ouch...

[curlykaren]

little man has six teeth and isn't afraid to use them, has anyone ever used, or know of, some sort of nipple protection device for breast feeding?

its so great to share intimate details of my boobies on the internet!! xx

[hpsaucey]

Hhm - nasty. Only been bitten once or twice by either of my two. When teething I've always made sure that I've shoved plenty of breast in there quickly so that they can't really get a grip to bite and can only suck for milk. Seems to have worked. The times I WAS bitten I howled so loudly I think they were traumatised. Neither really did it after that, although I hope I'm not counting chickens .... I HATE that moment when you're been REALLY brave by feeding them as you're not quite sure what they're going to do - either treat you gently or savage it!

Hope you fine something that works for you.

H

[curlykaren]

I have howled loudly on several occassions...I just get a dirty look for interrupting boobie time. Usually doesn't start off too bad but then as he relaxes the jaws close further, owww. Will attempt to shove more in, thanks x

[fuzzyboots]

@CurlyKaren

Yikes!

YEs, shoving in as much breast as possible does help.

As does a howl/a very firm "NO, THAT HURTS" and removing them from the breast immediately.

I found with all of mine that they were much more bitey and chewy and sucky when they were teething. Don't think it was the milk they were after, just something to chew on.

You have my sympathy.

I think you'd be pretty lucky if you convinced a solely breast-fed baby to accept a nipple shield. If your baby knows about bottles/soothers, you might get away with it though.

Good luck!

[hpsaucey]

Hhm - know what you mean by relaxing and tightening the grip. Mine does that when he's off to sleep. Sometimes really difficult to prise him off.

The joys of it all!

[hanstands]

Mine had 8 teeth by 6 months and I know how it feels to be bitten on a number of occasions. What worked for me was being observant as I could normally tell when it was going to happen a few seconds before and unlatch him - watch closely if he falls asleep on the boob. Time in the end sorted it out, he hasn't done it for months now, so I realised it was just another phase - it didn't last. Tried the yelping but he either cried or laughed. Hopefully it is just a phase for you!

[Fuschia]

Take him off and put him down, try NOT to yelp as that attracts their interest.

xx

[Pickle]

My daughter has just gone through a biting phase, I sympathise, the pain is horrible! I used to release her grip by shoving a finger in her mouth, say a firm "no", and wait a while before letting her latch again. After a while I could sense when it was about to happen so could pre-empt most of the time. Thankfully she's stopped doing it now. Good luck!

[The Nappy Lady]

Ouch indeep Karen, I feel your pain.

Baby C has 4 teeth at 9 months (Hanstands, so impressed with 8 at 6 months). We recently had 1 day where I got bitten 4 times...and at one point she actually made me cry it hurt so much. Every time I took her off, said a firm "No Biting" and made her wait (even though she then was complaining) before putting her back on.

Since then it hasn't happened again in the same way thank goodness, but sometimes when she is feeding and dropping off to sleep I do start to feel her teeth and have to stick my finger in to unlatch her and get her back on properly (or not if she is actually sleepy enough).

It is horrible though, quite scary to have to put such a sensitive part of your body into such a dangerous situation.

Hope the young man gets the message soon, I'm sure he will if you make it clear biting = NO BOOBY!!

Molly

xx

[lorraineliyanage]

The chemist on Lordship Lane near the John Alan flower shop sell Avent nipple shields. They take some of the ouch factor away, although your little one may grumble about sucking through a bit of plastic.

[curlykaren]

thanks, might have to try those, although he was a little better today after unlatching him so many times yesterday. Baby teeth are sharp!

[lorraineliyanage]

not just sharp, but they seem to have serrated edges on their teeth too!!

[Gubodge]

Sympathies. It hurts like hell, doesn't it. And all that helpful advice not to react which was obviously thought up by someone who has never had teeth clamping down suddenly on a sensitive area. (And has no imagination, either)

Biting usually happens at the end of a feed, either where they lose concentration and start to drop of, or because they've had enough and are starting to get a bit bored and do something more fun. Like make you scream.

Keep an eye on his jaw movements through the feed. He'll start of with rapid sucks, to get the milk flowing and then he should settle down into a slower, more rythmnic gulp. When this changes to more of a fluttering movement it's time to use your finger to detach him. Hopefully that means you'll get him off before he gets bored, but you needn't worry about him not having eaten enough. The 'fluttering' indicates that he's onto really thick, creamy milk so you can sure that he's had a decent feed.