Breastfeeding the Older Infant

Before nursing mothers can:

• Massage her infant’s gums with a frozen wet washcloth.
• Use a clean finger to massage her baby’s gums.
• Hand express a little milk to get the milk flowing for a hungry baby.
• Give her baby an analgesic if it’s ordered by healthcare provider. For some babies, teething is a hard time. Mouth pain can cause them to go on a nursing strike and the mother may wean prematurely without this knowledge.

During nursing mothers can:

• Change positions. Be aware of any changes in her baby’s latch and encourage her baby to open wide.
• Be aware of her baby’s behavior such as clamping down when falling asleep. She can quickly remove her baby from her breast and offer a cold washcloth or soft teether. Then return to nursing if her baby cues to.
• She can rub her jaw in small circular motion before, during and after nursing. This can be very soothing to the baby.
• She can encourage her baby not to bite by saying things like “that hurts mommy” or “don’t bite” as she is taking her baby off of her breast.

After nursing

• If baby bites and nipples are sore, follow sore nipple guidance.
• Refer the mother to a Lactation Consultant.

Clinical Guidelines

• Berens, P., Eglash, A., Malloy, M., & Steube, A. M. (2016). ABM Clinical Protocol #26: Persistent Pain with Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Medicine, 11(2), 46–53.

References

1. Campbell, S. H., Lauwers, J., Mannel, R., & Spencer, B. (2019). Core curriculum for interdisciplinary lactation care. Jones & Bartlett Learning. 
2. Dennis, C. L., Jackson, K., & Watson, J. (2014). Interventions for treating painful nipples among breastfeeding women. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (12), CD007366. 
3. Lawrence, R. A., & Lawrence, R. M. (2016). Breastfeeding: A guide for the medical profession (8th ed.). Elsevier.