IT FEELS LIKE TEETH

When babies clamp instead of suck

Why breastfeeding pain isn't always caused by the nipple.

"It feels like my baby's gums are biting me."

It's a phrase many mothers use.

There's no wound.

No crack.

No teeth.

Just deep bruising pain that doesn't seem to make sense.

In this final episode of the Stop Guessing Series, Johanna Sargeant IBCLC and Katie James IBCLC explore babies with tight jaws and feeding compensations, explaining why clamping is often a sign that a baby is solving another underlying problem.

Rather than treating the symptom alone, they discuss how recognising compensations can help uncover what's really happening beneath the surface.

In this episode

• Why some babies clamp or "chomp" instead of suck

• The difference between bruising pain and nipple damage

• How babies compensate when normal sucking isn't working

• Why understanding compensation changes the way we support families

Continue the learning journey

Download the free Clinical Observation Framework for Babies with Sucking Difficulties.

Inside you'll receive:

✓ The companion observation framework

✓ The complete Stop Guessing Series

✓ Clinical reflections

✓ Invitation to our live Clinical Q&A

Clinical reflection

Think about a mother who described breastfeeding as feeling bruised, tight or like "teeth."

Could that pain have been telling you something about the baby's oral function rather than the latch alone?

About The Latch Revolution

The Latch Revolution creates practical education for healthcare professionals supporting babies with feeding difficulties.

We believe better observation leads to better questions, and better questions often lead to better support.