Ouch!!!!!

[Jinx]

My 9month old DS keeps biting me when I am feeding him. He doesn't mean to do it - he just clamps down with his teeth when he starts to fall asleep. Now, since feeding him is the only way I can get him to sleep - I am kinda stuck, but it really, really hurts!! I am not ready to give up the BFs yet, but I don't know how much longer I can put up with the pain!! I guess there isn't much I can do but I thought I would just jump on here and have a cry :crying:

[Taylors_mum]

Ouch :eek:

Maybe try using a nipple sheild??

I couldnt BF my DD so im probably not the best person to offer advise, but hopefully someone will be able to give you some good ideas. :D

[SassyDiva]

Ouch....Pain....

Haven't had this happen yet - bubs is 6 months, but I'd take him off and firmly say no.

Mt DS isn't sleeping through the night yet as he normally falls to sleep on me after his last feed, then is wanting to suckle at round 2am-ish, isn't hungry as will only feed for 2 minutes max but wants it to fall asleep again. Bad habit

[Rainbowbrite]

MJ does that to me at times, usually to get my attention. She's just gotten her two top teeth so i'm really feeling it :eek:

If he's doing it when drifting off i dont know what you could do, sorry. Maybe try getting him to detatch before falling asleep then cuddle till he drifts off. Thats what i do with MJ.

Hope it eases soon :fingerscrossed:

[zactyl]

The Australian Breastfeeding Association (http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/) website has a lot of information, and a helpline service where you can talk to a Breastfeeding counsellor via phone or email, or there may even be a group that meets in your area. From your post it sounds like your bubba needs to suckle to fall asleep (some do, ours did), in which case I'd consider getting him a dummy.

[Goosie22]

Hi,
I have experienced this personally and it is not fun:thumbsdown: .

I found the stern "NO" and placed on the floor worked for a while with my son, but he became a serial offender when teething, if you have damage to your nipple try and positon his mouth so the teeth are putting pressure in a different area when feeding by changing the position in which you feed.

this page has some good hints I think would be helpful with your sleeping baby.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/bite.html

Hope you can hold out as it dosnt last long.

[lukaelmo]

Ai ai ai ai ai!

You poor thing. The dude has two bottom teeth and he bit me once when he was really upset and I was comforting him with a feed. Not fun. I jumped a mile and pulled him away, he got even more upset, I was hesitant to put him back on, and when I did he was too upset to feed for a while.

I have been told that a firm "no" and removal works too, I haven't tried it, but since I jumped that day the dude hasn't bitten, so perhaps that is what worked for me.

Does you wee one have a dummy? Perhaps you could feed to sleep, and just before he gets to the point where he bites, slip the dummy into his mouth without changing position?

Just an idea - good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Tam-I-Am]

My 9-month-old did this the other night too - she made my nipple bleed! OWWWWIEEEEE!!!!:thumbsdown:

Everybody I've talked to has said "pull her off and tell her 'NO!' firmly", but I was in the same position as you - breastfeeding her to sleep. And she was at the end of the feed and really sleepy, so I didn't really want to wake her up by yelling at her.

The only thing that I can say is that that LaLeche article link that Goosie22 posted was really informative!

Good luck!

[Tea Lady]

My little one does this sometimes too.

A couple of things that might work - you can break the suction by pressing on the side of your breast if he is sleepy and biting down gradually (not when he's sucking hard) and I found that often my DD would have a few sucks of nothing and then stay asleep (they have to be basically asleep for that to work though). You could try putting a dummy in at that point like someone else suggested, or it can help to push them into your breast as they start to bite down and often that is enough to stop my DD - it seems to change the position of her mouth so that she sucks properly again. My DD usually bites down gradually though when she's falling asleep - it might be different if your son is a quick biter.

I hope that is some help. :)

[sonlou73]

i know the pain! my DS1 started biting my nipple at 6 months, after he did this a handful of times i decided enough was enough and put him on the bottle, which i was reluctant to do. now my DS2 at soon to be 5 months is clamping down with his gums and that even hurts a bit, i've told him ever so nicely that if he keeps it up when his teeth come through that'll be the end of the boob!