Teething and Breastfeeding(Not a Good Thing). Please, Help!

Hi!

My baby also bit me when she started teething- my la leche leader suggested i pull her in really close, so that my breast nearly smothers her- this forces her to open her mouth and let go so she can breathe.

I hope this helps.

K.,

I breastfed my first until he was 2 and my second to 18 months. When they started the messing around with their teeth thing, I would unlatch them, say "no bite", set them down and walk away. They'd howl like crazy but they only did it once or twice and quit.

:-)T.

I had the same issue with my son a few months ago! I do feel your pain. And the good news is we are still breastfeeding! With that said, it took a little while to get him to stop. My son would look up at me and get this devilish smile when he was going to do it. I started out by telling him no. That didn't work. So I began saying NO! Do not bite me! and pulled him off until the next feeding. There were a few days when he only ate from me once a day (we were still on four feedings) when he was tired. I also decided to change his schedule and dropped a feeding, and that also seemed to help. It got to be where I can tell when he is going to do it. And now we are down to just me reminding him when he gets that look in his eye to not bite me. I don't know if anyone has told you to bite him back (some people told me to do that) but please don't. It shows him that it is a tool he can use and that biting works and is sometimes OK because you did it. It sounds like you are very dedicated to breastfeeding, as I was (I almost stopped), so good luck getting through this phase!

The ONLY thing that worked for my daughter was a tip that I got from another Mamasource mom: pull the baby INTO your breast, he will learn that he can't bite if he has to breath! This makes baby let go immediately...a little negative reaction from that bite that doesn't hurt him, but rather teaches him to not bite rather effectively! Hope it helps! Use some Lanolin for relief on you too :-)

This is the link to my daughter's pediatrician's site on biting while breastfeeding (he's never steered me wrong) so just copy and paste in your browser (GREAT TECHNIQUES TO STOP BITING)

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T029900.asp

My daughter has 6 teeth at 7 months! She just started to bite me, I have the same response every time, I scream "OUCH" then I count to 5 and try again. I say "SOFT" "GENTLE" and lightly stroke her head. If she does bit me I scream in pain again, and she understands not to do it. She has since stopped biting as often.

I feel for you, and I know it's scary to feed when they bite. I found myself being scared to start feedings, and that's when I tell her SOFT and GENTLE as I start, and she somehow understands. Some how get your son to understand it hurts you, and then come up with a phrase that he understands from you. BEST OF LUCK--don't give up and I know you will find a good technique that will work for the both of you--keep trying!

If you push his face into your breast he will stop doing it. When he associates that he cant breathe to biting he will stop. It took my daughter 2x's then she never bit again.

Hey there.. This sounds like me about 2 months ago.. My baby (now 11 month) was almost 9 months went I went back to work.. so I started pumping at work.. little guy does not like formula! Pumping & nursing constantly was not alot of fun.. but I continued.. and still am.. so then.. his 4 top teeth all came thru at the same time! I thought "great!" lets just get this over with.. My 1st born never bit me.. ever.. Well my baby boy #2 did.. just a couple times.. but bad enough for me to have open wounds.. it hurt so badly. I probably would've weaned him if he had taken formula, but he didn't. So I just pumped exclusively for a week or so.. not fun.. but that hurt my nipples too.. I used lanolin & eventually is healed.. took a good month though. I also moved him to the "football" position.. so his teeth werent on the same spots,, that helped alot.. and I eventually bought some very waterproof & very adhesive bandaids (made sure he wouldn't pull it off & choke) and that helped alot.. I wish u the best. Mine are all healed now & I plan to stop pumping when he turns one on Nov 11th, but will nurse as long as he wants to.. it's truly one of my favorite things to do as a mommy.. good luck! Take care.. & Hang in there.. S.

how old is he? maybe he needs to ween already? but whenever my kids did that i would not let them nurse till the next feeding. they usually stopped if they needed the milk to sustain them, but once they were old enough i would just not let them nurse and give them an extra bottle instead, or something like that.

