I got a call today from a mom who has been followed by LCs in a local
hospital.  This is her 3rd baby (all breastfed).  #1 had no difficulties, but
#2 had a very tight jaw and she spent months in pain due to the baby "biting"
on her nipple, till he finally relaxed.  With her 3rd she has apparently had
a number of difficulties and has been getting help from the hospital LC.
 Mom's large flat nipples made latch on difficult, and then someone noticed a
tight frenulum which was clipped and that helped also with the latch-on.  Now
they feel the baby is also exhibiting the same "tight bite" that her second
one did, and mom can only bear to breastfeed every other feeding (she is
bottle feeding breastmilk the rest of the time).  I have not seen this mom -
all of this has been by telephone.  The baby is 3 weeks old.
The baby by report is high tone - he arches and keeps his mouth tightly
clenched most of the time.  When mom inserts her finger into his mouth his
first response is to bite down. also when taking a bottle he bites down on
the nipple and gums the nipple rather than sucks it.
The baby has apparently been examined by his pediatrician who feels he is a
high tone baby, but within normal limits (i.e. no neurological concerns). Mom
doesn't feel she can go through months of biting till the baby relaxes, as
her 2nd one did.  I am not familiar with any therapists locally who work with
these kind of babies  regarding breastfeeding.   I suggested she try cup
feeding in an attempt to loosen his jaw and open his mouth more, and she has
a friend who is an OB nurse with some experience with cup feeding who is
willing to help.

Any other suggestions out there regarding what she might be able to do on her
own to reduce the jaw clenching and biting down on her nipple.  Also, any
information on how long this type of problem lasts - or is it totally
variable with each baby? (These were her specific questions).

Elaine Webber