He's not even 3 months old. Recently he developed thrush and is also starting to teeth. In the last couple of weeks, when he feels like he wants to take a break, he'll purse his lips and bit down on my nipple with his gums and just hold himself there. I'll pull him off and he'll root, looking for the nipple like he's still hungry. I've said no a couple of times, but I don't think he gets it at all. Why would he have started to do this? It hurts and my poor nipples! I'm not gonna stop breastfeeding, but I need to figure out why he's diong this to stop it.
2007-09-16 04:49:56 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
He's probably just looking for relief. Put a clean, wet washcloth in the freezer for a bit and let him chew/suck on that before feeding. The coolness will help relieve both sore gums and the itch. If he continues to do it, unlatch him and make him wait a few minutes to finish the feed. If he does it again after the short break, unlatch him again and give him a teether. Be consistent with this - he needs to understand that a) teething is for toys, not mommy and b) biting means his food will be taken away.
Try lanolin cream for your nipples. It's safe for babies to eat, so it doesn't need to be removed before nursing him.
2007-09-16 04:59:30 · answer #1 · answered by xxunloved_little_angelxx 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
You just need to learn the signs that he is about to bite and unlatch him before that. Then bounce him, sing to him, burp him, whatever to keep him destracted/calm until he is a) ready to feed again or b) not looking for the nipple anymore. You could also try offering your finger, a pacifier, or a teething ring.
If the biting from teething really, really gets bad you can stretch out feeds until he is starving and feed for as long as he is really sucking. A day or two and the worst of it should be better as the worst of the pain will pass. Obviously you should generally feed on demand but desperate times call for desperate measures!
Also be sure that if he is drifting to sleep that you really support his head, if his head starts to slip it is instinct to clamp down hard!(owie, owie, owie)
Babies can't bite or clamp down if they are actively drinking.
This will likely pass as his gums feel better.... only to start some different thing when the next teeth start coming in *lol*. But you can work through this and prevent being bitten *most* of the time.
When Baby Bites
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html
2007-09-16 05:14:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Contrary to common belief, biting down on things and lots of drooling are common occurrences in babies and are not reliable evidences of teething. All babies begin this behavior about 2-3 months old yet may not have a tooth until a year old. I have 4 children, all breast fed as babies, the youngest 2 until they self-weaned at 11 months and 14 months. Every one of them went through several stages of biting. What your son is doing is just oral exploration and should not be considered a deliberate act of biting you. You have already determined he does this when he wants a break so give him one. Be careful when pulling him off as it can injure your nipples if you don't do it correctly. It works amazingly well to stick your little finger between your breast and his mouth to break the suction when he is biting down. Forget telling him "no" at his young age, he will not understand this for quite a few more months. If he bites, break the suction, and move him away from the nursing position for awhile. You can hand him off to your husband, put him in his swing, or down on the floor for a few minutes. He may need a burp, so burp him sitting on your lap facing away from you. It is so hard, but it will get better and he'll stop. I can remember vividly when each of my babies started doing that I would dread for a few days nursing times since I knew it would probably hurt. Remember to break the suction before moving him from your breast and it should help the pain some. Help him hold some chewing/teething toys and get them to his mouth so he can get lots of oral exploration at other times besides nursing time.
2007-09-16 05:17:19 · answer #3 · answered by sevenofus 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, it hurts. What I did with my daughter was when she bit me I would take her off the breast and tell her in a calm but slightly stern voice "stop, don't bite mommy". Then I would let her nurse, if she did it again I would take her off again and tell her again to not bite. This time I would not return her to the breast for a few minutes. Then I would continue nursing her again. If she bit again, I would end the nursing session for a while.
She soon learned that if she bit me, she would not get any milk.
We ended up nursing for 2 years 3 months.
2007-09-16 05:17:10 · answer #4 · answered by Umm Selma 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Signs of TEETHING are:
- Red cheeks
- white teeth starting to show through gums
- sore gums
- trying to bite onto something to ease the pain
Solutions from pharmacies:
- teething husks (tough buiscuits to suck and can't bite chunks off)
- teething toys (some are gel filled to put in freezer. the coolness helps sooth the gums)
- breast pumps (to get breast milk into a bottle to give your nipples a break)
2007-09-16 05:04:14 · answer #5 · answered by wizebloke 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Ur baby has started teething.So the gums will start irritating him.so he cant do any thing xcept putting his thumb or any other fingers in this mouth.So he finds Ur nipples and bits them.Its not that he has done with mils.So he even drinks milk.
2007-09-16 04:56:49 · answer #6 · answered by aditya b 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
His gums are hurting him. When not beastfeeding give him a rag wet and frozen on one side to chew on or a cold teething toy. If you are making noises when he bites- ie--ouch--he might think it is funny and keeps doing it.--even the No--he does not understand what no is yet and probably just like to hear you say it.--try not to say anything.
2007-09-16 04:54:57 · answer #7 · answered by little1lz 2 · 6⤊ 0⤋
you dont have to put the baby to the breast to feed him i know you will like the closeness but you can always express and bond with your baby in so many othe ways and this way you will get a break at feeding times your partner could feed baby and you could eat yourself you could make bathtime a bonding time for your baby.
if you want to keep feeding hime yourself then maybe before you do you could get a cold flannel or teething ring on his mouth to help with the iritating then feed
2007-09-16 05:20:54 · answer #8 · answered by kellytreen 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Think about what it feels like when your mouth is itching...your baby is probably trying to scratch that itch. He'll probably stop do that until the thrush clears up.
2007-09-16 04:53:45 · answer #9 · answered by futureteacher0613 5 · 5⤊ 1⤋
When you feed your son, do you offer the breast or solids first? Under most circumstances, either choice is fine. Some mothers prefer to breastfeed first to comfort their baby and then finish the meal with solids. Other mothers prefer to begin with solid foods and use breastmilk to wash down the solids. To handle the biting, however, I suggest that you try to offer solid foods first to satisfy your baby's immediate hunger, than offer the breast. Pay attention to your son's activity at the breast. Most biting occurs in a playful fashion at the end of a feeding. The baby may not even realize what he or she is doing. If you stop nursing at the first sign that he is losing interest and the feeding is about to end, you won't give him the opportunity to bite. If he does bite, immediately remove him from the breast, firmly tell him "no", and do not immediately offer other food. Offering him more food at this point would be like rewarding him for doing something you don't want him to do. Wait at least 10-15 minutes, then offer the breast again. If the biting continues, stop breastfeeding for at least 30 minutes. Biting is seldom a cause for weaning. Babies learn quickly that biting results in separation from the breast and will usually stop biting after several days.
2007-09-16 04:56:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 7⤋