Thanks to those of you who offerred suggestions for getting the 17 month
old to stop pulling and clamping while nursing and causing damage to
mother's nipple and breast tissue.  What seems to be working slowly but
surely is mother taking baby off and explaining to baby the problem and
then allowing nursing again.  Repeat as needed.  She says today baby
seems to be "getting it".

We have also discussed various reasons for the baby to be changing the
nursing habits.  Baby does not seem to be teething.  However, she does
have ear tubes and mother now recalls that she was told that gradual
movement of these tubes can cause itchiness.  She is also  thinking it
may be a type of  allergy reaction (mom knows what an itchy palate feels
like)  as baby has a history of problems with this as well.

And I'm glad to report that with this and the on-going diflucan
treatment, mother is feeling much much better.  (There were no outward
signs on the skin of infection, but certain response to the diflucan
means there must have been an internal ductal infection making the pain
from the clamping even worse.  And I suspect the internal damage from the
pulling made her vulnerable to it.)

Thanks again everyone!
Natalie Shenk, BS, IBCLC
private practice in NW Ohio
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