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julia s.
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| Posted: Sept 09 2006 at 8:35pm | IP Logged
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I hope someone here can help me... my baby is 8 months and is just getting new teeth and has scraped the end of my n*pple. It is only the left side (but I'm worried he'll do it on the other side too). It doesn't matter how I nurse him since it's the very end. It has been really sore for over a week now. It's actually gotten worse the last few days and I'm am in crazy pain every time I nurse.
The baby won't take my milk in a bottle or a sippy cup. He takes water that way, but he just screams at the milk if I give it to him that way. The milk is good because he'll nurse and take it from that side.
I'm not sure what to do. I keep nursing him on the bre*st, but it only makes it worse.
Any suggestions? Can I wean him early? Can you nurse on one side and have the baby get adequate nutrtion and calories?
Thanks ahead of time.
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ShawnaB
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I posted a similar question here months ago. I don't know how to link to an old post, but it was called "Biting while nursing.Help!" and was on the "Loving the Little Ones" forum. I received some very helpful advice. If you search for this old post, it may be helpful.
A biting baby is no fun!  It certainly takes the relaxation out of nursing. Hopefully you and your little one will be able to work through it.
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Rebecca
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Julia, I fear that if you stop nursing altogether on that side that you might be prone to mastitis due to the sudden weaning of that breast. Although you certainly can nurse on one side only (people with masectomys can nurse on their remaining breast), it is not a good idea to stop the flow of milk abruptly and completely.
I have a couple of ideas however to keep the two of you together and nursing. First, if you position him far back on the areola, much farther than he might normally latch on at this age, that might alleviate some of the pain. Usually when the nipple is very far back in the mouth, the pain that is usually felt will be much less severe, even if it is on the end of the nipple. If this does not help, I also can recommend nursing him on the other side and then, KEEPING HIM IN THE EXACT SAME POSITION, sliding him over to the sore breast, without flipping his body over, kwim? This is usually what La Leche League recommends for mothers with a sore spot from baby's biting wounds. When his mouth is positioned differently (die to not flipping him when you switch sides), often you will be able to nurse just enough to keep from getting engorged/mastitis but still keep up your milk supply while the sore heals. I would try to air out the wound for a couple of days without a bra. It will heal much faster if it is dry and able to "breathe".
If your baby continues to bite, try to resist the impulse to pull him off quickly (and risk further damage to the nipple) but rather draw him in, pulling him closer so his nose gets a bit smooshed and he opens his mouth to breathe. It is a method used to encourage the baby to open his mouth and let go of the breast.
Worst case scenario is that you cannot tolerate any nursing on the sore side and you only nurse on the other side. The healthy side will produce plenty of milk for him while your sore side heals, although you may have to nurse more often for a couple of days. If you cannot nurse him on the sore side at all, taking a bath each day and submerging the sore breast (to encourage the milk to let down) would be very helpful. Try to allow the milk to flow out into the tub, under water, rather than trying to pump it out with a pump (that will aggrevate the injury). In a few days, when your sore side has healed, the milk will come back without trouble, though it may take a couple days to get the supply to where it used to be.
Anyhow, I will say a prayer for you and I hope you are feeling better soon!
God Bless,
Rebecca
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Jen L.
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The link to Shawna's post
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mathmama
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A couple of months ago my DD nipped me in our sleep right on the end of my n*pple. It hurt bad. I used a ton of lanolin on it. I applied it after each time she nursed and sometimes in between times. After about 36 hours it was basically healed.
The lanolin will really help it heal, I use it to heal all sorts of different wounds in our house. Also, I was told by one of my LLL leaders that the lanolin in a sense works as a topical pain reliever (not the exact words she used, but that was the gist of what she said).
Good luck!
Beth
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julia s.
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| Posted: Sept 09 2006 at 9:17pm | IP Logged
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Wow! You guys are fast -- my guardian angels are really finding the good people to help out here tonight. I like the idea of nursing on the one side and keeping the other side just going enough to pick up the slack if I need too. I've been weening him down on the sore side little by little and even took a bath tonight. I soaked in colloidial oatmeal. I thought it always does such a good job with the kids with sever diaper rash..  .
Thanks so much!
Some how just having some people know so I'm not in pain alone helps too. Not that I'm alone... I've been thinking of Jesus a lot through this and how hard it is to go through pain even when you love them so much.
Thanks again.
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ALmom
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Once the sore heals, one thing we did with a nursing, teething toddler was to help numb the gums a bit with letting them chew on something frozen (a wet wash rag stuck in the freezer to freeze works) just before nursing. It helped both of us have a more pleasant time of it.
Janet
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mary
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you've already gotten great advice from rebecca. i always get sloppy about latch when my kids are about this age and the first bite reminds me to be more careful with latching, pull the baby in to get him/her to release and also, to notice when the baby is done nursing and begins to 'play.' lanolin is great stuff for a bite.
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julia s.
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ALmom wrote:
Once the sore heals, one thing we did with a nursing, teething toddler was to help numb the gums a bit with letting them chew on something frozen (a wet wash rag stuck in the freezer to freeze works) just before nursing. It helped both of us have a more pleasant time of it.
Janet |
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Lanolin -- that's the name of the stuff they give you at the hospital I couldn't think of it... I can't find mine, do they carry it at the drug store?
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julia
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julia s.
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| Posted: Sept 10 2006 at 7:49pm | IP Logged
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Ooops  . I meant to quote Beth..and ask her about the lanolin
mathmama wrote:
A couple of months ago my DD nipped me in our sleep right on the end of my n*pple. It hurt bad. I used a ton of lanolin on it. I applied it after each time she nursed and sometimes in between times. After about 36 hours it was basically healed.
The lanolin will really help it heal, I use it to heal all sorts of different wounds in our house. |
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Angie Mc
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Yes, Lansinoh is available at many drug stores and super marts.
Julie, you really have come to a great place for good information, support, and encouragement. Many of us "feel your pain," (bad joke but sheesh...sometimes laughing at the pain helps.)
Here's more ideas from kellymom.com.
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anniemm
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oh goodness....I just wanted to say hang in there! My little one started biting me EVERY time on BOTH sides about 2 months ago (she's 11 months now). She was the same way when I tried to offer her milk in a cup or bottle. She acted like I was trying to poison her! But I was concerned that she wasn't getting adequate nutrition. When it happened, I had to just pretty much quit nursing except in the very middle of the night or in bed first thing in the morning, because she was sleepy and I guess that's a natural instinct for a baby according to LLL. I was in so much miserable pain as my body adjusted, but somehow we made it through... Good luck to you, you are not alone!!!! 
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Topic: Nursing Woes...Need Help!