Try putting your finger in her mouth when she detaches. You can use that as a barrier so that she cannot bite down.

You can try pulling him off for just telling him no and pulling him off for a minute. Also, my 10 month old has bit me in the past a couple times - ouch! I noticed that he bites typically when he is not really hungry. Just a thought but maybe your little one is trying to tell you he isn't hungry.

I had the same problem with my oldest son (I have 5 children). He started teething very early, about 3 months. He would bite or nip at me. I would gently "slap" or "flip" his cheek to remind him not to bite for a couple months. He finally quit, and he nursed successfully for nearly a year. Now, he's 33.

A Little About Me:

Mom of 5 adult children living in Las Vegas, 4 grandchildren, one of whom is living with me, so I'm a mom again for awhile. We were a Navy family, traveling the world for 20 years.

I had the same thing happen, and i wrote mamasource about it too! There were two things that worked best for me. One was all the encouragement not to give up, and that i was doing a good job breastfeeding, jist as you are! And the other was to unlatch her myself when i noticed she was about to be done. I tried all the no bite, putting her to the side etc. While i know that works wonders for some, they are all so different. It seemed to just be a phase, and was over within two weeks. Hang in there!

I am a mother of 7 children.
I breastfed my 5 babies until "they weaned me" (the other 2 are children from my husband's previous marriage).
I was in La Leche League when this was discussed back in 1972.
They said the most effective way to stop this behavior immediately in it's tracks is;
Flick your baby on the cheek very hard while saying firmly, "That hurts Mommy!".
I know this may seem harsh but the harder you do it, the less likely they will bite you ever again.
I never had to do it more than once.
She cried, but she never did it again.
Only 2 out of 4 daughters tried this and my son never did. They all nursed between 18-21 months.
It's possibly the first time where baby begins to learn about consequences resulting from their own behavior!
Hope that helps.
Julia

A firm "no" is good if it happens, but what I've learned with my son is that he will nibble, bit and pull at the nipple until the letdown of milk happens - then he just eats. If you can get yourself to letdown before you begin feeding it might help, either by gently pulling at your nipple or messaging your breast while thinking about feeding your baby. This worked for me through the teething process. Good luck to you - I know it's very painful and your should be proud of yourself for trying to find a way to work through it.

Been there, done that ;-)

I see someone else has already given you the link to dr. Sears :-)

My favorite part, that has helped me, I learned from Dr. Sears :-) I know it i counter-intuitive, but.....pull your baby closer.

From Dr. Sears web-page:
Pull baby close. Instead of the yank-and-yell response, which you may intuitively feel like doing, as soon as you sense baby's teeth coming down to bite, draw her in close to your breast and she will automatically let go in order to open her mouth more and uncover her nose to breathe. Don't try to disengage your nipple from the clenched teeth. Your baby will lessen her bite as she realized that she can't both bite and breathe. After several times of this counter-instinctive trick of pulling your baby in close to you when she bites, your baby will realize that biting triggers this uncomfortable response and she will stop biting. Remember, your goal is to discourage her from biting, not to frighten her.

Good luck, and I hope you get to enjoy your nursing again soon :-)

That's awesome that you have dedicated yourself to providing your baby with the best nutrition a mother can give her child. I'm sorry to hear about the teething situation. Ouch! I went through that myself with my first child and it was no laughing matter. What I did when he would bite me was that i would stop feeding him and put him in his crib. I know it may sound a little mean, but he learned that doing that meant no more feeding, so he saw the pattern; bitting means no milk, so he stopped. It worked for me, hopefully, if can work for you. Good luck.

The only time I have ever spoken harshly to my daughter was when she bit during nursing. And by harsh I mean that I said No Biting in a firm louder tone than is usual for me! I knew that if I didn't do this that we would not get to keep breastfeeding. I did this all of three times (with the first three teeth!) and she looked shocked- cried once (which of course made me cry) and then didn't bite anymore. We were both nervous the next few feeds but made it through! Good luck!

