Painful Nursing - Sturgis,SD

I DISAGREE with Shandra and Cathy. Baby cereal doesn't need to be mixed in with your breastmilk in order to "satisfy" your little one- she gets everything she needs from your milk (of course starting to offer solids is ok, but do it on your own timetable).
I think its a phase. My son did the same thing, and it lasted for about two weeks I think. Each time he would do it I would say "ow, that hurt momma" and he did eventually stop, but I think I also would break his latch with my finger right before I thought he was done to avoid that pulling for awhile.
My son thought it was funny getting a response (usually an "OW!") from me from doing it, so maybe breaking the latch JUST before she's done will get her to forget about it. :)
Good luck! :)

contact the LLL. they will have real, experienced advice for you! :)

check www.askdrsears.com and www.llli.org. :)

there are many reasons for pain while nursing. some are simple while others are more complicated. but they are all solveable - and none should require you to stop nursing!
thank you for being determined to nurse for at least a year or even longer: WHO recommends 2 years! :) my son self weaned at 20 months. its amazing and beautiful to know that they outgrow it on their own and avoid the struggle and emotional turmoil of having to "force" them to stop.
anyway, thank you!

my son did this off and on as he got older, usually associated with teething or new interest/awareness in things around him. i would break the latch with my finger when he started, wait a few seconds and then let him nurse again. eventually he figured out that if he wanted to nurse, he couldn't pull back. if it is an issue of interest in everything, you could try nursing in a closet (darkness)- we did this for a while and it solved the problem. if it is teething, you just have to be vigilant and catch the pull back as soon as it starts.

also, at one point when he was about 8 months old we had some latch issues and i had to re-teach him to open his mouth wide before latching on. i did this by modeling a wide open mouth and the second he opened wide, i'd pop him on the breast.

with regards to pain, lanolin after every nursing (lansinoh brand) helped. if you have it, the all purpose nipple ointment after every nursing for a few days also helped. the thing that helped the most was stopping painful nursing- and it took me about a week for my nipples to recover each time.

if this continues to be an issue i'd recommend contacting a la leche league leader near you or a breastfeeding consultant. i don't think this is any indication about readiness to wean- don't give up on breastfeeding too easily. since it has been working for you, it is recommended to nurse until at least 1 year of age (2 years if you follow the WHO guidelines).

good luck and take care!

Have you determined why she is pulling?? Is she tugging on your nipple or letting go? If she pulls away when latched stick your finger in the corner of her mouth to break her suction. Fighting to get her to nurse will only frustrate you both! As the other mother noted, she may be too hungry and frustrated that she is not getting "enough" food fast enough. You may be better off allowing her to nurse after she has had some food. Look at it from her perspective what is she trying to tell you?

I didn't read all of the posts, but I would agree with the thrush comment. My daughter had thrush 5 times within the first 8 months. After the first few times, I didn't even need to see the spots in her mouth, I would know by the way my nipples hurt. Also, at that age, they start to get more interesed in everything around them. Maybe try to wear a shiny necklace or hold something within the line of sight that will keep her latched on and pay attention to that instead of wanting to look around.
good luck

If you are anxious she will feel that as well - agree with Shadra B. you may need to suppliment with some cereal, you can mix with breast milk. I nursed until mine was 18 months (only at bedtime by then) but did have to suppliment. Best of luck

I think you might have to do the same thing as if she's biting you.
That is, break the latch and put her down for a minute or two and walk away.
Babies at that age don't really understand they're hurting you and when they are teething or just experimenting with chomping or yanking, the best thing is to take the breast away and try again in a little while.
I nursed my son for 15 months and there were times he just wasn't really serious about nursing so I didn't try to force it. When he started getting teeth and bit me, I gave him something else to chomp on like a cold teething ring and a lot of the time he was happier with that anyway.
He didn't really want to nurse, he wanted to bite something and it wasn't going to be me!!!!
I think you should try to relax a bit about this yourself and when she tries yanking on you, take the breast away. Try again in a while.
They really do get it figured out mommies are for milk and not chew toys.
As they get older, their feeding needs and schedules change and if she's on solid food, she might not need to nurse as often as you'd like her to., but that's okay.
Keep trying, but don't try to press her to nurse if she's not into it at a given time.

Best wishes!

My son did the same thing at about 8 months. He would pull back and try to look around and it got a little uncomfortable for me. I recommend the nipple shields - they work great! I got one at Target for pretty cheap. In my son's case, it was his way of telling me he was losing interest. I ended up (slowly!) weaning him to a bottle during the day. I think he liked it because it was so much faster, and he could go back to playing and exploring. I still breastfed for a year, but by the end I was only doing it first thing in the morning and before bed. I'm not saying that's why your DD is doing it, but maybe you could experiment a little, maybe wait a little longer between feedings, or try pumping and giving her a bottle of breastmilk, see how she does with that. Good luck to you! Hope it gets better!

Are you supplementing her nursing with cereal? At this age, breastmilk is typically not enough to satisfy, but still provides some wonderful nutrients and great bonding time. You can also protect your nipples with nipple shields. I struggled with nursing, too. http://igotmompower.com/archives/831

Try a nursing necklace or a small toy-- she's getting to the distractable age-- if you can distract her in your direction she won't pull away

I think if you try to hold her closer she will resist. Have you tried putting your finger in the corner of her mouth to break the seal as she pulls away? This will ease your pain, and it may also teach her not to pull.

I had the same issue with my son who is 10 months old now ans has since weaned himself. When he would pull on my nipple it was bc my milk wasn't coming out fast enough for him and when he would pull away it was bc he wasn't interested in nursing anymore. I pumped and gave him a bottle instead of the breast and also fed him cereal in the morning and a fruit or vegetable for lunch/dinner. I would still give him the breast in the morning and night- which was nice bc we still had that bonding time that changes once you introduce the bottle. Good job nursing this long. Stick with it! You will be glad you did!!!

I have not read all of the responses (SORRY) but wanted to reply before logging off. From reading your post, the first thing that comes to my mind is Thrush. Take her to the peds to see if she has it in the back of her nouth or in her cheeks.
Even though "Curious nursing" starts at 6-7 months when the kids are more interested in the enviroment than the meal; but since you are now sore, I want to say 1st check for Thrush. Have you been on any antibiotics for anything? If so, then it is very common to occur. Good Luck & Congrats on breastfeeding for over 1/2 her 1st year.

i never fed my breastfed daughter cereal, EVER. i dont know if you are feeding her anything else except the breast, as you may very well be. im just saying she still needs to be nursing. at 6 months, her primary source of food is still breastmilk with any other solids complimenting it. baby food and cereal are really being given to teach a baby how to swallow thicker foods, and to test different textures. they should not replace breastmilk.

it sounds like to me she is more aware of how everything works, and wants the milk to come faster. she doesnt know she is hurting you. she may also be trying to up the amount. i also could see her teething, that can be quite painful and frustrating for her. i also agree she may just be overwhelmed as shane said. as soon as the tugging starts, you need to break the latch. if that alone doesnt help, you could break the latch and put her down a few seconds before starting again. just dont let her keep pulling on you even for a second. if you dont think this is the way to go, i would suggest experimenting with her feeding schedule by changing some times to see if anything helps.

does she look at your while nursing? if so, you could also try singing, talking, or reading to her to distract her. get the lanolin for your nipples regardless. good luck, and make sure to really pursue this, if you need to contact la leche or a lactation consultant. im sure this can be fixed and you dont want to let something stop you from nursing unneccessarily.