I am currently breastfeeding my seven-month-old daughter. This is my 3rd and last child, but also the longest I have breastfed as well. She doesn’t have teeth yet but is teething. She will gum my nipple and also do this thing where she is eating and pulls away but doesn’t release me. It hurts! I would like to breastfeed for as long as possible, but I am so nervous/anxious about when she gets teeth and is going to bite me. So what are your tricks and how to prevent/stop the biting? I hate pumping, and it’s just miserable. Luckily, I started working from home this year, so I haven’t had to pump. She does take a formula bottle as well. My husband will use that so I can sleep a little extra at night or if I leave. So I’m not against formula by any means, but I want to keep breastfeeding as long as possible. Thanks for the advice in advance!
Luckily, my son wasn’t a biter really. When he did though, I just said ow and pulled him off. Then I’d put him back on after a little break.
My oldest I breastfed till he was 2 when he did something that hurt I would take him off for a couple minutes then relatch he caught on pretty quickly if I wanna keep eating I can’t do that
All my kids had teeth by 4 months. My first would bite terribly. My second once in a blue moon. My current has only bit me twice. He’s 16 months with all his teeth.
Babies will learn quickly if you are consistent. Say ow, that hurts mommy in a loud voice-use your finger to gently break suction and pull baby off the breast. Put baby back on breast, then repeat if she does it again. If they actually want to nurse they will stop the biting, sometimes they are not really hungry and my just need attention. Moms have been breastfeeding babies until they are around 3 yrs old in most of the world since the beginning of time!
When she pulls or bites, unlatch for a few minutes and say something like “ouch that hurts”. After a few minutes, relatch and continue feeding. Be consistent and do this EVERY time she bites or pulls away. She will catch on and stop.
That’s when I decided to wean lol. My son was being supplemented with formula anyways so it was super easy.
When she bites or pulls your nipple say “no bite” & take her off. Do not show any emotion. Put her back on & repeat as necessary.
I’ve breastfed two babies for over a year each. I found that when they start biting like that they’re not hungry but using you as a pacifier. Each time they bite I stop the feeding session. Eventually they get the point.
Mine did for like 2 days. He also gummed. I was so caught off guard and had a bad reaction (screamed in pain) he went on a nursing strike for a full day. I cried and felt terrible. He cried. It was a bad day for both of us but he fed that night and every time he would do it I would pull him off. And he stopped after a couple of days
Lactation consultant told me that if my daughter did bite me when nursing to unlatch her, put the boob away and set her down. Repeat of necessary. That way they learn if they bite, they don’t get to nurse. Thankful my daughter didn’t teeth her first teeth until she was almost 12 months old and we were starting to ween
I went through the same with my youngest. I wasn’t able to breastfeed my first so I was always nervous about the stages with breastfeeding. When she started teething at 4 months and finally got her teeth at 6 she would pull but not release and it hurt, and when her teeth started coming through she would nip me. I had to pull her off and not feed her every time she did it. She stopped after a day or too!
When she bites, be very vocal, almost so it startles her. Then remove her from the breast and use the same words every time. Something short and to the point such as “no biting!”
Return her to the breast and repeat as necessary.
They do grow out of it but I’ve been there and it feels like it lasts a lifetime!
Think of how far you’ve come! You’re doing great. X
I breastfed my second baby till she was 3.5 and my first till she was almost 2. They bite you a couple times figuring out how to nurse with teeth but they figure it out
My babies both did that but once they got teeth they didn’t bite me.
To prevent biting, remove her from the breast as soon as she’s not actively nursing (easier said than done). If/when she bites, try very hard not to yell/make a big deal about it(even tho it hurts!) so that she doesn’t think it’s funny/a game. You can also gently press her face into your breast when she bites and she will let go once her nose is covered by your breast. This beats her pulling her head back with your nipple still between her teeth . You can also firmly tell her “no bite” and remove her from the breast for a bit so she understands that it’s not ok to bite Momma.
My son bit me once while falling asleep and it was more of that jerk reflex. I took the boob away and he never did it again. Although, he would do the same thing you described, the pulling and such and I would just stop his feeding and tell him no and he would quit. He was a booby boy for sure so if I took it away that was enough to get him to stop lol
Mine has a mouth full of teeth and adjusts her latch when she gets new ones. I go through short periods of soreness when she does but she’s generally good about not biting. Hopefully yours does the same .
I’m on my 5th daughter. I nursed them all anywhere from 1 to 2 years. I’ve been bit a couple of times. My reaction startled then and they never did it again. It wasn’t a big deal.
If you tell her, she’ll understand she’s hurting you… believe me, they understand everything… just be patient with your baby
I have four children and all of them were breastfed for up until 2 years old. I’m actually still breastfeeding my youngest which is 1 year old and teething.
I don’t pull my breast out of his mouth when he starts biting sometimes because it’ll hurt more. What I do is squish his face into my boob but gently and just a few seconds only so he’d kind of lose air to breathe that way he’d let go of the boob willingly then I’d say in a firm voice that biting is no good. Rest for few minutes then relatch him. He then finally understood. Now if he starts to bite all I say is no and he’d immediately stop. Keep it up with yours! You are just doing fine and it’s normal to get scared of the biting. God bless:ok_hand:
I punished the pulling/biting by breaking the latch with my finger and verbalizing ‘owie’ and making baby wait a minute or two before finishing. They are picking up language too, and when they realize that what they are doing is giving you an owie, they stop pulling/biting.
I am breastfeeding my 4th child currently. He’s 13 months. With all of my kids, I would say “ow” several times and if that didn’t work, I would take it away for a little while and put them down, then try again. It took a few times of doing this, but they finally got the point that they were hurting me and they were not getting what they wanted if I was hurt. This is what a lactation consultant at my pediatricians office told me to do.