Bitting my breast...is it time 2 stop???

Jayme - posted on 05/30/2010

im still breast feeding also my baby girl is almost 9mo.. she has no teeth yet but im sceared and excited for that day at the sametime! cuz i can not get her on a bottle at all... n e tips??

Francesca - posted on 05/30/2010

Well, that is completely up to you. At 11 months my little Ella had 7 horrible teeth. And she went for a good month of biting me. I even had to stop nursing on my right side for a day, when she got me really good once. And I used all the advice I could from COM and my own mommy groups here. None of it seemed to work. And I started to contemplate weaning (dispite my Dh's disappointment) and then she just stopped. I think it was a phase. It seemed to stop when her 8th tooth popped through. That was a month and a half ago and I am so pleased we didn't wean. Nursing a toddler is so much more enjoyable. There is a certain tranquility that comes to a nursing/giggling cuddle before bed. But I completely understand if you do. It really hurts!

Julia - posted on 05/30/2010

There will be a time when you Little One will wean herself. And it's up to you whether you want to go along with it that long or not. I think the natural weaning age is somewhere around 3-6 years.



Here are some nice articles on breastfeeding beyond babyhood:

http://www.naturalchild.org/articles/bre...



I still nurse my 18month old boy and have not planned to wean him before he is ready. I just don't see why I should stop something that we both enjoy so much and that is so important for my son, his well-being, his development, our relationship,....etc. I just want him to become independent on his own and because he wants to and I trust that this is his inner natural motivation and I do not want to push him. Just be assured it is not gonna last forever! Maybe some day you will look back and think why did I not just enjoy this closeness as long as I could (when she's off to college) But every mom knows for herself how far she wants to go. There is no point in keeping going if it's bothering you in some sort of way. A lot of moms can't stand the social pressure or finally want some freedom. Do what you feel it right for you. It's not gonna last forever :)



Oh and the biting, my son bit me when he had his first teeth (at 5 months) and I gave such a jerk that he startled and that was it. No more biting after that.... at least when he was awake. Sometimes during the night when I fall asleep while nursing and forget to "rescue" my nipple he bites me (we co-sleep) but only when he's teething and going through uneasy sleep.

Mandy - posted on 05/30/2010

thank u all!
so there is no pressure 2 stop b4 they are 1?? wat if she doesnt want 2 ever come off?? xx

Margaret - posted on 05/28/2010

I agree with the others, take her off and tell her no. She should soon get the idea. My son nursed until he was 19 months, with a little gentle persuasion from me. It's really up to you and your daughter to figure out how long to breastfeed.

Candice - posted on 05/28/2010

When she bites remove her from the breast,tell her no firmly.After a few moments put her back. She'll learn to not bite or she won't get mama milk when she wants it. Keep on going!(at least until 2 years old! :) )

Nicole - posted on 05/28/2010

I noticed with mine that if he was actively nursing he did not bite so as soon as his nursing started to slow down I would have my finger ready and pop him off as soon as he slowed or stopped so he did not bite me.



If he did bite I told him NO biting and placed him on the floor. He was 11 months and he got after 2-3 tries! We nursed until he was 26 months!!! I also put on teething gell before nursing which some say will numb there mouth/ tongue but it was not an issue for us. You could give your little one a cold cloth before you nurse and that might help also.



I know it hurts but this too shall pass. Just be very calm and very clear with your little one. Good Luck!

Kari - posted on 05/28/2010

well, if you want to keep breastfeeding go right ahead. my 9 month old has 6 teeth and I am not stopping. he bites once in a great while but I tell him firmly no and make him release my nipple and then if he continues to act hungry then I try again...but whatever you do, try not to make any noise other than the no when she does it or she may see you as a fun squeaky toy. And as to when to stop breast feeding, most babies will wean themselves so if you are not against feeding as long as she wants then let her do it herself :o)

Ally - posted on 05/28/2010

feel your pain!! my baby has been biting alot this week...i push her head into my breast and tell her n0.....her bitting comes and go's!!! its your call when to quit!!!good luck

Darcel - posted on 05/27/2010

NO!!!!! Don't stop! That baby is just teething. Poor thing. My boy started teething at 3 months. I used nipple shields. it helped me some.

Meryn - posted on 05/27/2010

my daughter is 1 year and 4 months and i still feed her only at night though (cause i'm working). From my experience i feel its a phase and that it'l soon stop. Tanya's first tooth came only after her first birthday but she used to bite me real bad from the 11 month!! it din last very long.. now she has 8 teeth and just once in a while she bites-by mistake i guess :) i will hopefully be feeding her till she's two!

