Should I stop breastfeeding when my baby gets teeth?

Most mothers question whether teething is a reason to begin weaning baby. Weaning is when you stop nursing and baby then gets all his/her nutrition from sources other than the breast. Many people in my life including myself, were curious on how teething would affect my breastfeeding relationship with my daughter. I always said once my LO had teeth that I will no longer breastfeed. That was not the case.

You may be wondering if there would be any biting or if teething would make breastfeeding uncomfortable for baby. The answer is yes to both questions! There was a whole lot of biting and many sleepless nights due to tender gums and frustrated baby. But of course there's a solution for both!

As discussed in one of my previous posts, it is essential to always ensure baby is latched on to the breast correctly. It is important to understand that when a baby is latched on to the breast correctly, his lips are flanged and his gums land far back on the areola. His bottom teeth are covered by his tongue and do not come in contact with the mother's areola at all. For this reason, a baby who is latched on correctly and actively nursing cannot bite.

Babies can experience significant discomfort due to teething and will sometimes alter their positioning or latch to avoid hitting the sore spots on their gums. This can cause mothers temporary nipple soreness or discomfort. When a baby is teething they will also occasionally only latch on to the nipple in hopes for some comfort. When this happens, baby will sometimes clamp down on moms nipple.

I realized that when I would react too quickly, or jump up, my daughter found it funny and would then try to do it again. It is important to observe baby while nursing because in order for he/she to bite the nipple they would first need to move their tongue out the way to avoid biting themselves. I would know when my daughter was going to try to bite me because her latch will loosen up and I would feel her tongue moving from side to side. When this happened, I would stick my finger on the side of her mouth so that she would bite down on my finger as opposed to my nipple. Other times when it was too late to put my finger in the way and she would have my nipple clamped down between her top teeth and bottoms teeth, I would gently tap her cheek until she will let go. This was like magic.

Below are some tips to soother your teething breastfed baby!

Before Nursing:

• Offer your baby a cold, wet washcloth or a cold teething toy to chew on.

• If baby is eating solids, offer a frozen popsicle (or other hard, cold food). I used to make my princess frozen breast milk popsicles (she LOVED them). As with any food, watch baby closely to avoid choking, and discard the food once it begins to get soggy and disintegrate.

• Try massaging your baby's gums with a clean finger.

• Before using over-the-counter gum numbing preparations, consult your baby's doctor. These products do work but may also numb baby's tongue, and occasionally mother's areola, making breastfeeding difficult.

During Nursing:

• Try different nursing positions (see my previous post about positions).

• Make sure that baby latches on well every time. Gently remind him/her to open wide before latching on.

After Nursing:

• Consider rinsing your nipples with cool water, as some mothers find that baby's increased saliva from teething irritates the nipples.

• Some mothers find it helpful to apply a 100% lanolin preparation intended for nursing mothers.

Popsicle maker ⬇️⬇️