Nursing Strike, Biting, Teething, and Sore Mouth??

[babygirls2]

My DD is 6.5 months old. She has recently had her 2 bottom front teeth pop in. She has been teething horribly since she was a/b 3 months old. She bite me with her gums but I really couldn't tell she was doing it. Now since she has the teeth she has turned into a little vampire!!!! I've tried yelling no and pulling her off but it doesn't work. I yelled so loud one time not meaning to and out of pain that I scared my hubby in the next room. She just thought it was funny and laughed at me. That is just one of the many struggles right now.
The last few days she will latch on and then start crying hysterically and of course come off. She does this a couple of times and then gives up. I try to keep working to get her to nurses though. She refuses bottles so I don't even try that. Today I looked in her mouth to see if she had any more teeth coming through and it looked like she may have some trying to come through. she bit down on my finger and bit her tongue. I was going to see if she was bleeding and noticed a big ulcer under her little tongue. No wonder she has been refusing to nurse!!!! She has been biting everything rather vigorously and I am sure she has bit her tongue to make it sore enough that it has an ulcer. What can I do for her???? She has to eat. She has been taking a/b 4 full nursings a day. She acts like she is so hungry and that it hurts so bad to nurse but she works through the pain to eat. I sobbed this evening when I found it b/c I know how much it hurts!!! She isn't really on any solid foods yet only occasionally a taste here and there. So breast milk is the staple of her diet. So how can I get her to nurse more?? My supply has gone down this week b/c of this. I have been pumping after she nurses but I don't get much. I just don't let down to a pump. I have a Medela PIS but I still have trouble with let down when pumping. I also take fenugreek and have been drinking Mother's Milk tea to try and boost my supply. I am so afraid this will lead to her weaning and we both just aren't ready for that yet.
Edited to say....she was nursing a/b 6-8 times a day, only 4 at the most now....
HELP!!!! Any advice would be great!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Mammas!!!!!

[Ooey]

I don't have any experience to speak from but if she won't take a bottle you might try using a little medicine cup and pouring the milk into her mouth. I've heard that this works well for some people. Then at least she wouldn't be hungry, and I don't think it would hurt her to eat this way. mama

[babygirls2]

Thanks mama. I wonder if a medicine dropper would work? She hates a bottle and absolutely refuses it. I tried this evening after pumping. I also tried putting orajel to numb her tongue so she would nurse but she kept loosing her suction and soon got frustrated. I just don't know!!! I hope this thing heals quick!!!! Thanks for the hug....I really need it right now!!!!

[Ooey]

A medicine dropper sounds like a good idea to me. I only suggested medicine cup becasue that's what a bunch of mamas suggested I try if Whider won't take a bottle. I know what it's like to have a sore tongue, I have 2 tongue piercings and I know that sucking is the last thing you want to do when your tongue hurts! Poor baby

[rpg_mommy]

Poor baby!

I have a PIS too, and also have trouble letting down with a pump. I have to do nipple stimulation before I pump if I want to get anything out. Just tugging on my nipples till milk starts to come...maybe 10-20 seconds or so. Maybe try that next time you pump?

Also, if your DC was nursing 6 times a day and now is down to 4, make sure you are pumping those 2 extra times. That will help your supply issues!

Good luck mama! Hope your little one feels better soon!

[babygirls2]

Thanks Mamas! I think she feels a little better today but still cries when she tries to nurse. Thanks for the hugs!

[jeniperlyn]

You might also want to try Hylands teething tabs instead of the oral gel. My ds has been teething but it's gotten worste this last week, he has no teeth but he has bitten me extremely hard about 4 times. A few nights in a row he cried for 2 hours straight and when i tried to nurse him he wouldn't latch, he just cried. The oral gel wasn't working for me and i had a few other mommas suggest the teething tabs. So far since we started them he hasn't bit me and isn't chewing on me like he was. My ds will take a bottle but when his teeth are bothering him he just chews on that nipple too. I hope things get better, i'm really not looking forward to those sharp little teeth especially since my ds is biting already.

[naturegirl7]

first - do NOT yell. That can either scare baby or make it into a game where baby thinks it is funny to bite mama. Neither is good. Trust me, I know it is hard, but you can't make a sound. When baby bites, gently unlatch, telling baby "ouch, biting hurts mama, we can't nurse if you bite" or something like that. End the session right then and there. Give baby an acceptable teether and say "THIS is what you use whenyou want to bite" or soemthing like that. Expect baby will cry and need to be held and consoled, once baby is calm - try nursing again. Just keep doing this each time you get bit. They start to put it together that biting and nursing don't mix. It takes work and patience - but it gentles teaches about biting without harming either of you.

second - fix the problem of sore teeth! If you are using Oragel - throw it out!!! It makes gums more rubbery and actually makes it harder and more painful for teeth to pop thru the gums. Try Hylands teething gel - or better yet - the teething tabs. They are all natural and herbal - helps with pain of teething AND calms them down, allowing them to get some peacful sleep. Also Herbs for Kids - Gummomile Oil. It is like magic. It is primarily clove oil, and it numbs the gums way better than anything else (yes I have personally tried/compared! LOL) A bit of oil to the gums, some Hylands tabs - and DS is ready to handle anything again. He can eat, sleep, nurse, play - no cranky fussy baby. He doesn't even chew on his hands as much, and most of the time doens't chew at all untilt he oil is wearing off. They are godsneds - to the point that we have bottles of both at home and extras that stay in the diaper bag. Plus unopened bottles on the shelf in reserve. If his teeth are really hurting him, we will also give him a bit of tylenol. Like right now he is cutting two molars at once, he is getting tylenol at night.

The sore under the tongue, I don't know what to tell ya except time will heal it - and relieving the teething pain will hopefully prevent her from biting her tongue. If you decide to supplement - offer the breast FIRST - and use a soft medicine cup - do not pour it into her mouth, but let her lap at it (think kitten style) - this will preserve the sucking relfex in a way that pouring it into her mouth won't - trust me, they forced me to supplement with a spoon feeder (like a cup really) in teh hospital, but they did it wrong and after a day of dumping it into his mouth, he lost all urge to suck. learning to BF was a long, tendious, and painful process for both of us after that as he needed to relearn how to suck. But anyway, offer the breast first and periodically during the feeding. If possible pump to keep your supply up, and use this to supplement.

DS bite a few times, but once we started with the tabs and oil - he stopped. We also practiced what I told you above too. And when his teeth hurt really bad, he will try to nurse and pull off crying, cuz it hurts too much to nurse. A bit of oil and tabs, and we are back in business.

Hope that helps somewhat. GL!