Karen - posted on 05/27/2010

I second Dawn's advice - push your daughter's head into your breast, she'll let off to get a breath. Worked great for me and my daughter. She's seriously teething right now (18 months) and if her teeth get anywhere near me (she never bites now, just once in a while lets her teeth rest of the nipple), I just say "No teeth, teeth hurt mama".
She only bit me twice with this method.

Dee - posted on 05/27/2010

i first yelled real loud and that stoped my child for a little bit longer but shortly after that i had too stop. she kept on bitting. so no if you like, pump and but it in a botte, that way she is getting breast milk still.

Crystal - posted on 05/27/2010

Hi, my son tried that too but i would growl and say uh-uh, then take him off the breast. Sometimes the little growl will be enough to startle him from chewing me. But quite often they do it because they dont want to feed. I did notice my son did that. Also when they are attached properly to feed their tongue actually curls around your nipple and sits over their teeth /gums so actually prevents them from biting anyway.
As for weaning, baby led weaning is great, letting them start eating solids when they are ready and not forcing and then they will gradually stop feeding themselves.But ultimately it is your choice and your baby's. :) Good Luck

Dawn - posted on 05/27/2010

The Cub only did this a few times as every time he did it I pushed his head in towards the breast. This makes the baby release automatically as they don't want to be smothered. He did it twice and he had teeth at 14 weeks. Also if the teeth hurt, Bonjela or your countries equivalent has anaesthetic in it which will work on you as well as on babies gums.

Kathy - posted on 05/26/2010

No, you don't have to stop breastfeeding,unless you want to. Check that your baby is very close, chest-to-chest, with her chin to your breast. She should have a wide open mouth. If she bites, break the suction and say "No!" sharply (but try not to scream!
Here is a useful link from the Australian Breastfeeding Association:

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/b...

As for weaning, it's up to you and the baby. You can wait until your little girl decides she's had enough, or you can initiate the process yourself. And remember it IS a process. Here is another useful link, again from the Australian Breastfeeding Association (Yes, I know, I'm always carrying on about the ABA, aren't I?)

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/w...

Mandy - posted on 05/26/2010

thank u all...ur advise has been amazing!!!!!

much luv

xx

Kristin - posted on 05/25/2010

Anytime she's using you as a teether, take her off and tell her no biting. (I shrieked OW! and kind of scared mine.) Then hand her an appropriate item for teething. It didn't happen more than 1 or 2 times with each of my boys.

Stop BF when you and your baby are ready too. If it's now, that's okay. If not, carry on as this too shall pass.

Kayla - posted on 05/25/2010

You need to express how badly it feels, and your litle one will stop biting soon. I know it hurts, my son actually bit through my nipple! That was at 10 months, and we're at 16 months now :)

Dana - posted on 05/25/2010

My son chews on me too, he's only 7 months and doesn't have any teeth yet. I would say to take her off and tell her no... let her go play but always give her somthing chewable. sometimes babys can develope strange soothing pattern, hers might become chewing on something like skin, my son chews on his blankets and hands but will not take soothers or bottles. you decide when you want to stop breast feeding, I knew a family who still did breast feeding with their older children as a night time routine. Keep up the work and hope you feel better, I know it hurts trust me I'm alwasy bruised lol

Stina - posted on 05/25/2010

You don't have to stop nursing now. The biting is aggrivating, but you can get past it.

When your dd bites you, try not to yelp since they tend to find that amusing. As calmly as possible, disconnect her, say "No Biting" in a firm low voice coupled with your most displeased face and set her on the floor. She'll probably cry. Offer her something else to chew on if she's looking for teething relief. If she's hungry, she'll probably reject your alternative. So, After a few seconds of her on the floor, pick her up and let her try again.

If she's hungry and actively nursing, her teeth won't be an issue. My 13 mo has 7. If she keeps nipping you at a particular meal- even after being set on the floor a few times, she's probably not hungry enough to get down to business and nurse politely.

You can help prevent biting while she's teething by making sure her pain is under control and giving her lots of teethers- preferably cold ones- to gnaw on.

Good luck. I hope you get past this quickly so the two of you can have more time nursing. The time to stop is when you both want to. That could mean in the next month or so, or two years from now. It's up to you. Congrats nursing her for 11 months already!

Joyce - posted on 05/25/2010

if she bites too hard, you can express milk into a feeding bottle for her, some babies come off the breast milk themselves while some don't.