Did biting make you stop?

[Tennelly]

Hi, I was just wanting to know if anyone else stopped BFing because their baby started biting.

My DD is now 5 1/2 months and has had her 2 bottom teeth for a month now. She started biting me every now and then but recently it has increaded to almost every feed and it is very painful. I have tried taking her off and reattaching her, I have taken her off for 5 mins and then put her back on...nothing seems to work so im thinking of putting her onto the bottle.

Why did you stop BFing when you did?

Also any advice on how to get her to stop would be great.
Thanks

[Lillynix]

Nope, biting didn't make me stop breastfeeding. I was (and still am) determined to let DS wean when HE is ready and i'm very much hoping to make it to at least 2yrs despite my current pregnancy.

DS was a shocking biter there for a while, but it does stop eventually, though he will still occasionally bite by accident when he falls asleep.

I tried a few things to get him to stop biting, one was to (gently) push his face into my breast so he couldn't breathe so he would release his grip, he found this funny so it didn't work for us so in the end I just used to say "ouch! no biting mummy" and stop the feed for a few minutes, then try again, if he bit again, the same thing would happen.

Stopping them from biting isn't a quick thing it does take a little time and perseverence, but it's worth it to keep feeding them :)

Good luck with it all!

[Gabi]

DS is currently breastfeeding.:yes: Those bites sure do hurt. Taking him off stopped working for us so I started to say very firmly 'no biting' and even put him down on the floor. This upset him, but it got the message accross. He grew out of it.

He started biting again when I was about 4 months pregnant when my supply decreased (just when my nipples were all tender from the pregnancy!) and I was very, very sore for about a month or two. He was already a bit distressed at the changes in my milk and even saying 'no biting' in a calm voice made him really upset so I was much more lenient and once again we grew out of it.

Breastfeeding can be the pits sometimes. And often all you can do is persevere. But it is worth it in the end.:cloud9: It has to be working for both of you though, good luck with your decision.

[MsMummy]

You poor thing!:hugs:

Mine gave me a nip every few days for a few weeks when he got his teeth.

I just did the remove him from the breast, and put him down.

Actually, I yelped with shock once and he burst into tears!:o

He eventually stopped completely. He's got 7 teeth now and hasn't bitten me for ages.

I'm sure your baby will grow out of it, but maybe you could phone the ABA for some ideas?

What about temporary use of nipple shields or something...not sure.

I highly recommend perservering - you really do feel a strong sense of satisfaction, and it gets so much easier as they get older.:yes:

[Mrs Nietzsche]

DS started biting at that age and continued til about 10 months. It was awful when he began and I found it very emotionally upsetting.

I know it seems incrediblei but you do work out how to live with it, when it's likely to happen, etc.

Is it when he is latching on? I found pinching the nipple up and trying to give perfect attachment helped a bit - I think the baby is confused about the new teeth and feels a bit unco.

I found it no use at all saying 'no' as I don't think he evern knew what he was doing.

Feeding when eh was tired and relaxed, feeding lying down etc really helped.

[MsMummy]

Maire's post reminded me - you can often predict when they're going to bite.

My baby would feed intensely, and then bite me when he would stop sucking.

So they key was to detach him quickly, before he gave me a playful bite.

[Boobycino]

Bubby gets in trouble for biting, he gets taken off and plonked on his bottom on the floor - and he opens his mouth and howls and does a really teary, bottom lip quivvery cry while looking right into my eyes - its painfully cute to be honest.

It hurts like crazy though doesn't it?!

One bite my nipple ached for days, I think he didn't bite down so much as he scraped his teeth along the underside of my nipple, I think he grazed it :crying:

Luckily I think bubby gets SO upset about being taken off the boob that he's learnt very quickly not to bite - I guess the advantage he has though is he was 8 months old before he got teeth (he's only nearly 9 months now) so he's old enough to learn that when he bites he gets put on the floor for a few minutes. (oh, if that, he breaks my heart, the sweet little manipulator!)

Maybe call the breast feeding association and get some advice from them, they've probably got a few tricks up their sleeves!

[Opinionated]

I pushed their faces into my breast. It gave them a fright and they let go. I would then stop the feed and would not offer another until the next one was due. I was bitten no more than 3 times per child. I am still feeding and they have molars now.

I found that mine would bite at the end of a feed when they were bored and had really had enough anyway. I was able to predict it really fast so could prevent it.

[Hollywood]

No, didn't stop me feeding DS. If he bit me would pull him off and say "No" and sometimes put him on the floor and walk away. He quickly got the message and rarely does it.

We're still going at 2.5 years :D

[little bean]

I stopped when DD started biting. I tried everything to make her stop biting but nothing worked.

My friend nearly had her nipple bitten off, blood everywhere.

All the biting made breastfeeding very stressful, so I decided it was time to switch to the bottle.

If you're worried about stopping BF, maybe express and then feed by bottle.

[Deserama]

Well when they bite I would give out a loud yelp and that would scare them enough for them to associate that scary yelp to them clenching their teeth....they'd stop.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Maire's post reminded me - you can often predict when they're going to bite.

My baby would feed intensely, and then bite me when he would stop sucking.

So they key was to detach him quickly, before he gave me a playful bite.

My bub has 2 bottom teeth now and has had them for about 2 months, he doesn't bite now but when he did I would feed him with my thumb on his chin, when he stopped sucking I would unlatch him. Seemed to work.

Bubs can't feed and bite at the same time, so I found predicting when he would bite saved me from sore nipples :)

[Tennelly]

I just wanted to say thanks for all of your replies. Today we had our first bite free day in ages :yelclap:

I was there with my finger ready and took her off every time she stopped sucking and by her last feed tonight she knew what the finger meant and would start sucking again and push my finger away lol was pretty cute.

thanks heaps :)

[LuvMy4Babes]

My first daughter started getting teeth at 4 months and by 8 months had a mouthful of teeth! She was biting so bad and had me in tears one night so I rang the Breastfeeding Association.

They told me that every time she bit me to take her off the breast and firmly tell her "NO". Leave her off for 5 mins, then offer her the breast again, repeating the"NO" and taking her off if she bit again. I tried it and it worked a little, but then she started biting again. At my wit's end I bought some formula and made her a bottle. She was very upset at the bottle and cried and cried. I eventually gave in and put her back on the breast. She never bit again and I breastfed her until her 1st birthday.

Good luck, I know it's very very trying :hugs:

[IndigoJ]

My DS started biting at 5mths with two bottom teeth, he drew blood everytime, i had infection after infection, and after feeding him untill 8mths i had to stop, he got five more teeth through and he bit my once, there was so much blood. I just couldnt do it anymore, it wasnt a nice thing anymore, it turned into something i was scared to do, i didnt want my BF wexperience to be like that.

If you can keep going and find a way to make her stop thats great. If not dont feel bad about it if you need to stop. Good Luck.