Hi, there! I received the following from Debbi Seligsohn, who lives in Taiwan, and can't find any LC help there. With her permission, I'm including her e-mail address. Please send her a cc: of any answers you post. From [log in to unmask] (Deborah J. Seligsohn) >I posted a couple of days ago on the problems I am having with my 19 mo. >old's teeth. He doesn't bite me, per se, or rather he doesn't bite me when >I'm nursing. He does sometimes bite at other times, but I think that's >unrelated. The problem when I am nursing is that as he falls asleep he >lets his mouth close slowly, letting the top teeth sink into my skin. If >he exposes the bottom teeth, which he does sometimes, I remind him to >cover them with his tongue, and he does. But with the top teeth, it's >really hard. He doesn't open his mouth wide enough, and it is really >uncomfortable. As he falls completely asleep he shuts his mouth. As >long as I'm awake, I spot this moment and shove my finger in and remove >him as he clamps down -- and hopefully remove my finger before he >clamps. But the other day I fell asleep when he was nursing and awoke to >the most painful bite I have ever experienced. I am sure it was in no >way deliberate, because despite my screaming in pain, and thrashing >around awkwardly as I removed him, he slept through the whole thing. It >just seems to be how he relaxes his jaw. The whole thing is really >painful for me. I'm getting more and more sore. I heard from one other >person on Parent-L who is having a similar problem, her child sinks the >upper teeth in when awake, but I haven't gotten any advise, save to tell >him he is hurting mother. Since I don't think the problem is deliberate >-- or even that he is conscious while he does it -- telling him not to >hurt me doesn't seem like it would help. Do you have any advise for >me, or any suggestion on how to contact a lactation consultant on the >internet? I do not believe there are any in Taiwan. When Aaron was a >baby we suck-trained him, and he really liked sucking our fingers, so we >gave them to him until he had teeth, at which time he rejected them. I >was hoping someone would have some suggestion on how to retrain him, >although I can't imagine what that would be, since he won't let a finger >anywhere near his mouth. I really want to keep nursing him and I feel >that he very much needs it, but I am in increasing pain. (I didn't >nurse my first so long and regret that, but that is another long story.) Although it's difficult to solve problems by e-mail, the unavailability of other channels makes it necessary to try. Thanks for your help. Jonathan