Biten, pinched and scratched every time i feed!

[PocketTasha]

Hi all, i really need some useful advice. I am having trouble with DS2 feeding. I made lots of mistakes with DS1, with out much real advice. I didn't even know the breastfeeding councellors existed. I breast fed exclusively for three months, then mixed until four months, and it all went wrong. I am keen not to make the same mistakes. DS2 is now 7 months. When i breastfeed him he bites regularly, he is a fidgit anyway but pulls and tugs at the breast, pinching me as a result. He is happilily feeding as he does this. But it is obviously less than comfortable for me. I have tried so many things. Taking him off the breast when he bites, resulted in him biting harder to keep the nipple in his mouth while he smiles at me! He even wrinkles his nose as he bites down! i tried gently holding his nose to make him let go, but he seems to think this is a funny game, and actually laughs when i do it, and proceeds to bite again to get the same reaction! Also, i have recently started introducing a few bottle feeds during the day. Partly because of the way he pulls and fidgits. It makes feeding in public really really hard, because he pulls up my clothes and looks like he's struggling! Quantity of milk has never been a problem. Having not gotten to this stage last time i am at a loss as to how to handle it.

[SoupDragon]

This thread talks about breastfeeding necklaces which give your baby something to fiddle with when they'refeeding. Maybe it will distract your DS from biting etc?

[PocketTasha]

wow thank you. I've never heard of these before. Hopefully that'll fix the pulling on me problem. As i do end up just holding his arm back. Just need to stop him biting me.

[SoupDragon]

I used to take DSs off if they bit, say a firm "NO!" and give them one more chance. If they bit again, they got a bottle. No way was I putting up with biting - agony! Didn't get bitten that often I'm pleased to say.

Your DS may get engrossed in the necklace and forget to bite though - you never know.

[sweetkitty]

I just used to day NO take her off put her back on againg and if she did it again take her off altogether, she soon learned biting meant no milk.

[PocketTasha]

Yeah thats a point! i don't really want to stop and give hima bottle if he does, purely from an agro point of veiw! but i get biten almost everytime. i've lessened his feeds and given more bottles lately, but realised that i didn't really want to.

[PocketTasha]

Sweetkitty, thank you, I've done that before and it did work. Unfortunatly though it didn't last .

[PocketTasha]

i was also hoping to ask someones advice on the amoune of time i should be feeding now?
I felt that ds was getting more demanding. should that equal more milk, or more food at his age?

[alux]

Apologies for long post any insights into parts of my post will be much appreciated.

Now please help me sort out a feasible strategy as this is what I have thought about so far: (I followed popsycal?s thread with great interest and it has been really insightful)

I am going back to work f/t on 5th Sept. I know, a long way away but will go on hols for 2 wks in early August and when I get back want to have a clearer picture of what to do. I got my new teaching timetable about how I am going to feed dd.

She will be 20 wks by then and in a nursery a 5 min drive away. With my current timetable, it is feasible to drive there on Mondays and Fridays to give her the 11 am feed. However, I will not be able to feed her at about 2 pm but can get back there at 4pm for another feed ? pick up and go home. I expect that my school will be supportive to leaving mid-morning for this.

Now the questions: I hope to pump at breaktime and lunchtime (10.40 am and 1pm) on tues, wed and thurs ? I have not done this much and whenever I try my poor nipples get sore. (flange not too small ? do my nips get used to this with time?)

If I can?t pump successfully, will this limited daytime stimulation let me lose my supply? Lately, any attempts at pumping have not been v good even when boobs are fairly full. Ought I try to train them up?

DD feeds v. often. She will feed at 7 and 8 am. Then at 10 and 11 am. 2 and 3 pm. 4, 5, 6 pm. Will feed at 11 pm and 3-ish am. She usually feeds for less than 10 mins a time and no more than 15 mins since she was 10 wks old. (the night feeds) Is it likely that her feeding pattern will change when I am forced to adjust her routine?

I don?t mind supplementing with formula especially for the 2pm feed. Also willing to take fenugreek to increase supply and maybe help with the expressing.

I will be taking her to nursery a few times over the two weeks before I go back to work for her to get familiar with the environment.

[alux]

sorry, sorry, sorry, meant to start my own thread.

[PocketTasha]

thats ok! no worries
i've never been hijacked before!

[PocketTasha]

i've now looked through all of the thread on bf neclaces and they sound like a fantastic idea. |am trying to choose which on to get at the mo, as they are nice too. Hopefully this will distract from the biting too. Has anyone else hada child that /constantly/ fidgited and bit? it's every feed. And it really is putting a strain on the feeding. I'm not going to let something like this make me give up. I'm not ready to i already give more bottles that i want to and plan to increase bf's again. As little ds isn't exactly thrilled either. I am concerned that i am looking at the need for milk and need for food upside down. I was finding Breastfeeding a strain cos it was a fight cos of the figetting and while he was getting bigger/hungrier i was feedng more often. Thus getting bitten and tugged more often. There is so much conflicting veiw on it.

