Too scared to feed my baby

[Missmarple45]

My ds is 5.5months old, he's bit me a couple time but last night he bit me so hard it was so painful I am now scared to feed him-its ridiculous-but im so on edge feeding him now i dont know how to snap out of it, i don't want to stop breastfeeding, up until now I've loved it and am really struggling at the thought of not breastfeeding him anymore.
I know it's normal, and probably because he's teething and probably just a phase, I also know what to do if he bites etc etc but I need to shift this horrible anxious feeling I get now when I feed him and I need to stop feeling scared he's going to bite and just get on with it but I don't know how!?!

Be careful with a syring reaction though. I know the advice is to pull them off and say NO firmly and some even say you should put them down too....

Well I tried this with my DS 9 months who started biting the other weekend and it upset him so much he went on a nursing strike it’s was so stressful. He obviously misunderstood me and thought I was saying no to feeding full stop because then when I tried to put him on again he started screaming and pushing me away.

After about 5 hours of him refusing to feed (v unusual, he still feeds every 1.5-2 hours) I stumbled across the advice on the kellymom website to try and stay calm and gently say “no biting” and kept offering him the boob. When he bit me I gentle pressed down on his chin and said in a very gentle voice “no biting sweetie” and let him carry on feeding

He tested me a few times for the next few feeds until he obviously understood that I meant no biting not no feeding and he’s been fine since. No biting since and it’s been a week.

It’s hard and I understand the tense feeling that they’re going to bite but I just kind of braced myself for it in the same sort of mindset of something like labour or an injection. Think “this is going to hurt but I want to carry on breastfeeding” keep your cool and gently say “no biting”

Good luck

Syring reaction?! Should be strong reaction

kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/biting/

My DS does this sometimes, he’s 7 months but doesn’t have teeth yet (thank god). It’s almost always towards the end of a feed or when he’s actually not that interested in eating. I always do a firm NO and put one finger in the side of his mouth to pull away.

My DD’s used to do it with teeth, that was horrid but my shocked OUCH was enough to get them to pull away.

Hmmm it was the bottle for DS2 when he started with this caper! He was 9 months and we were mixed feeding, I think the boob was a bit slow compared with the bottle then. Hope you sort it out OP but the bottle is always an option, at nearly 6 months you've done a great job of BF much longer than most.

I have absolutely no problem with expressing or formula it's just I don't feel ready to stop breastfeeding yet and find the thought of stopping (especially like this) really upsetting

My DD went through phases of doing this, the worst was at around 8 months iirc. It really was just a phase and was over as quickly as it started, I continued to feed her until 14 months.

A firm no and unlatching was what I used to do, seemed to work.

I just unlatched both of mine as soon as they bit. I didn't say no or anything else, just removed them for a few seconds then re-latched them. Both of mine only bit me a small number of times before they got it. I then BF both of them until 18 months and 16 months.

It was just a hump in the road really.

Oh, and popping my finger in the corner of their mouth was effective at removing the latch.

Mine went through a bitey phase. I implemented a 'if you bite it goes away' policy. If she bit, my boob was put completely away and she was given a 2 minute time out. Then I'd let her go back on the other one. If she bit, same again. She learnt pretty fast.

Me too OP.

My baby is the same age.
Hence my current username.
My whole body tenses up in fear. It's horrible!!

Don't bite how are you coping? Just sitting in fear hoping they won't bite?

Wish I could just block it out and get on with it

Yes basically.
He's DC3, so I know it won't last long. And I know he won't do any real damage.

He hasn't done it at all today but the day before he would do it as he was falling into a deep sleep.
So I would yelp and wake him up and have to start over with re-settling to sleep which was frustrating.

They don't keep doing it.
I can't remember when they stop though.

Sounds familiar
I keep taking him off when he stops sucking so he doesn't bite but then he fully wakes and cries thinking what's going on I have to start over again...and then he's getting over tired as well

Mine did this at around 9 months, it was usually towards the end of a feed and he'd catch my eye and then bite. I used to unlatch him with a finger and say a firm no. He only really stopped though when he caught me by surprise and I shrieked . It only lasted a couple of weeks though, and wasn't every feed.

Mine still does it sometimes at the end of a feed when he’s finished feeding and is just comfort sucking. It’s not a planned bite he just moves his teeth around. I make sure he’s got a good mouthful when he’s feeding and try not to let him roll my nipple out of his mouth towards the end of the feed. I do feed laying down as I find it easier to keep a good latch. I have become accustomed to being bitten and it doesn’t hurt much now. The first bite is definitely the worst. My DS is two.

Oh good to hear it doesn't hurt as much now the first was bloody painful