I want to stop breastfeeding. should I?

Question

I have succesfully breastfed my 8 month old ever since he was born, He only feeds from me. I have tryed to switch to bottle before but he does not take it. so i just feeding myself. (im a stayhome mom) now that he has teeth he has been biting me alot!!! sometimes im afraid to even latch him on. help!!!

Answer 1

when your child bites, you immediately remove your breast from his mouth, say "NO" or "No, that hurts mommy!" It only took once of twice for that to break each of our sons from biting during nursing.

if you can make him stop biting, consider continuing breastfeeding.

nursing is an incredible mothering tool. with it you have the ability to feed a sick child who otherwise won't hydrate. with it, you can soothe booboos and frights pretty quickly. with it, you continue to build that relationship best enhanced by nursing, that relationship which makes your child want to please! with it, you lower your risk of osteoporosis.

The WHO recommends nursing for at least two years and the benefits to your child and your extend for many years. the longer you can go, the better.

Good luck. Call La Leche League, just to talk. They're terrific. Very knowledgeable and utterly, wonderfully non-judgemental. Whatever you decide, they'll help get you there.

Answer 2

At this age, it's probably more about comfort than nourishment.

Have you introduced cereal and other solid foods? Unless he has allergies or some other special situation, he's plenty old enough. Start with rice cereal mixed with breast milk, and put him in a seat or bumbo or high chair (don't hold him, in other words). Try applesauce after a few days, assuming he doesn't show signs of an allergic reaction. Add a new single-ingredient food every week or few days, and gradually increase the times per day that you feed him solids.

I'd also stop bothering with a bottle, and give him liquids from a sippy cup.

Offer the breast after he's eaten other foods, and stop after just a few minutes. He'll feel comforted, your breasts won't engorge, and everyone will be happier. Over the next month or so, offer the breast less often, or for shorter durations.

You might need to have your husband (or another caretaker) give him the sippy cup at first. He might not like being offered a cup, when his favorite snack is sitting right there next to him! I wouldn't put breast milk in the cup, though... offer him something else that he likes instead.

If you still enjoy the closeness of breastfeeding, there's no reason to stop completely. Just cut him back a bit, gradually. It can be nice to have the option of the breast for times when he just needs comfort. If you stop too soon, you lose that option. If he falls down while learning to walk, for instance, and bumps his head, nothing can comfort him like Mommy's nice familiar breast.

However, if you really are just "finished," and want to stop no matter what, you should do so.

Hope this helps!

Edit: Forgot about the biting! Just don't allow it, like any other negative thing he does. It hurts soooo bad when they bite, so I'm sure you already have a negative reaction. Just a good sharp, "NO!" should be enough. He isn't doing it to be bad... he's just chewing because that's what babies do. But he does need to learn not to bite people, so don't just ignore it.

Answer 3

I wouldn't say you need to stop breastfeeding, but you do need to teach him not to bite you! In nursing my own daughter, I have found that she tends to bite when she is getting new teeth in. I think it feels good on her gums. Babies can definitely be taught not to bite, though. I would say, "NO BITING! That hurts Mommy!" to my daughter and put her down right away when she would bite. Sometimes she would just giggle at me - I think because she could tell I was upset and felt uncomfortable with the situation. But she definitely learned not to do it.

You have done a great job by breastfeeding your baby for eight months, and babies really do continue to benefit from breastfeeding for at least a full year. Once you get past this challenge, I think you will enjoy breastfeeding more again. I know this has been the case for me. Here's a link that I found helpful called When Baby Bites:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

Answer 4

Dont give up! Check out this link, it has lots of good ideas of how to stop the biting. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

I used some of those techniques and my son only bit a few times before he stopped. I know it is really scary and painful when they bite. I was afraid to breastfeed for awhile too. But it does get better! Try a few of the suggestions on the website and I bet you will see a difference very soon!

Either way, you should be so proud of how far you have come already. If you do end up stopping, you should be so pleased you went as far as you did! Bravo!

Hang in there and good luck!

Answer 5

Oh, yes, I know that pain!

Every time he bites, tell him, calmly, "No biting." And end the feeding.

(At 8 months, he should be on solids as well, so he's not gonna starve.) At that age, I'd say no milk for an hour, by the clock.

I've never met a child who did not learn not to bite after 24 hours of this.

In the meantime, put some Lansinoh on those sore nipples, and get them lots of air-time. (Since you're a SAHM, just let them hang out.)

My son was even biting as he fell asleep... But he quickly learned what "no biting" meant. After that one day of "No biting" at the first hint, I never had to take him off again. I'd say "No biting" when he started to slide down to the tip, and he'd suddenly take it all in his mouth & get down to business again!

This is your first lesson in disciplining him. Biting is never OK, "even" when he's biting Mommy. But he'll learn if you're firm, gentle, and consistent.

Answer 6

Try introducing a sippy cup when he is very hungry... you may have to hold off feeding him for one feeding insisting he take the sippy cup for him to actually accept it... Missing one meal will not hurt him in any way although he may cry just keep using the sippy cup... He will eventually take it when he is hungry enough...

Place breastmilk into the sippy cup so it will taste like what he is used to... As long as you hold your ground he will take the sippy cup offered..

After you have him establlished on the sippy cup you can either continue to use breast milk of slowly begin using formula with the breastmilk... just start by doing 1/8 formula to brastmilk ration and slowly work up by 8ths until its all formula...

If you dread the breastfeeding time it will not be a bonding experience for either of you transfering him to a sippy cup will allow you to once again enjoy feeding him and bonding with him during that time..

Answer 7

Start him on a cup. Let him have the cup everytime he wants milk (you could try with expressed milk so it would be more familiar). Give him his cup while he has his baby food. If he bites you, calmly tell him that it hurts and don't let him have anymore milk. He will get the idea very quickly. Kudos for hanging on for 8 months. He will stop biting if you are consistent, so maybe you can keep on with it a while if he stops putting his teeth to use, lol.

Answer 8

Your child will get hungry enough to take the bottle. I breastfed my daughter but as soon as she got teeth and bit i was done. 3 days of hell followed becasue she was hungry and would not nurse from the bottle fo very long. She got hungry though and took it. You should also have solids in his diet by now. Maybe try a sipee cup with a soft bottle like nipple. He may take this.

Answer 9

don't give him a bottle, just go to the cups. Let him know you don't like him biting you. He will stop after he gets used to the teeth. He doesn't even know they are there or that's what he's doing !

Answer 10

It's up to you whether you wean him or not. But when you decide to be consistent and PATIENT. He isn't going to like the bottle right off the bat. It is going to take time for him to get used to the differences, he won't go hungry because when he gets hungry enough he WILL eat what is offered.