Two weeks ago, my nine-month-old son finally started the frustrating, yet beautiful process of teething! It hurt us to see him in pain, but the upside was that he clung to Mommy for extra love and comfort…and Tylenol. (I am completely OK with giving baby a little infants Tylenol or Motrin to take the edge off) My baby was so uncomfortable, he could barely sleep. Three days, a few frozen mango slices, and a dozen homemade baby popsicles later, Quincy was sporting, not one, BUT two beautiful pearly white bottom incisors and we just could not be happier!
Since then, every time I brag to a friend or family member (and even some strangers) about his teeth, the first question I get is, “Has he bitten you yet?” The first time someone asked me that question, my response was, “Wait, is that a thing?” Could Mommy’s baby boy go as far as biting me during one of our feedings? At first, I thought not. He would NEVER! Needless to say, I was proven very wrong.
We were visiting my mother in sunny Florida and I was nursing Quincy while we caught up. With an all-knowing smirk on her face, she asked me that famous question: “Has he bitten you yet?” She hadn’t even finished her sentence before he clenched down on me with a force that could only be explained as ROID RAGE. I mean, it felt like he grew a full set of teeth overnight and he was pissed about it! I was beside myself with surprise and pain. I screamed, “OOUUCHH!”.
…and I kid you not, HE LAUGHED! Obviously, our little bonding session was OVER!
I was told dozens of times that the first time your baby bites you, your BIG reaction will scare him so much that he will never do it again, so I was expecting that this was the worst of it. I was wrong! My son was actually AMUSED by my reaction! So much so that he made it a point to bite me about six to seven more times over the next day or two.
I was so frustrated with this that in the middle of a nighttime feeding, I told my husband, “I quit!” I had a good reason too! I watched him, watch me yelp in pain. I looked him in his eyes, and he gave me a look that said, “Watch me do it again, Mom!” …and he did.
After being bitten a few more times and enduring the heartache of my son laughing at my pain, I truly thought that this meant that it was time to wean him. I was not happy with this prospect because nursing truly is a bonding experience for me and my son. But after doing a little research and gaining some #knowledge, I changed my mind.
I found that there are many reasons why a baby might bite down while Mom is breastfeeding. It could be an attempt at getting her attention, it could be because it feels nice on Baby’s gums when he’s teething, or it could be because, yes, he thinks your reaction is amusing. So, I switched up my tactics.
1. I made sure that my complete focus was on Q when he was nursing. I started giving him eye contact rather than texting behind his head.
2. I made sure that I encouraged him to use his teething toys throughout the day.
3. If he did decide to bite down during a feeding, instead of shouting for the sake of drama, I simply removed my nipple from his mouth and said, “No” in a stern voice. If he did it again, I ended the feeding.
I did these three things for A DAY, and he caught on so quick! No more biting Mommy, unless I make him laugh while he’s trying to eat. Not the best idea!
If you are experiencing some biting issues while nursing your baby, I hope these tips will help!
If you find that they work or if you have some other proven tactics you’d like to share, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me!
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