Gumming/clamping down on nipple

[RhiChiChi]

Miss K is 4 mths old and is exclusively bf. During the last few feeds she has started clamping down hard on my nipple, which is a bit ouchy (no damage though) I suspect she will start teething soon given she has started drooling immensely for the past few weeks, shoving her fists in her mouth as well as chomping on her dummy.
I want to stop this behavior before she cuts teeth. I have tried taking her off and reattaching but then she gets cranky and stops feeding altogether which then causes later settling and feeding problems. I have also looked in her eyes and sternly asked her not to 'bite' mummy because it hurts. I am not sure what else to do as I never bf DD1 for this long.
Does anyone have any other strategies?
I am thinking it could also be her age as she is becoming more distracted when feeding (such as pushing her feet off anything she touches, pulling off the breast and looking around and also grabbing my breast hard with her hands) so hoping it is short lived?? I wear a necklace to distract her but that helps only for a short time.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Calluna]

I found DS bit me a lot because he was teething. I dont think we really found a solution. Just time. Sorry.

A few people said to watch him closely and when he slips off a slip a finger in his mouth and detatch him. But I could never tell when he had slipped. He was like a little ninja.

The only thing that did work was if he bit push his face into the breast for a moment so he had to let go to breathe. As much as it is your instinct to pull her away from you, DONT lol. It hurts so much more!

[HotI]

Go back to basics in how you position her. Make sure her back is supported. Plenty of boob in her mouth.

And watch her while you are feeding. Work out when she is most likely to do it, its often at the end of the feed when bub has had enough, and take her off before she clamps down. There is often a sign that it is about to happen.

Congrats for exclusively breastfeeding too! I admire those who weren't able to first time around, and manage to get it working next time.

[Chrispe]

I agree.

Unfortunately my DD was the worst biter, pretty much the only way she stopped was growing out of the 'phase'.
I ended up screaming in pain most feeds for a while, simply because she kept taking me by surprise. (And she would bite then pull)

[Teeki]

Go back to basics in how you position her. Make sure her back is supported. Plenty of boob in her mouth.

This is exactly what I had to do. I realised I having her lie on her back, rather than with her chest facing me. So she was turning her head to get to me, not getting as much breast in, and had more opportunity to pull off and look around.

Once I figured that out we were pretty good. Good luck! I agree with HotI that it's fantastic to have it hard and then go back for more.

[OceanPrincess]

Ahh biting - it can be such a frustrating time! As HotI says, it can pay to go back to basics and make sure you're attaching correctly. We can tend to get a little lazy once they are a bit older and almost attach themselves

The other thing I've found with my DS2, distraction is a huge thing. If he's feeding and hears something interesting, he will wrench his head around to locate the source of the sound - while he is still attached. I have found feeding when he is sleepy or wanting to go to sleep, feeding when he is actually tired and not when I think he might be vaguely hungry or feeding somewhere sans distraction (if possible) can help.

See if you can work out when and why she is biting and take it from there.

[lady_neon]

My little guy started doing that at around the same age. I started getting anxious because I was so scared of the pain of a bite when he did have teeth, but as soon as they cut he hasn't done it since.

Now I am worried about the top two coming through and associated biting

[RhiChiChi]

Congrats for exclusively breastfeeding too! I admire those who weren't able to first time around, and manage to get it working next time.

Aww, thanks HotI & Teeki. I am very happy I had another go at bf and really stuck to it and engaged a lactation consultant through the hospital upfront, which made a huge difference. I also picked my gf's brains whom had successfully bf their bubbas. Funnily enough once I got past the first two months I had a lot more confidence and I consider bf much easier than ff.

Thanks everyone for your advice! I have gone back to basics and am making sure she is attaching properly and facing me. I was getting lazy and like you said Teeki, she was almost lying on her back. She seems to have stopped really clmaping down now but occasionally plays around with the nipple with her tongue, so I assume she has had enough and is taking her off.. OP she does get easily distracted too, so I have asked for my DD & hubby mainly to keep the noise down when she is feeding or I'll go to another part of the house and feed.

[luna moth]

It's happening here too. My DD1 didn't do it, so it's a bit new to me. I just detach her then try again, or assume the feed is over.

[Cassius2]

It's happening here too. My DD1 didn't do it, so it's a bit new to me. I just detach her then try again, or assume the feed is over.

happening here too. i do what Audax does...'cause i like the way she rolls