I just went through this and what worked for me (after looking for help on the Internet)was to be armed with a chew toy and baby Orajel. When he starts to get distracted and you feel teeth say,"you must not be hungry" and detach. If he bites say,"no biting momma, you need a chew toy"and replace your breast with the toy. On difficult days (for you and him)use a bit of Orajel, it takes the edge off. For your own sake, remember for fast escape from the mouth use your finger in between the gums! No matter how many teeth, with a proper latch, nursing should not hurt. Your doing great!

As soon as your child bites, remove them from the breast and don't let them nurse for five minutes. they will cry, pout, scream....and eventually learn. good luck! :)

I always took my kids off when they bit me and said no, that hurts mommy. They learned pretty quickly.

This happend to my sister-in-law. She is the most self-sacrificing mother I've ever personally known and she called it quits when her son decided it was fun to make mommy scream and turned it into a game. If you need to call it quits on the breastfeeding, you'll still be a good mom. And way to go on 10 months!

There's nothing wrong with discontinuing nursing once your child reaches the point that he/she is biting you. You can always pump and still provide breastmilk for your child without having to actually nurse. That may be a good way to transition/ween him from the breast anyway. Avent has a great transitioning system with a pump that pumps directly into the Avent bottle and they even have sippy cup tops that adapt directly to the bottle. That way, you can continue giving your child breastmilk without torturing yourself. Good luck!

~Breastfeeding mother of 3!

Sorry - I found this late. I nursed both my kids for over a year. When my son was about 4 months old, he would squeeze my nipple between his gums & make eye contact. He would smile around my squoze nipple & then toss his head back. I guess he liked the (pained) noises I would make. But, he would cry & act hungry if I didn't give him the breast. I spoke to my friend & pede who said that if he's playing with his food, take it away from him. I did & in surprisingly short order, he stopped doing it.

ginny

This is one of those times, in which a Mom either stops breastfeeding or not.

This is normal. It happens all the time. Their gums and teeth bother them due to teething, and they get oral. Both my kids did that. For me, when they did that, I said firmly "NO, teeth hurts Mommy." Then I'd open my mouth, show them MY teeth as I pointed to it, and said "it hurts. Don't bite...." Then I'd detach them, stop briefly, then let them continue. They quickly learned not to use their teeth. My kids also would yank my nipple as they pulled away... I told them "NO, hurt Mommy... open your mouth..." then I'd gently "open" their mouth with my pinky and then pull them off. It worked for me. They learned quickly enough.

It's a phase, it passes. It's just one of those "discomforts" we Moms go through for breastfeeding. But it will pass. The baby will learn.

All the best,
Susan

Hi K -
I'm a breastfeeding mommy of a 22 month old with ALL her teeth, so I understand your concern. Sofia did what your little one is doing, early on as well. Here's what you do - whenever the biting starts to occur - pull your little one INTO your breast and firmly say no biting. This will cover his little nose up a bit, causing him to come up for air and he'll quickly release your breast. Do not allow him back on the breast after he has bitten. You can switch sides, but don't put him back on the one he just bit. When you tap his chin or nudge him, he thinks its a fun game and will continue to do so. There is no reason to wean him - he's still quite young and benefits tremendously, both physically and psychologically from being at the breast.

Good luck!

I nursed three of my kids until they were at least two and the trick is when he bites you immediatly stop nursing. You don't really have to scold just say "No biting" then don't let him nurse for at least 10-15 minutes. It doesn't take very long before they learn. Also I would watch and when my kids were slowing down I would try to catch them right before they stopped nursing in earnest and put my finger in their mouth to get them off before they bite. When they are truly eating they have no time or reason to bite. When they start to play just let them know they are done. Good Luck!

I had this same issue when my daughter was 10 months old. I spoke with my lactation consultant who told me to immediately remove my daughter from the breast and firmly tell her "no, that hurts mommy" whenever she bit me. It worked! The biting stopped within 3 days.