i don't want it to end like this--help! x-posted in BBI

[readytobedone]

do babies really wean by biting you and refusing to nurse, or is this just a strike? if it's a strike, how do i end it?

here's my post from BBI:

in the past week, she's started biting basically every time she nurses. she'll nurse for 5-10 seconds and then just bite...not THAT hard, but enough to make me wince. then she laughs and runs away. it makes me avoid nursing her, to be honest, and i've just turned her down a few times because of it.

she even did it this morning, in bed, while we were still half-asleep. i've tried explaining it hurts, stopping nursing and putting her down, and leaving the room. sometimes she gets really upset; other times she doesn't seem to care and just runs off to play.

any ideas? could this be her way of trying to "get done" with nursing? i wasn't ready for her to wean, but with this biting, it's almost like thank god if she weans

***

wanted to add: i have been crying off and on all night. tomorrow is her 2nd birthday, and i really don't want it to end like this. DH doesn't seem to get it

this all seemed to start randomly last week when my mom was visiting. DD bit me a bit once, and i kind of yelped, and it's just progressed from there. before that, she was nursing a lot. she had an ear infection last week. she might be getting her 2 year molars...

[hedgehogs4]

I just wanted to write and give you a . I don't really think that this could be a nursing strike because she seems to old for that. She probably at first was curious about your reaction when she bit you and now you both are in a bad pattern. I totally understand your sadness - this is totally NOT the ideal way to end a nursing relationship. I'm going to guess that this isn't the end, just a rough spot that you will get past with some patience.

[mom2threenurslings]

A few ideas ... before she latches on, remind her to "open wide" and that she needs to be nice to your breasts and not bite. If she does bite, try not to have a reaction. Break her latch and say "no biting" and put her down. If she stays and seems to want to nurse more, remind her again "no biting, open wide" before latching her on again.

Does she drink from a sippy cup? Some mamas find that their nurslings have problems nursing (shallow latch, biting, etc) when using a sippy cup and that when they stop sippy cup use and remind the nursling to open wide before nursing, it makes a significant difference within the first few days.

Also...it sounds like you may be very tense when nursing her now- children can pick up on our stress levels and it can effect the nursing relationship. Taking some deep breaths and relaxing before nursing (and not clenching your jaw and stiffening up your body when she latches on) might help you both relax and nurse better.

:

[Carlyle]

For my dd, when she bites me, I try to pull her in as close to my breast as possible (so that she can't breathe for a few seconds--it makes her unclamp her teeth and makes her uncomfortable). I try to do this with as little "yelp" or other reaction from me as possible. It's SO hard and makes me raving mad, but it's really helped. THe more reaction she gets from me now (at 2.5), the better (in HER mind, anyway ). GOOD LUCK!