Ouch! Biting & drawing blood

[popmum]

Please can someone offer some advice, am currently mix feeding my 6 month old - has been mainly bf up to 2 weeks ago when i wanted to originally stop bfing (for various reasons), he is now having 3 bottles in the day and a bf morning and night. I feel really bad about wanting to stop bf so thought i would just try and mix feed and continue like this. All going well, but he has 2 teeth and has started to bite me and this morning he actually drew blood. It hurts so much. He also latches on and then pulls away which also kills.
Really want to continue mixed feeding, but maybe i am asking too much of my body and there isn;t enough milk so he bites? I don't know....
(will be out for a bit, but back later now, so would appreciate any help)

I had this problem with DS2 and got loads of good advice form MN - I'll see if I can feind the thread - if not, I'm sure someone will come and help you. I can't really remember what I did but IIRC the biting didn't last long and I just got through it and carried on with the feeding fior another few months.

here it is old breastfeeding and biting thread
I'm pretty sure I tried to pull him in as someone suggested. I did carry on for another 3 months or so after that thread so something must have worked!

Hi Popmum

My DD is a wk away from being 6 months and is exclusively BF. She has two bottom teeth and a week ago started biting me as well. It's so painful but I haven't noticed my milk supply going down so I don't think that's why your little one is doing it. I think at this age they are exploring with their mouths and I often see DD biting a muslin/toy/her fingers etc. Perhaps they might have some more teeth on the way ?

What I do is draw her in to the breast so she needs to release or else when caught off guard I let out a yelp which seems to stop her doing it.

Lucy

thanks for the replies.
lucy 1977, very interesting, bang goes my theory then! can't believe he actually made me bleed today - it still hurts now (10 hours later) am used to being sicked all over (he has reflux), but having my nipple nearly torn off is something else.

anyone else with any theories?/ advice

all I know is that when DS2 bit me I got very emotional for some reason (as well as being in pain of course!) but I really thought that it was unfair of me to stop feeding him just because he'd bit me. Don't know if that makes any sense and certainly not judging anyone else for stopping because of it but it was just way my mind was working at the time.
He did seem to get through it though, as I said.

I have had similar problem with DD2. She is now 11 mnths. She started biting around 9/10 mnths. I was advised to flick her under the chin as soon as she bit so that she felt pain and released. I really thought I was going to have to give up but with her having a milk intolerance didn't want to. It seamed to work as it stopped after a couple of weeks and the appearance of 2 teeth on the same day! (making that 8 teeth) However, if you want to stop bf dont feel guilty about it. You have to do what suits you and your baby and 6 mnths bf is much better than no bf at all. Good luck!

thanks, no i don't want to give it up completely (just want a break sometimes, hence the mixed feeding!) - hopefully he is 'just' teething (think the upper ones may nearly be here now)

Have been feeding tonight with my finger v. near him so as soon as he starts to pull/bite i am releasing the latch. Took a few goes but he fed ok

ds started teething a few weeks a go,he kept biteing a couple of days ago, everytime he did it i broke the latch, he did it about 10 times then got the idea.

My DS2 bites too, but only on one side. He thinks it is funny to make me shout out in pain. I really do feel for you. He has 5 teeth now and DH thinks I should put him on the bottle rather than be bitten to death. I do worry cos one of my friends bit her mum's nipple off as a baby OUCH!!!!

I want to BF till he is 1 (only 3 weeks to go) then I can put him straight on to cows milk. Good luck & hope someone can offer a solution

sockmonkey - ouch!

Been much better today - no biting - have been releasing him when he seems to clench down on me so lets hope this continues...

thanks