk. I have tried different positions, going back to the basics of the proper hold, latch, etc. and sometime it works, but most often it doesn't. But in the middle of the night, neither of us really care to latch, re-latch again and again until she stops. Any suggestions? I assume (hope!) this is just a phase she'll grow out of, just as biting while nursing was when she got the bottoms?

 

[Rachel_C]

I never really found unlatching and relatching helpful, even with a newborn and definitely not through teething. All it did for me was drag teeth (or determined newborn gums!) over bits of nipple that were already tender, then start again. Instead, I would encourage LO to latch more deeply while feeding. My LO is prone to a shallow latch so rather than take her off I just hold her more closely to the boob, which makes her open her mouth further and take more boob. Obviously I don't smother her but a little gentle pressure helps encourage a better latch. You might find the same... worth a go anyway!

Also, if it's a little painful but it's just LO getting used to how to cover her teeth properly, you could try a little teething gel on your boob! Put it on a few mins before a feed and wipe off any excess as you don't want it numbing her mouth. It really helped me when I was recovering from a bite, it's just enough to take the edge off any discomfort and is obviously safe in LO's mouth.