Nursing with Teeth

Might sound mean, but I would do a little tap to the cheek and say ow and no at the same time.... had no troubles with biting after that a couple of times.

I nursed my son till he was 2.5 years old. When he first got teeth and bit, I yelped NO! REALLY lound and it scared him; put him down especially if it seems like it's on purpose. Also, if they bite slowly, you can gently hold him against your breast so his nose is pushed against it and he has to let go of your nipple to breathe. That way you won't hurt yourself trying to dislodge him. Very firm no and the breath thing worked like a charm.

I nursed both of my daughters while they had teeth and it was horrible. I did find a solution though that worked wonders and healed my pain. Nipple shields are great. they are not expensive are kind of like the advent wide bottle nipples of they are made to act like the mothers breast nipple. Here is a shopping link for them.

http://www.google.com/search?q=nipple+shields+for+nursing...

GOOD LUCK

My son bit me too and it was awful! Their little teeth are like razors.
I did exactly what Donna did....took the breast away and put my son down every time he bit. I gave him a teething ring or something else he could bite on and waited several minutes and tried again, if he bit again, I repeated the process.
They really do get it figured out. I nursed my son for 15 months and the biting had completely stopped many months before.
Sometimes he really didn't want to nurse, he was happy to bite on something which was fine....it just wasn't going to be me!

Best wishes!

OW - it sure does hurt! Giving a teething ring or frozen washcloth will give them something to bite on. I think it's also important not to react too much. Sometimes yelling or something like that could be taken by the baby as "oh how interesting, let me do this to mommy again!" My daughter bit me a couple of times, but I tried really hard not to make too big a deal out of it and just moved her away for a little bit and gave her something else to chew on. Luckily, nipples aren't a great teething toy -- too soft -- to be much fun to chew on. I think it's also part of them figuring out how to nurse without letting their teeth get in the way.
The other reassuring thing I can say is that their little razor teeth do smooth down quite quickly. Just a few weeks, I'd say. To reassure you, my daughter is 19 months old now with a full set of teeth and they don't bother me at all so yes, you can nurse a baby with teeth.
Good luck!

Congrats on nursing your 8 mo old! I've experienced what you describe with my 2 older children and just this weekend, my 9 month old decided to try out his new teeth on me too. My second son bit so hard that I had blood running down my chest. You have my sympathy. That being said, please DON't give up nursing! Call a lactation consultant ASAP for some support. When my babies bite, I take them off for a minute, express my displeasure (facial expression and saying "NO BITE"), then after the incident has passed, put them back on. If they are at the end of the feeding and aren't vigorously nursing, I just end the nursing session entirely. Most biting occurs at the end of the nursing when they are more motivated for comfort than being fed. When the vigorous sucking slows, you might want to take them off then to avoid getting bit again.
I've been through this with 2 kids and successfully kept nursing until past 1 year so I know it doesn't have to end breastfeeding. Best wishes. R., nurse midwife mom of 3

When my son would bite me while nursing I immediately took him off my breast and put him in his crib. I would say very calmly, "ouch, that hurt mommy. We don't bite" and walk away for a few moments. I would come back in and pick him up and finish nursing. Each time he would bite me, I would repeat this. It didn't take him long to realize that if he wanted to nurse he had better not bite me lol. Each time he got new teeth he would bite a bit but he remembered not to very quickly. Good luck, and maybe try some Lansino (sp?) to help heal where he bit you.

Hi AZmom, My little guy has tried this, too. I do what the others have suggested as well... the yelling OUCH came naturally! LOL The only suggestion I have that I haven't heard so far is Vitamin E softgels... I poke a hole in one and squirt the Vitamin E out and put it on my sore spots! Works great and even though it's a bit sticky, doesn't bother the baby and is safe for both of us! Good luck! :o)

i've nursed 2 boys to 13mo each. they both bit. I would say ouch really loud and it would almost startle them. The 1st one bit more. It was because he didn't really want to nurse very long and knew if he bit I'd probably stop. it was like he was bored.
most importantly-It's not actually possible to bite and suck at the same time. Try to really watch and if he is suckling but not sucking, maybe take him off. good luck! I do very clearly remember that pain