breast feeding and biting

[shelsco]

I'm sure that there's already a thread somewhere on this but can't find it! My 7mo Ds has had his bottom teeth for a couple of weeks and has started to bite me really hard when bfing. My other DCs did bite every now and then and I would pull them in close and say no and they always stopped so it was never a problem. This time round though he just isn't getting the message, even when i put him down and stop feeding, the next time he just does it again!I don't want to stop bfing because of this but I'm getting to the stage where I'm feeling nervous about feeding him! Any ideas anyone?

Try giving a teething powder before a feed - it is probably teething related at this age. If he is a persistent biter you have to watch and learn his signals just before he bites so you can anticipate it and take him off just at the point he breaks the suction to clamp his teeth down. DS used to grin just before he did it! I never made a big deal out of it and he did stop after a while - it didn't last long in retrospect. Good luck!

Or teething gel works too

I've heard of silicon nipple shields for BF. Does anyone know - might they help shelsco? If this is a phase related to teething perhaps she could use them until it passes?

Yes they are a possible solution, however they can cause problems - you can end up in a situation where the baby does not want to feed without the shields, they can contribute to the causes of thrush, and they "dull" the stimulation to the breast meaning they can affect supply. I was given some, but I haven't used them - I am keeping them for an absolute last resort

Thanks. He usually does it at the start of a feed, meaning he isn't really hungry, just wanting comfort I suppose but i can't always tell whether he's hungry or not until he starts feeding. Will have to try get into a routine(!?) of giving a teething powder or gel before a feed and see how that goes. Never really fancied the nipple shields TBH but who knows after a few more bites they might seem a lot more attractive!!