Breastfeeding

At eight months old, our twin breastfeeding journey had been relatively uncomplicated. I had dealt with awkward latch issues in the early weeks, and some minor nipple soreness during that time. I had survived a few plugged ducts using tips from Dr. Sears's The Breastfeeding Book and La Leche League's Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. And I had survived the early days of teething with few problems.

Then one night, as my daughter (who has four teeth) was dozing off to sleep, she bit down HARD! I yelped in pain, pushed her face in close to me so she'd unlatch, and then tried to comfort my startled baby. That night, she'd bite me four more times in her sleep. By morning, my nipple was extremely sore! Each time I'd nurse either of the babies, I'd almost cry from the pain on the left side. I wasn't sure what was going on-- was it thrush? Soreness from the bite? Something else? I couldn't imagine that a few tiny bites would leave me that incredibly sore, as my nipples would feel like they were on fire every time I'd nurse on that side. My mind had associated the extra pain with my daughter (who has two more teeth than her twin's two teeth); I'd feel anxious nausea in the pit of my stomach every time I'd prepare to nurse her. After two days of walking around with my breasts hanging out of open nursing bra flaps, and crying every time a baby acted hungry, I awoke one morning to find a little bit of dried up blood on the tip of my left nipple. Something had to change.