Biting PLEASE HELP!!

Miranda - posted on 11/15/2009

Oh No! Thats scary! Jayden is 4.5 months and has been squeezing my nipple between his hard lil gums!

Heather - posted on 11/15/2009

what I did when my son would bite me when he was a baby is I would put him down and of corse he would cry and I would say no bite and soon he learned not to bite me, and I am doing the same thing with my daughter which she will be one soon I put her down and say no no lylah that hurts and she realized not to bite cause then she doesn't get mommy time on the boob. lol. oh and lansolin is awesome for quick healing and good for nipple pain.

Kathy - posted on 11/15/2009

Biting usually occurs for 3 reasons 1) improper latch 2) teething 3) the baby is distracted.
First- identify why your baby is biting. If it is an improper latch simply switch positions. The easiest nursing position in my opinion is laying in bed nursing on your side. It works wonders for a proper latch. If the biting is due to teething try keeping a cold damp wash cloth for baby to bite onto. Remember as bad as your nipple hurts from the bleeding her teeth her even worse! Try administering baby ibuprofen for pain. If your baby is biting simply because she is distracted then you need to learn to redirect your babies attention. When my little one would bite me due to distractions I would simply unlatch them and explain that biting hurts Mommy and if he/she wanted to bite then the nursing session was going to end. I would then offer the breast and if baby decided to bite again (often they bite and laugh or smile) I would unlatch the baby and say "NO. Biting hurts Mommy..." and I would end the nursing session. Often if they were distracted my children would find something to play with other then playing on my nipple.

Rebecca - posted on 11/15/2009

I am going thru the same thing..but mine is only 5 months old. I havent bled yet..but jeez does it hurt..i just make sure he is really latched on good, and the moment he acts like he is done i take him off..

Cassie - posted on 11/15/2009

Jaime,

I don't have too many suggestions for you but my daughter is almost 13 months old and we are still nursing with 8 teeth. It hasn't been easy but you will get through it.



One great way to help the sores heal is to rub your own breastmilk on them. It does a wonderful job at healing the wounds. If the pain is very severe right now, you could try using a shield until your nipples have time to heal. They can be purchased at stores such as Babies r Us for about $5. They will allow you to heal but still be able to nurse.



Whenever she is biting, she is no longer latched properly. Do you notice that she bites more towards the end of a nursing session? It may be that she is done eating and is just figuring out what those teeth are for. She is not trying to hurt you but she doesn't know any better. When she does bite, simply unlatch her, look her in the eyes, and sternly say "No Biting! That hurts Mommy!"



I hope this helps! Keep up the great job nursing! :)