Biting to wean at 9.5 months?

[mosomers]

I'm all for child-led weaning with my 9.5 month old son but he seems way to little to be done nursing already. For the last two weeks or so, he will nurse for about 2 or 3 minutes and then BITE me--HARD! My involuntary reaction is to yelp and flinch which just breaks his little heart. He sobs. I've tried telling him not to bite and letting him try again (he just keeps biting) and I've tried ending the session. I started thinking maybe my milk was drying up and that was his way of saying, "hey, where's the rest?" so I started offering the other breast and drinking Mother's Milk tea (which practically quadruples my milk supply overnight). He nurses for a minute or less on the second breast and bites again! Today, I nursed him and got bit, switched sides and got bit and then I pumped almost 3 ounces effortlessly, ruling out the idea that there's no milk. He promptly downed those three ounces from the bottle. He's NEVER taken a bottle before! What's his deal? Is he really weaning already? Most of the time, the "issue" people deal with is getting an older child to wean when mommy wants to be done, but I seem to have the opposite problem. What would a CLW philosophy say about that? Oh, and I don't push solids (he eats them because he loves it, but I don't push it), I've always nursed him on demand, and he just started sleeping through the night this week. I thought he might be cutting teeth, but I'm not seeing any other indicators of that. I watch his face and try to read him and it just seems like he doesn't want to nurse but has forgotten how to pull off without biting me. Any ideas?

[firewoman]

Even without other indicators of teeth, I would assume this is a teething issue.  All of my kids went through a little biting phase like this.  I just kept my finger at the ready to stick in there to protect my nipple.  I do think he is too young to be weaning but stranger things have happened.  Hopefully some more mamas will pop in and offer their perspective.  I would keep nursing and read this from Kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html  Good luck and let us know what happens!

[mosomers]

Well, I've kept at it, both with a finger at the ready to pop in his mouth before he bites and with a teething toy to give him when he bites (thanks for the link). It's getting better little by little. I can see him trying to figure out how to get the nipple out without biting. Cute little guy. He seems to feel so bad when he bites and I yelp in pain. Thanks for the support!

[evjolin]

ugh i am dealing with the same thing right now--9.5 mos babe, biting me REPEATEDLY....like he bites, i yell, he cries, and he does it again, immediately! i am thinking it's a teething thing, as he only has 2 teeth....but those other had better come in and this had better stop because wow is it painful.....going to check the link by pp. you aren't alone mama!

[Ellien C]

Just for the record, when I got bit, and yelped - no one got to nurse again immediately. That ended nursing for awhile - several hours. We got up out of the nursing chair and did something else.

I attributed it to teething pain. They don't know how to stop the pain, so they try that. They don't really know what will happen until they try. I don't think it's an indicator of weaning.

[rlandnl]

We have been going through the biting thing off and on for 5 months now. I am about at my wits end with it. I KNOW it's teething, she has 4 teeth already and is working on 4 more right now, but that doesn't make it any easier on me. My nipples throb with shooting pain for hours after she's bit me she bites so hard I have to check and make sure she hasn't drawn blood. She clamps down so hard I have a hard time getting a finger in there to get her off me, I end the nursing session and she doesn't care. The only times she will nurse well is if she is VERY tired and ready to sleep or during the night. I have been throwing around the idea of weaning, or only nursing her during those times that I know she will nurse ok. I just can't take the pain anymore.