My 9 month old DD is teething with her 3rd and 4th teeth having broken the gum over the last few days.
For the last 48 hours she's been biting me when I feed her. It's excruciating when she does it, and the first two times she did it I let out involuntary yelps and now she thinks it's a game.
She only does it in the afternoons/evenings when my supply is at it's lowest, but then she gives me a cheeky grin and a giggle.
Right now I'm taking her off, covering the nipple with my hand, giving her a stern look and then looking away. I wait a minute or so and then allow her access again. Is this the right thing to do? Clearly crying out wasn't! I have a low milk supply and I'm nervous that all this on and off messing around will make it even worse, but I can't let her continue to bite, it's too painful! Is this likely to continue for a while? I feel like I'm lurching from one bf problem to another at the moment!
we didn't have much of a problem with biting but i followed what my MCHN recommended - as painful as it is, don't squeal (hard, i know!) because they do think it's a game. take them off & say no firmly. my MCHN also suggested that if doing that isn't enough, place them down on the floor safely & don't allow them back on. i've only ever had to do it once or twice & it definitely worked because DS realised that he wasn't going to get what he wanted! i also tell DS that it hurts mummy to do that. no idea if that sinks in but i figure he understands a lot more than i realise!
She needs to learn to be nice to the breast that feeds her! Sloane's advice is spot on. You could also try calling the ABA helpline 1800 mum 2 mum if you'd like further suggestions.
Thanks ladies. She did it again last night as I was feeding her to sleep so I just stopped feeding her - she was most disgruntled - hopefully that's done the trick, but we'll see...
Sometimes it can help to give them something cold to chew on before feeding, to numb the gums a bit. Some mums also find that gently pushing the baby's head forward into the breast when they bite works well. There are some other tips on the ABA website - Australian Breastfeeding Association - Biting and Breastfeeding also.
Looks like you've managed to put a stop to it anyway. Just wanted to say, biting is something they are all going to try, but it is really the most easily solved problem. They are designed to feed way beyond the time they get teeth. Usually with a bit of firmness they realise that it's not a game anymore
Unfortunately I haven't managed to put a stop to it yet - she bit me and broke the skin on one side yesterday, and then the other side this morning. I'm resisting the urge to yell and putting her down on the floor and telling her 'no' each time she does it - she just goes and plays but then seems a bit whingy and clingy soon after.
Thanks for the link MantaRay - I'm going to have a look now.
We fly to the UK in a few days so I've got to nip this in the bud asap!
I'm at a complete loss what to do now and pretty desperate.
We fly in less than 24 hours and she hasn't stopped biting. One of my nipples is all deformed and cut up from being bitten so many times. It reminds me of the early days, feeding through the tears and curled toes with cracked nipples.
I tried 'no'and placing her on the floor, she just goes and plays and doesn't even realise that I'm cross with her, just follows me around whinging because she's hungry after a few minutes. I've given her things to chew on before I feed her, but she doesn't chew on them, even if I try to help her to get it in her mouth. I called the ABA in tears on Thursday after being bitten 3 times in half an hour, but they didn't have any advice other than what I'd already tried and keeping an eye on her feed to anticipate the bite and get her off before she has a chance too.
Yesterday, it pains me to admit, I tried the cheek flick - it didn't sit comfortably with me but I couldn't see any other way of getting the message across that biting isn't okay. I flicked her really gently and put her on the floor; she was quite upset, and I let her be for a minute or so but then I picked her up and comforted her and told her biting is naughty, it hurts etc.
Overnight she fed 3 times and it was fine, but this morning when I fed her we are both so tense - I am watching her like a hawk when she feeds and have my hand ready to take her off at the slightest sign. This made her nervous and she cried while she was drinking the little milk that she did have. Then she bit me again. I said no, put my hand over my nipple and she cried more. I gave her a cuddle after a minute or two, but I haven't tried feeding her again and that was about half an hour ago.
Now I'm sitting here crying, dreading feeding her, dreading my supply dropping off with all this messing around, worried that I've damaged our relationship and worried sick about getting on a 24 hour flight on my own with her in a few hours time.
Has anyone got any advice at all about where on earth i go from here?
Getting ready or an o/s trip is stressful enough - even if it's something you want. I wonder, how many feeds are you giving her? Maybe she just doesn't want them all. She's a big girl now - able to eat normal family foods. Your milk won't *just dry up@ - as many feeds as you give her you will make that amount of milk. (Mothers of toddlers who just feed once per day have enough milk for one feed per day) And with a balanced diet she doesn't need anything. You are both having a busy time and she may feel too involved in what's going on to want to feed. If she's hungry, give her a banana, or another snack - but I think she is probably whinging b/c she wants you and does know she did the wrong thing
Thanks Barb, I think you may be onto something there... I have been so much in the habit of feeding often to try to get my supply up that now it's improved I probably should have pulled back a bit. I just didn't see the wood for the trees. I just fed her (after waiting for her to come to me for it) and she didn't bite. I'm still nervous with the really sore side, and took her off a couple of times when she took a pause in gulps, which she wasn't too pleased about but she was very gentle.
Hun, I hope that you this doesn't happen on the flight. My guess is that she will be less likely to bite when she's seeking comfort and will probably be tireder too.
Aw thanks Hun she's given me a couple of little nips today but at least she's not done any further damage. I just want everything to be back to normal, she seems so confused
Just thought I'd pop back in from the other side of the world to let you know how it went...
She bit me once on the flight, but it wasn't very hard and I think it was accidental as she was practically asleep at that point. She hasn't bitten me since either, so I hope that nasty experience is over now. I think eeking out the feeds so that they're less frequent worked, so thanks for your advice on that Barb.
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