[Camellia]

I am so sad right now

I am scared to nurse my daughter! I used to nurse her any old time and we both loved it. She bites me so often now that I only nurse her when nothing else makes her happy

I hate it

I wish those

teeth would come in. I really think its teething. At least I really hope it just teething that causing her to bite. Overall, today was a little better. I nursed her when she was wide awake twice and only got bit once. Its night time that is the worst. She is overtired and nursing is the one thing that usually puts her to sleep. Now, if I let her hang out on the breast for long stretches, inevitably, I get bitten

Thanks for letting me vent. My little vampire is hanging out with her dad for a few and then I'm off to see if she is exhausted enough to fall asleep enough to nurse.

 

[mum2 4]

Dr Phil happened to have a segment on biting tonight. he says its an attention getting device with a big reward- Mom reacts instantly-
Suggested looking baby in the eye and saying firmly " No Bites" and then redirecting attention elsewhere. Is baby looking for more milk? ask and then say well, I guess you drank it all. there will be more later so try again and go do soomething else or get a snack.
I have also heard that while the instinct is to pull away, its more effective to hug baby closer and squish them a bit so they let go first. and, then say "all done" and again go do something else to redirect attention. Like a co bath to relax before bed...

 

[kavamamakava]

Have you tried teething tablets or homeopathic chamomilla? Hyland's teething gel works really well too. Poor you two

My daughter's latch will slip when she drifts off and she'll catch herself falling asleep and bit down. OUCH! I so feel for you.
I did the pull her in toward the breast thing too. It saved me from nipple trauma. I pulled her in close so her nose was covered and then she had to open her mouth to let go of the nipple. Then I would end the nursing session and tell her that biting hurts. If she asked to nurse again, I would latch her on again though.
I'm not sure how old your daughter is but I bet it's just teething pain and not exactly a way to get attention. Do what causes the two of you the least pain. And put some lansinoh on those nipples. It's nice and soothing.

 

[User101]

One other thing that helped me was to use Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter (not lansinoh) and to try to nurse the baby only on the uninjured side overnight to give the other child a chance to heal.

 

[foreverinbluejeans]

I disagree with Dr. Phil that biting is for getting attention. With this view you are declaring that babies are manipulative. If a baby is manipulative, it would not bite so that it would hve a happy mom and get to breastfeed all it wants. If you believe babies do things to get attention, breastfed babies would not have to resort to biting because they are already getting attention. The problem with Dr. Phil is that he is so confident and sometimes says things that are right so people can start to believe he is right about everything. He is not an expert on babies.

I hope things get better for you soon.

 

[Camellia]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replys. She is only 8 months and I don't believe she is biting for attention. It shocks her as much as me when it happens. I do react verbally, but try to keep it as calm and quiet as possible. I just want nursing to be a natural, normal activity again without all the thought put into it. I know this will pass....

I will get some teething tablets today and see if that helps her. She is slimming down too, and I feel like its my fault because I put her off

I have *never* done that until this whole ordeal. I know she's at the age when they normally slim down, but I know less nursing is adding to it. Of course, she is 30lbs at 8months so I don't think she is in danger of being under weight. I just don't want her to be hungry either. I've commited today to taking some risks of getting bit to let her nurse more, so we'll see how it goes

 

[Lucky]

Dd bit me often for about a week.I wondered if maybe my milk supply had declined and she was trying to get more milk. It kind of made sense since I had increased my aerobic excercise and probably needed to increase my fluids,too. She was 13 mo.
Fortunately, the biting has stopped. I try to drink a glass of water everytime I think of it (..like now,) and I treat myself to a few cups of Mother's Milk tea everyday. Maybe she was trying to get more milk, maybe she was teething...I don't know for sure. Increasing my fluids did seem to make a difference, though. We are both much happier now.

 

[Cutie Patootie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mum2 4 Dr Phil happened to have a segment on biting tonight. he says its an attention getting device with a big reward- Mom reacts instantly- Suggested looking baby in the eye and saying firmly " No Bites" and then redirecting attention elsewhere. Is baby looking for more milk? ask and then say well, I guess you drank it all. there will be more later so try again and go do soomething else or get a snack. I have also heard that while the instinct is to pull away, its more effective to hug baby closer and squish them a bit so they let go first. and, then say "all done" and again go do something else to redirect attention. Like a co bath to relax before bed...

Quote:

Originally Posted by foreverinbluejeans I disagree with Dr. Phil that biting is for getting attention. With this view you are declaring that babies are manipulative. If a baby is manipulative, it would not bite so that it would hve a happy mom and get to breastfeed all it wants. If you believe babies do things to get attention, breastfed babies would not have to resort to biting because they are already getting attention. The problem with Dr. Phil is that he is so confident and sometimes says things that are right so people can start to believe he is right about everything. He is not an expert on babies.

Dr. Phil was speaking of toddlers and older childer, not babies.

I believe the child in question was 18 months old and really was a little chomper. The parents were putting the little guy in time outs. Dr. Phil said, "no way" to the time outs and stated that 18 months is way to young for time-outs and said the little boy would not have a clue as to why one moment he would bite and the next he would be standing alone by the fireplace. He was very gentle in his approach and simply said to say firmly and lovingly, "no biting" and redirect him to distract him from it. I think Dr. Phil gets a bad rap here. Not from your post, just from seeing other posts around. He is usually pretty gd, although with older children he tends to you logical consequences. I agree that he certainly isn't on the right page with lots of things, but most of us are in the same boat.

I kind of take what is helpful and leave the what is not.

 

[Jennisee]

My 8 mo DD bites at the end of a nursing session, when there's no more milk, and she seems to be bored or fiesty. She'll even smile and cackle right before she does it.

Sometimes, switching sides help. Otherwise, that's our cue to end the nursing session and go play. I hope you find something that works for you.

 

[PadmaMorgana]

To the OP....

oh sweetie

relax. Really realax. If she is biting at the end of nursing she is done. Especially at night. Open your mouth. Then REAAAALLLY relax. What does your mouth do??? Close. She is not 'biting' you. she is closing her mouth on your nipple.

Try slipping out the nipple when she is nice and relaxed and saying "oh night night" holding her close still and maybe patting her back or stroking her. Or try substituting a finger for her to suck on. If she gets aggitated, put the nipple back, let her nurse and repeat.

During the day if she is biting you, just tell her no biting momma, close up the factory and put her down.

I understand. DD is getting a molar. Just one. And my nipples feel like I have been nursing a shark. It hurts to nurse when they are teething. The suction of nursing creates pressure.

Get some Hylands teething tablets or Bioron Chamilola (sp??). Or any homeopathic remedy. The Bioron works well with us as does the Hylands Teething Gel. It is all homeopathic but numbs the gums. I tried it. It numbed my tongue.

 

[mthomas]

ooooohhh, major hugs, mama. This is such a trying time in the nursing relationship, huh? When ds began getting his first tooth thru, he started biting. He cut the base of my nipple. It was terrible. It becomes terrifying to nurse. And when you do, you spend the whole time tensed up, just waiting. Not trying to get you down more, just saying I totally understand, so does almost every mama who nurses.
I esp liked the Chamilla too. It's liquid, so it's easier to deal with, IMO. I also gave him a wet rag before nursing. And I just did what most of the other ladies suggested. When he nipped, I would say "No bite" and unlatch him. It eventually started working. Not as soon as I would have liked, but he's gotten several more teeth and no more biting. He eventually figured out his meal was going to be interupted, and he liked that less than owie teethies.
I know you know this will get better, but geez, it sure bites now, huh - sorry, no pun intended there.