To bite or not to bite? that is the question!

[pinkdolly]

Hiya,

My Lo is 8 months old and has 4 teeth, 2 top and 2 bottom. Before she had teeth she used to bite down really hard with her gums (which used to hurt). But since they have made an appearance she hasb't biten me at all.

Am I lulling myself into a false sense of security in thinking that she wont bite me? Or do I just have a very sweet natured little girl, who loves her mummy so much that she wouldn't dream of doing such a thing .

Am interested to hear your experiences regarding teeth and how to deal with any possible probs. Thanx

PinK

Hi,
I think that your little girl probably loves and enjoys feeding and that biting was a response to teething. It is certainly not necessary to wean now your baby's teeth have begun to emerge, if she does start biting again there are many little ways of discouraging it to ensure happy B/F for both of you for as long as you both want.

I found out only recently that when a baby is teething because of their sore gums they tend to nurse differently which can cause nipple soreness and also biting and chewing on the nipple to ease their discomfort.

When your baby is breestfeeding your nipple is positioned far back in the mouth and the baby's tongue extends beyound the gums between his lower teeth and the breast. So when your baby is actively nursing she cannot bite.

Biting tends to occur before a feed if they are not really hungry and towards the end of a feed when they latch off, start playing with the nipple and start chewing!!! Or is certainly the case in my experience. I still feed both my children, the eldest has a full set of teeth and my yongest has 8. My eldest never nibbled or attempted to bite but when my youngest started teething he liked to have a nibble which occured towards the end of a feed. I stoped the feed because I'd jumped half way up in the air in shock which was enough to discourage him from ever biting again!

Other mums I know used to pull their baby in closer to their breast, which partially blocks their airway and causes them to release the nipple.

Hope this helps.