Ouch! How to Breastfeed a Teething Baby? Teething Does Not Up To Wean Off
Ouch! How to Breastfeed a Teething Baby? Teething Does Not Up To Wean Off
When your baby is in the womb, their milk teeth will start to develop. We know, mind-blowing but usually the teeth will pop through the gums during your baby’s first year, around 6 months. However, teething does cause little ones a lot of discomfort.
In order to soothe the teething pain, babies would continually ‘munching’ or ‘biting’ mums’ breast while nursing. This is because teething may make them super-grumpy, which is tough on breastfeeding mums too. Continuing breastfeeding with a teething baby is hard at times and some mums then began to question, can they still breastfeed if their babies are teething?
Teething does not up to wean off.
If baby is causing you pain and you’re not finding comfort, you do not have to bring breastfeeding to an end as breastfeeding would aid to calm your baby when she is in discomfort. Thus, when your baby is experiencing teething, there are various solutions to overcome the aches and pains during breastfeeding, keep reading to find out!
Breastfeeding while Teething
You may feel a bit unfamiliar and discomfort when you are nursing a teething baby. For example, you could realise she is latching on differently, it may be the way she leaned her head or the way she opened her mouth.
Therefore, when baby began to ‘bite’ your breast during breastfeeding, it is the most observable sign of baby teething. It hurts but it is important for parents to know that teething shouldn’t signify an end of breastfeeding. Worry not, here are some tips on how to keep your baby from biting, so that you can successfully and comfortably breastfeed a teething baby.
TIP 1 : Change up your baby’s breastfeeding position from time to time
When you’re breastfeeding, it’s really important for you to find the right position as it would help your baby to latch on and feed properly. In other words, it could also be stopping your nipples from hurting since your baby would not be able to ‘bite’ your breast as her teeth will be placed under the tongue when breastfeeding. Thus, you could enjoy breastfeeding by lying down, sitting on a chair or even ‘koala-style.
TIP 2 : Hand expressing breast milk
Hand expression is a helpful skill for any nursing mother. It could relieve breast fullness, stimulate milk production, and provide milk for your baby. Hence, hand expression will help the milk to flow out successfully when baby latches on. It is important to find the method of hand expression that works best for you.
TIP 3 : Use teething soothers before breastfeeding
Before breastfeeding her, give your baby other things to ‘chew’ on for a few minutes. A baby teether or ring, or a cold, wet wash cloth can help to relieve your little one’s sore gums. In other words, you could reduce the possibilities you baby ‘biting’ your breast during nursing by giving her something to gnaw on before and after feeding.
With every difficulty, there is a relief. Don’t give up breastfeeding just yet!
