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Original poster

Help! Baby bit me while breastfeeding

32 replies

Getoffmyhat · 14/06/2021 13:12

Hello,
I'm turning to the power of mumsnet as health vistor wasn't very helpful.
8 month ds bit me while breastfeeding. It was all so quick and I managed to unlatch him without much fuss and continued a minute or two later. He hasn't done it since but I am in unbelieveable pain. The wound started off as a little cut, much like a paper cut and I've been very careful to keep it clean and dry, not covering it when i can, feeding ds from the other breast and then using the wounded one. This morning the wound seems to look like a little hole? I'm not sure what's happening but now can no longer let ds feed from it as I've been in tears from the pain. I really don't want to bother the doctors if I don't have too but I'm not sure what to do? The hv just said, "but it's your second child," as if I should know better?!
Any advice would be gratefully received!

OP posts:
MaizeBlouse · 14/06/2021 13:15

Yikes, sounds painful. It sounds like a bad wound to me (not an HCP!) so I'd avoid feeding baby on that side to avoid making it worse for now but maybe expressing whilst in the shower or something to keep up your supply. Keep a close eye that there's no signs of infection too

Crowsaregreat · 14/06/2021 13:16

No idea but I would be bothering the doctor. If you can't feed you risk mastitis and then you'll be bothering them anyway. Sounds like your HV is not up to much!

Original poster
Getoffmyhat · 14/06/2021 13:21

Thank you for the advice @MaizeBlouse and @Crowsaregreat, I will give the doctors ring now. It's first time I've ever rang the hv and was a but taken a back. Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I've ever done and couldn't do it with my first so I am proud that we've made it to 8 months!

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Antenatal & postnatal Breast & bottle feeding Families General health
Luckingfovely · 14/06/2021 13:25

You've done amazingly well! Definitely get medical / hv advice asap.

I bf mine until 8/9/10 months - basically until their teeth came in and they started biting. Once that starts, ime, it won't stop. I see it as a natural signpost that it's time to start stopping.

I hope it heals soon.

Eachpeachpears · 14/06/2021 13:26

You should be proud op. Your health visitor is clearly useless. It always shocks me that health visitors are mostly midwives who have taken EXTRA TRAINING!!! you wouldn't think it from the 'advice' they give.

Like pp said, make sure you express from that side and contact your gp. Hopefully the pain subsides soon bless you

olderthanyouthink · 14/06/2021 13:47

Could he be teething, some become bitey when teething

You still need to be getting milk out or you could end up in a bad way.

You have my sympathies about not wanting to put your nipple back in their jaws, something changed in my daughters jaw and she kept clamping down when she fell asleep and that made me dread every feed but it was that or not sleep (waking every hour).

Fitforforty · 14/06/2021 13:48

Make ring LLL or NCT a breast feeding help line and ask them too.

Hopefully there won’t be anymore or too many more bites.

StrawberryCreamCake · 14/06/2021 13:54

Ouch! Yes try to see your GP.

I disagree with pp though about teeth meaning it’s time to stop breastfeeding. I breastfed DD until she was 3 years old by which point she definitely had teeth! And I’m still breastfeeding DS who’s 11 months but got 8 (!) teeth in by 6 months.

Well done for making it to 8 months and don’t let this injury put you off continuing.

Original poster
Getoffmyhat · 14/06/2021 14:33

Thank you for all your help and encouragement, it's great to be able to lean on a friendly community when you need a bit of help.
I have rung the doctors and she thinks it's infected from my description so they are setting me up on a course of antibiotics.
Ds is definitely teething. He had 2 bottom ones through at 3 months and never had a problem. He's currently got 4 top ones coming through, poor thing. When it happened, I think he was bored or wanted to play as it was like looking at a cute velociraptor eating lunch haha
Thanks again :)

OP posts:
Crowsaregreat · 14/06/2021 14:40

The advice I got about biting was to always break the latch immediately with your finger and say 'no' firmly, maybe moving the baby away from you a bit - basically signalling that the cosy milk times end if they bite. Not easy to keep offering though when you've been shark attacked! Stay calm or the baby might start to think it's a game.

Hope the antibiotics sort things out. In my experience, HVs vary a lot - I had one amazing, very positive and experienced one and a couple of newbies who seemed generally dazed and ill-trained. One always managed to turn the conversation around to skin emollients even though my DC never had skin problems!

