[padomi]

I'm not sure what's going on here. All day yesterday dd was biting while nursing. My patience has been very thin lately - we suffered a great deal of damage from Hurricane Isabel and it's costing us more and more money and I've been sick all week. So I lost it a few times with the biting and raised my voice (something I never do). So last night she was saying "No bah bah mama" over and over (bah bah is "boobie") and she wouldn't nurse. I worried I'd conveyed the wrong message to her - she took my "No Biting" to mean no boobie at all. I almost started to cry, but thankfully right before she fell asleep she nursed and she nursed in the night. This has never happened before (dd is 15 months old). Any ideas on what's going on? Could this be a reaction to the stress in the house? Damn hurricane. Or could she be teething? She's not normally a biter.

 

[Potty Diva]

Aw..poormama(((HUGS)))

She could be teething and her biting sounds like a pretty good indicator, especially if she normally isn't a biter. Also her refusal to nurse may be a sign as well, if her mouth is sore. Have you looked, or felt inside her mouth to see if anything is amiss?

You mentioned you have been sick this week, could she be catching it?

I wouldn't worry that you have stress her out with raising your voice- biting hurts

But with all that is going on, I am sure she is feeling some of the stress from that.

If possible just keep her close and love on her as often as she neds it. Can you all get out of the house to a non isabel affected area for some relaxation?

Again (((HUGS))) and hoe things smooth out for you quickly.

 

[Sustainer]

What you describe is very common. Baby bites, momma reacts with yelling or some other negative reaction, and the baby then goes on a nursing strike because she associates the breastfeeding with your negativity. What Dr. Sears suggests is that, when baby bites, you do the opposite of what your instincts tell you to do -- you actually pull the baby closer in, so that the breast is smothering her, and this will cause her to pull away (and stop biting) to get out of the uncomfortable position. According to Dr. Sears, instead of the baby associating breastfeeding with negativity from you, this method will cause the baby to associate biting with causing an uncomfortable position, and baby will stop biting.