Needle-Toothed Monster...err..son and BF

[newbelly2002]

It's just like my dog's puppy-phase, except I had no plans to BF my dog. DS just has NO IDEA how sharp that one, half-risen tooth is. Unfortunately, I do.

When he nursed this morning, I felt what I thought was a sharp pinch. This afternoon, the "shield" portion of the breast pump was covered in blood. Looking on the underside of the nipple, I saw a long, jagged cut. Nursing this evening made me literally cry.

My question is: how do I make this better--quickly? (I'm dreading morning already) And how do I keep it from happening again? I don't think he did it on purpose so the usual "methods" to discourage biting don't seem to pertain. I was hoping to continue to BF until he weaned himself, or one year whichever comes first.

Help!!

Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b33a3c3de467

[Hallie_D]

Ouch! I had this same problem with Elijah, but he got his first tooth at 4.5 months and really didn't understand what "no biting" meant--and I'm sure he didn't mean to do it at first. He bit me quite a few times, and I know he didn't mean to, but it really, really hurts. The worst part was that at some point when he was a little older I made a very high pitched squeal of surprise when he chomped down; he thought this was funny and took to chomping more often. Then I started in with the strong "NO biting" every time he even grazed me with a tooth. He stopped biting pretty quickly, only to start again when his top teeth started coming in three months later (and he was biting on everything to ease the discomfort). Since he was older, he got the "NO" message pretty quickly. When he bit down and wouldn't release, I brought him in very close to my breast, covering his nose, and as soon as he released my nipple so he could breath, I sat him up and said, again, "NO biting." Then I switched breasts to give my poor sore nipple a break.

The one time I bled, I found that Purelan really helped heal things quickly. I also pumped the injured side and only offered Elijah the uninjured breast until everything was feeling better.

I think saying no every time he bites or scrapes will make him more concious of what he is doing. Even if he did it by accident, with teeth coming in he will really have to fight the urge to bite when he is nursing.

[parkersmama]

Ouch!! That sounds awful!

Here's my advice...not so much for healing what's already happened but preventing it from continuing. I have used the advice that Dr. Sears gives in "The Baby Book" with both my kids when they bit during nursing and it worked very well. Here's how it works: when the baby begins to bite go completely against every instinct that you have and pull him IN to your breast covering his mouth and nose in the breast tissue. When he realizes (believe me, this happnes quickly!) that he can't breathe through his nose, he will open his mouth releasing your breast. At that point, you can gently but firmly say "No biting" and then allow him to begin nursing again. Repeat this as many times as necessary. He will quickly learn that biting results in the unpleasant experience of having his nose covered (it doesn't hurt him...it only lasts for a few seconds!!) and stop biting. With my kids it only took a couple of times doing this before they stopped biting once and for all. It's hard to pull them in when every instinct is screaming "get this pirrahna off of me!!!" and making you want to yank them away but this method really does work! :-)

A few more helpful hints...be sure to watch for cues that he's about to bite. When he has been nursing for a while and isn't really gulping the milk down anymore, don't let him hang out since the boredom may increase his interest in biting. Also, some babies get a mischevious look in their eye when they are about to bite so you can watch for that.

I nursed for a long time even after my kids had nearly full sets of teeth, so it can be done! Be careful not to frighten him too bad by yelping or shouting since that can make him go on a strike and not nurse (that's painful, too!). Just be persistant and firm and you'll do fine! Good luck and hope this helps!

[nigele]

Paula!

I think Dante and Tom must have come from the same mold! I am currently going through the same thing and can empathize. I posted a while back and got suggestions to pull him in to my breast, as the two ladies here have mentioned but I am in agony when he bites me and am quick to pull him off. Each time, I tell him firmly "No biting" but the little punk LAUGHS at me! I might have to try pulling him in next time even though I can't bear to think about those teeth staying clamped down on me!!!

Good luck and do let me know how it works out.

[parkersmama]

Lisa...give it a try! It really does work (at least for me and several others I've recommended it to) and the additional pain really isn't much. I actually think it hurts more to yank them off when they're clamped down with those monster teeth! LOL! Hope it works for you.

[newbelly2002]

Thanks for the great advice and support. Good to know that I'm not alone. And yes, Lisa, it does seem that Tom and Dante come from the same cloth. When was he born again?

But see my problem is that I on't know WHEN he's biting. He doesn't bite (yet) oer se. The last "bite" was--I think--more of a scrape than anything else. Is there anything you can do to prevent that?

I can't help but laugh when I try to imagine doing some of the tricks on Dante that we used on our pooch (a shepard/rotweiler mix with a healthy "sucking"--biting--instinct). Then I remember my poor bleeding nipple and it doesn't seem so far-fetched...

Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b33a3c3de467