[PocketTasha]

i appologise for the lack of punctuation in the last post!

[mandyc66]

never heard of a breastfeeding necklace but my ds has always held on to my chain whilst feeding!
He went through a clamping down phase, I just took him off the breast for a few minutes then restarted. seemed to do the trick. Could he have just had enough. Now he is on solids he wont want as much breast so maybe he is telling you to knock one or two feeds on the head?

[PocketTasha]

Thanks mandy, i considered that maybe he was fed up with it, but if i stop him he cries so i'm guessing thats not the case. I also thought that perhaps he wasn't getting enough quickly enough, so i started feeding just after his breakfast then meal, which worked well for a while. But then he started again. The problem seems to be that he thinks its funny , he biting that is.I'm thinking that if i give him another meal then i won' need to give him the formula and perhaps he'll be satisfied enough to not fidgit all through feeds. But i don't want to do something that will make it worse iyswim.

[cosi]

I had the same with my DS when he was 7 1/2 months. I started to combine with bottle feeds and used a fast flow teat, someone on mumsnet told me that they get used to getting the milk easier through these and get fed up when breast feeding so start to bite etc. Not sure what type of teats you are using? I gave up and went onto bottles as got fed up of being bitten but if you are using fast flow it might be worth swapping back to slower ones if you want to continue b/f?

[PocketTasha]

Thanks Cosi

I read that here too! One of the big mistakes i made with DS1. So kept DS2 on newborn teats. But thank you.

[chipmonkey]

I followed someone's advice here and pushed his head into my breast so he had to let go. Felt a bit mean but it worked!

[mandyc66]

I would just remove him for a minute or too then try again. keep doing this eventually he should get the message!

[Magscat]

Pockettasha - my dd goes through stages of doing that kind of thing. Mostly she pinches my upper arm but sometimes she clamps her gums together or pulls her head away to look at something before letting go of me.
She's been mega distractable ever since she was about 13 weeks old (will be 7 months at the weekend) and I find the only really easy feeds are when she's really really sleepy. Otherwise I think she find it boring and takes the minimum to satisfy hunger then she's on the look out for something else to do.

Don't know if this is the same problem as with your little one, but I find quiet, calm, darkened room is the only way I can feed her when she's in that mood. I switch on a cot toy that makes the sound of waves crashing to calm her down.
I know what you mean about feeding when you're out - really frustrating.

Well done you for persevering !

[Magscat]

Alux - don't know if you started your own thread but re. the expressing hurting thing - I use an Avent Isis hand pump & find it's really comfortable - but only if I get my nipple in the centre of the 'flower' bit - i.e. sometimes it pinches but I take it off & reposition it then it's fine. HTH.

[sweetkitty]

I used to hold my DDs hand as she fed she seemed to look for it, now when she's tired upset she sucks her thumb and looks for my hand to hold.

She also used to turn round very quickly with her nipple in my mouth that was agony.

[popsycal]

i love necklaces for distracting them

[PocketTasha]

Magscat, that is exactly it.

And turningwhile clamped is not nice at all. Perhaps it is all just about distraction. Plus i'm rather ample in the boob department an sometimes he pulls the breast up with his gums if he gets uncomfortable. I really am going to get one of these necklaces.

Alux did start her own thread, i suggested the avent isis too.

What balance bf and meals are all of you giving you children of that age? DS is also 7months at the weekend.

[PocketTasha]

Trying hard to keep this thread alive. Idon't want to make wrong desisions about breast feeding ad sod it up again. I know so much more this time, but i'm in new territory now. I was so upset when DS1 stopped bf so early. And it was all because i had no advice. My mum was very supportive, she bf us, but didn't have a clue what knock on effect some things could make either. I worry that his behaviour could be down to frustration.

[Magscat]

Hi PocketTasha - what do you mean about the the 'knock on effect' and about his behaviour being down to frustration - are you worrying he doesn't want to b/f anymore?

As for your other questino about b/f & meals balance, I've been wondering about this too. Not saying this is right at all but this is what ddis doing at the moment:

6.30-7am B/f
8am - small amount of baby porridge/cereal stuff
10.30 - ebm - about 6oz
12ish - veg mush (equivalent to about a jar's worth)
2ish - ebm - often doesn't drink al 6oz
4.30ish - veg mush (equivalent to about a jar's worth)
6.30 - b/f & bed

Then b/f on demand - usually about 10.30pm and at least once more in the night.

Not at all sure I'm getting the mil/mush balance right though. I know she needs 20oz per day but have no idea what she gets when she b/fs.