SpringBluebellWoods · 14/06/2021 14:46

On biting, it’s quicker to unlatch a baby by pulling them in so their nose is blocked by your breast and they unlatch to breathe. A finger can take too long! Though I know your instinct is to try and push them away.

Do keep the milk flowing in the sore breast, though, as mastitis is very unpleasant.

I agree teeth don’t need to spell the end of breastfeeding, it’s pretty much the first ‘manners’ I taught my DC - if you bite, the milk goes away briefly. If you keep biting, the milk goes away (until the next feed, but they don’t get that). I found they were pretty quick learners.

insertrandomusernamehere · 14/06/2021 14:47

Ouch. There is no pain like it. I tried to battle through mine and thought the cut would heal on its own but as my LO suckled, the wound would stretch and have me crying in agony :/ anyway, I swear by Aquaphor- the thick gloopy stuff in a tube (haven't tried the tub). Two days in and I was feeding from the same breast again.

insertrandomusernamehere · 14/06/2021 14:50

This one:

Help! Baby bit me while breastfeeding
Fnib · 14/06/2021 14:54

The first time my DS bit me was the last time I fed him (6 months and winding down anyway)
I remember crying with the pain. Sympathy and solidarity Flowers I hope you are able to find a more sympathetic HCP.

Fnib · 14/06/2021 14:56

Sorry I missed your update. I'm pleased you got proper treatment. I hope it does the trick x

newtb · 14/06/2021 15:10

DD used to grind her jaws backwards and forwards when teething using my nipple as a teething ring. I didn't want to stop breastfeeding and found that putting teething gel on her gums before a feed stopped the grinding.

My GP told me that one of her four dc bit her nipple and she was so shocked she slapped her, hard.

PinkDaffodil2 · 14/06/2021 15:14

My LG bit twice (once each side!) about that age but thankfully never again (so far, nearly 2 now).
I would certainly call LLL or BNF phone line for sensible advice about if you should feed or pump from that side, GPs often don’t get a lot of training in breastfeeding issues (GP trainee myself) so depending on the particular doctor they came always offer as much advice / support as you would hope.

modgepodge · 14/06/2021 18:32

God it’s so painful isn’t it. I used nipple shields so it probably wasn’t as bad but even so it bloody hurt. It was the end of my BF journey too - I was combi feeding and she was starting to prefer the bottle, as soon as I said a sharp ‘no’ and took her off she gave up and wanted the bottle instead!

I have read that if they are latched and feeding properly they can’t bite. It’s when they sort of start to finish they can bite. So if you unlatch them as soon as they start to finish it should stop it happening again.

Original poster
Getoffmyhat · 15/06/2021 08:13

Hello, it's me again...
Where to start?! It's been a rubbish 24 hours. Poor ds really struggled to feed just from one breast (the bitten side is his favourite side, too!) I expressed milk for the first time with an electric but my breast doesn't feel empty, in fact, it's rock hard and I'm worried I'm making things worse. Also, ds didn't take to having a bottle at all. He thought it was a game and drank very little so in the end I put it in a cup and poured it in his mouth little by little. I don't think the heat helped and ds finally fell asleep after 2 hours.
Feeling very stressed and in pain this morning. Dreading having to carry on with the expressing. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong, or if there's a better method? And how do I get ds to drink from a bottle?! I feel so silly that I don't know these things.

OP posts:
Fizzgigg · 15/06/2021 08:22

When I had a wound like this (plus an infection) it was usually only latching on that was painful but baby could then feed ok and it wasn't bad. Are you able to fee from the bad side? Even if painful at first?

Ohshitiveturnedintomymother · 15/06/2021 08:23

It’s going to hurt either way OP so I would risk trying to feed off the bitten side. Mastitis is genuinely the illest I have ever been so I wouldn’t risk that

Original poster
Getoffmyhat · 15/06/2021 08:37

Thank you, I'm letting him feed from it now and it is such a relief! I was just hoping to give the wound a chance to heal so it doesn't get any worse. Seems ok at the moment. Thanks again!

OP posts:
Ohshitiveturnedintomymother · 15/06/2021 08:44

Ahhh well done you! There’s nothing like that relief when engorgment goes down is there? You may find that the milk flowing helps too, it’s magic stuff with all sorts of healing properties so may help with the wound too

Fnib · 15/06/2021 10:16

Well done @Getoffmyhat sounds like you've found what works for you and LO.