My just 9 mo old has started buying while breast feeding. It's driving me crazy.....I'm so sore. She it's teething (no teeth a of yet) but there's got to be some way to stop her? I have tried sternly telling her no and she smiles at me. I've pulled her off the breast sat her up and said no and she smiles at me. I don't recall either of my other two biting me.
Any ideas to stop her....I haven't nursed her much in the last few days because off this and I'm worried about my already troubling milk supply. Thanks!
Yes, my supply started to decrease when she started solids. She nurses really will in the morning and wants to nurse more for comfort than milk. Makes me sad to think she might be weaning. I have been pumping and supplementing.....but for some reason this time around I HATE pumping ha ha.
Plug her nose. It's unpleasant for her and she'll have to open her mouth to breathe, which will give you the opportunity to pull away with minimal damage.
Keep a teething toy right next to you while nursing. When my son did it, I didn't hide the pain in my voice when I very firmly told him no. I'm sure I raised my voice a bit too. But then I stopped the nursing session and gave him a teething toy, so he started making the connection that mommy is not a teething toy.
If you're missing out on feedings, try pumping to keep things going. I don't know much about nursing shields, but maybe that could be an option??
My son started doing this around that age, but he got teeth early (around 7 months) so it was bad! I would unlatch him immediately (usually my yelling would startle him and he'd let go) then tell him firmly "no biting!" and put him down. No nursing for a few minutes, no holding him for a few minutes. I'd pick him up and we'd start again. Worked like a charm and only took a few times for him to catch on. I'd definitely pump to keep your supply up if you want to keep nursing, it can drop very quickly!
If she''s smiling you're not saying it firmly enough. Say "No!" sharply in a slightly louder voice than you usually use, even if it startles her and makes her cry. You WANT to get her attention and let her know this isn't OK. Set her in her pack n play or crib, that session is over. You could also try using some nursing shields, but she will probably not want to nurse with them at this stage of the game.
I KNOW you want to continue nursing, but if your milk supply is dwindling is it from the increased amount of solids she's eating? If so she may be coming to the natural end of nursing. I kept nursing my daughter at around 10 months after she continued to bite, I got a horrendous infection that I had to be hospitalized for :-/
Next time she bites, try hard to curb the reaction to pull her off. Instead, gently smoosh her face into your breast. She will let go almost immediately. After a couple of times, she will start to equate biting you with not being able to breathe and stop biting.
oh girl!! I feel your pain!!!
Both my boys did this (I didn't nurse my daughter) and what my lactation consultant told me was to flick GENTLY their lip when they did it. Remove them from the breast and say "no". The other way - was to hold their nose - which would cause them to release their latch. My boys laughed the first time they did it because I said "EEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!" and jumped - my oldest chomped!!! OUCH!!! My youngest did it twice - and I flicked his lip - it was NOT hard - it startled him like it startled me. I told him NO. He got it. My youngest self-weaned at 1 year. He just woke up on his first birthday and didn't want the breast - only sippy cups. No bottles. I wasn't prepared for that!!! My oldest son nursed to 25 months!!! big difference!!
I would pump to continue my milk supply! I feel your pain!!!
All of my kids did that around that age. When they would bite, I would smoosh their face into me which worked.
I too thought they were weaning but it was only a temporary phase.
With both of my daughters, when they began biting, they wanted to wean. (Sorry, that may not be what you wanted to hear!) Being that your daughter likely started solids recently, and is happy at being taken away from the breast (maybe signaling that that is what she wanted?), could she be telling you she prefers to drink from a cup now? Just a thought. One of my daughters started biting at 6 months (and didn't get her first tooth until 12 months, but was a voracious eater of table foods), and the other started biting at 7 months (after her first teeth came in) - so I don't know if the biting is a symptom of teething, or just the only way the baby knows to signal she's not happy being breastfed. Anyway, that's my experience, FWIW.
I don't know if this is a case of no two kids being alike. When my son bit me (no teeth yet), it startled me so, that I startled him. The next time--not too soon after--I simply and immediately pulled it away from him and put it up. I told him no, and he saw in my facial expression and heard in my tone that I meant it. I gave it back once I knew that he understood. He has not bitten me since. He is now 18mo, and my boob hangs out of his mouth like a cigar.
