baby is killing my nipples all of a sudden

[sosurreal09]

its not a latch issue. my 2 month old started being a really rough eater. she tugs and pulls and moves her head which kills my nipple. she never used to eat like this. also she seems to be maybe biting me? idk but it hurts any idea whats going on and what to do?

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by anielasmommy09

its not a latch issue. my 2 month old started being a really rough eater. she tugs and pulls and moves her head which kills my nipple. she never used to eat like this. also she seems to be maybe biting me? idk but it hurts any idea whats going on and what to do?

A few ideas I have:

1. teething? It's early for it, but it's possible. My kids' latches always went to h--- when they were teething.

2. A growth spurt? They're common around that age. Does it happen more towards the middle or end of a feed, when the fastest part of the letdown is over? Sometimes babies get really impatient when they're hungry and the milk isn't coming down fast enough or in sufficient quantity to make them happy, and they figure out that yanking and tugging and pulling and thrashing around actually helps bring down more milk. I went through that with DD2 and DS, right at that same age. What I found is that if you tolerate it for a few days or maybe more, it actually does work-- as irritating and obnoxious as the behavior is, it really does help to induce further letdowns of milk, and after a few days or a week, my supply would have been jump-started to meet their needs again.

When it's really painful, you can try switching sides, even if you've already used that side, because likely that will get the milk flowing again, and send the message to your breasts that baby wants more. You can also try putting baby down for ten minutes or so, and then trying again. Just say gently, ow, that hurts, and put baby down. A short break may mean that your experience another letdown when you do nurse again. These are supply-increasing techniques.

3. Or if it's not too LITTLE milk, could it be too much? If baby is pulling back and clamping down while swallowing very rapidly, and you are sure milk is flowing, baby may be struggling with strong letdown, and having trouble controlling a too-active flow. An upright nursing position can really help with that, as can briefly unlatching baby to let some of the milk flow into a bottle or a towel, before re-latching. In this case, block feeding is sometimes helpful, where you avoid switching sides for a block of time, even if baby wants to nurse more than once. This is a supply-reducing technique.

[sosurreal09]

thanks alot that was extremely helpful. i do think she might be teething which is crazy but she has been biting everything and drooling alot. shes been fussy too...