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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

DD2 (7 months) - new teeth and has started biting me. And pressure to wean....

16 replies

FoeGlassSlipper · 14/07/2007 19:43

Help.

DD2 cut her first 2 teeth over the last 2 weeks. The last couple of days she has bitten me at the end of her breastfeeds. It really hurts. I dont know what to do about it. Help!

Also, I fed DD1 exclusively until 6 months and then weaned to formula by dropping 1 feed a week until 8 months.

DD2 shows no interest in drinking milk from a cup. She can but spits it all out again. She will drink water. DH has always been absolutely supportive of me breastfeeding but he can see that the biting is hurting me and getting me down. He thinks I should push the weaning.

DD2 is on 3 solids meals a day and has between 4 and 6 milk feeds.

Any advice welcome.

OP posts:

Elibean · 14/07/2007 19:57

OUCH

Poor you, GS, makes my hair stand on end thinking about it. I've no experience, sorry, but bumping and also, FWIW, I remember my sister having this problem with my nephew....she would just unlatch him (!) immediately and say 'no, no biting' and eventually he just stopped doing it. Mostly.

But I also have lots of friends who've stopped for that reason.

My dd1 didnt' drink mik from a cup until about 17 months, when we lost the last teat (it burst in the dishwasher) on holiday...till then, she took water from a cup and milk, twice a day, from a bottle. It was very easy, she was ready - and no problems as a result. But she was used to taking a bottle from early on...I expressed a lot with her too, for different reasons...not sure how introducing one now would work??

chevre · 14/07/2007 19:58

oooh! dd did this but she had her first teeth really early so i felt i had no choice but to continue. it did feel like russian roulette for a while.

i gave dd teething powders before each feed as she was chomping through discomfort and that really helped. also i yelped when she hurt me which caused her to yelp. she did stop and i fed her to 15 months.

chevre · 14/07/2007 19:59

and get your little finger ready to break the latch and remove. you really don't want to be dragging her off mid chomp!

Original poster

FoeGlassSlipper · 14/07/2007 20:03

Ok. Will keep taking her off. Part of me really doesnt want to wean her as I love breastfeeding her and this will probably be my last time. I had every intention of BFing for longer this time but it's getting me down after just a couple of days

The thing is she does it (bites). I unlatch her and say No and she just grins at me

OP posts:

Original poster

FoeGlassSlipper · 14/07/2007 20:04

Eli - DD2 has never had a bottle. Always bf and then the cup with little sips of water at mealtimes.

OP posts:

midnightexpress · 14/07/2007 20:44

My ds2 was doing this a couple of weeks ago when he cut his first two teeth (he's nearly 6mo). I yelped and unlatched him and put the norks away and after a week or two he seems to have stopped doing it. Hope he doesn't start once next lot come in, but so far so good.

So, I'd say, if you can bear it, stick with the bf for a wee while and it may well stop. I was looking at various threads at the time on the subject, and consensus seemed to be that they do get the message and stop if you're firm with them.

GrimoireThief · 14/07/2007 20:49

Ds did this but he cut his first teeth at 3 months and then 4 more at 6 months.

The good news is that the urge to bite only seems to last a few days when the teeth are new. I got good advice on here which was to press ds's head into my breast firmly which automatically makes him unlatch. I didn't bother with the "no" etc as I thought he was too young to understand.

I do sympathise though as it has made for some uncomfortable days when I have been bitten and was very nervous about letting him continue to bf. It really does stop whether you do something or nothing though quite quickly.

Original poster

FoeGlassSlipper · 14/07/2007 21:02

Thanks guys. Pushing head into breast sounds a good idea. I'll try that if it happens again tomorrow.

I just felt so sad about it tonight...

OP posts:

terramum · 14/07/2007 21:22

DS started biting when he got his first teeth....was a real shock & I dreaded feeding for a while as I just didn't want him to bite me. But it was only a temporary thing. Once he got used to them being there & the pain of them emerging had gone - bfing was just like its had been before - getting teeth does not mean you have to wean! DS is now 3 yrs old (B/day today!) & has all 20 of his teeth & is still bfed without any biting at all

The things I did to minimise the biting were:

watch him like a hawk when feeding...so no PC, no TV & no reading...Got a bit boring for a while...but it meant I was watching for him to get towards the end of the feed, get a bit fidgety & start chewing. I was able to pre-empt it & unlatch him before he bit me. Occasionally I got it wrong & he would scream for more milk...but usually I got it right & he happily cam off without a fuss

*If he did bite I didn't react at all - no shouting, screaming etc...really hard this as it blimmin' hurts don't it?....the slightest reaction usually resulted in him grinning from ear to ear & trying to bite me again to get the same reaction . No reaction = less biting. So cue lots of looking away & making silent pain faces until he got the message!

*The reaction (on my part) that did work finally was to straight away put him on the floor facing away from me & say "no biting". This seemed to have the biggest impact on him as he quickly learnt that biting mummy resulted in him having no attention & no communication, not even cuddles/being held. It didn't have to be for very long - just for a few seconds (usually until I had to respond to his crying )...but he very quickly learnt that biting = no mum & therefore no milk!

*giving loads of different chew toys so that when he did want a feed he had already gotten lots of comfort from them... I had a water filled fish that he loved - seemed to be the one toy he consistently needed all the way through teething.

Kellymom has a really go page on dealing with teething/biting as well:
www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

Original poster

FoeGlassSlipper · 14/07/2007 21:41

terramum - that is so helpful. thank you.

For her lsat feed tonight I tried taking her off and putting her on the floor away from me so if, as you say, that is a good plan then I'll persevere with it.

I think it is a combination of teething and boredom because she's full. The kellymom is great. I'd forgotten how good.

I really want to keep bf'ing. They just get to an age where everyone seems to assume they should be on formula so it is your first thought when a hurdle comes up....

OP posts:

terramum · 14/07/2007 22:06

((nodding)) re the bordom thing.....for most of the times he bit me or tried to have a chew I think DS was just having a play....I presuming he was thinking "Right...done with food.....what can I play with....oo this boob in my mouth will do...."

He used to get this glint in his eye right before he bit me....thought it was great fun

Keep bfing if you want to - it's just a phase like all the other trials of being a mum..."This too shall pass.." is a great phrase for times like this ...

Original poster

FoeGlassSlipper · 14/07/2007 22:19

I love getting nods of agreement

Thanks again.

OP posts:

margosbeenplayingwithmynoonoo · 14/07/2007 23:31

Wow Terramum, good advice. I will try this too (I am having biting problems too)

Thank you

terramum · 15/07/2007 12:26

No probs - let us know how it goes - always nice to get some updates/feedback

Original poster

FoeGlassSlipper · 16/07/2007 21:31

No bites today....

OP posts:

cazee · 16/07/2007 22:01

DD did this when her first 2 teeth first came through a month ago. She did it at the end of feeds, and I do think it was because her mouth was sore. She HATED my reaction, and cried (it broke my heart, but I knew it was important to stop the biting so that I could continue bf). The next time she looked me right in the eye as she bit me, obviously expecting some reaction! I again shouted and stopped the feed, and she cried again. However, it worked, as she has not done it since! It seems that it usually passes.

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