BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Breast Feeding => Topic started by: *Stephanie* on January 26, 2007, 19:52:18 pm
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My LO is biting me almost everytime she eats. It is becoming painful to feed her. She is 6 months old and has two bottom teeth. Any advice is appreciated.
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When my lo did this I would pull her off the breast and say NO in a stern voice. I would look her right in the eye and say it so she knew it was hurting me. If she kept it up I would stop the feed and give her something to chew on and start feeding again in 10 or so min. I feel for you...just the memory of it makes me cringe.
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When she's milking the breast her tongue will be covering the bottom teeth. So for her to bite with her bottom teeth she will need to shift her latch slightly. I would try hard to observe her feeding and see when her jaw shifts or pay attention to when her feeding/swallowing stops. 9 times out of 10 you can anticipate when it is about to happen and get a little finger in there and break the latch.
There are some good tips and a general discussion here:
http://www.abm.me.uk/biting.htm
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I also found it helpful to pull my lo into me when she'd bite - it would force her to open her mouth to breathe! I would also say no biting.
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Thank you all for responding. I have tried saying no, but she keeps smiling at me. So I am continuing to say no, and it seems to work...for when she is pulling my hair. ;) I am still working with saying no when BF, and I am also watching her latches. It seems like she bites when she is finished eating or she doesn't want to eat. Again, thank you all. I was two seconds from weaning her.
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It seems like she bites when she is finished eating or she doesn't want to eat.
Maybe she is just done then. What happens if you end the bf session there?
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She is okay. I put her down to play and she is fine. She is a snacker, and she eats every 2.5 - 3 hours even though she is six months old. Which brings me to another question.... She is still eating at night also. I've tried df from a bottle, but she only drinks 2-3 ounces, then she's finished. She purses her lips in her sleep, and she's finished for that feeding. Then she wakes up every three hours at night also. Is eating every three hours at night still considered normal for a six month baby? I've also breastfed her for df and I assume she's getting the same 2 - 3 ounces because it's the same effect. Thanks for your help.
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Also, she eats solids. Rice cereal and 1 fruit twice a day (early morning, late evening), and one vegetable in the middle of the day. Lastly, she is six months and only 14 lbs.(doctor says she should be 16 lbs) She does gain weight every month and was 7lbs, 9oz at birth.
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You may want to cut back the solids to one meal a day so that she wants to take more milk in one setting. 3 meals a day at this age is a lot. Are you feeding the solids an hour AFTER breastfeeding?
You may also want to take a look at the EASY boards to get some tips on extending her towards a 4 hr EASY. That being said, not all babies make it to 4 hrs. At 6 months, though, to still be waking multiple times at night is unusual. One wake up is still quite normal, but every 3 hours is not.
Has she always been 2.5-3 hours between feeds? Just asking, as waking more at night and wanting more feeds during the day *could* be growth spurt related.
Lastly, she is six months and only 14 lbs.(doctor says she should be 16 lbs)
Who is the doctor to say what she *should* be? As long as she is gaining weight, producing at least 6 wet diapers in 24 hours and an occasional poopy one (doesn't have tobe every day) and is generally content, she is doing fine. I would have to look back, but I highly doubt my dd2 was 16 pounds at 6 months, considering she's barely 20 at 16 months ;)
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Yes, I feed solids one hour after bfing. She has been eating solids since she was 4 months(also on the doctor's advice), and I have a book and everything that says she should be eating solids three times a day at six months. But I do notice that it's not helping with extending the time between feeds.
I will look at the EASY boards, thanks for suggesting.
She used to be 1.5 - 2 hours between feeds until four months. When I started solids, she went to three hours between feeds. I am going to cut back on her solids to once a day and see what happens. I'll update you after a week.
About her weight... the doctor weighs her at every check-up, then she pulls this chart out and says what percentile she is. Right now she is in the 10 percentile which means that 90% of the babies her age are larger than she is. I am considering changing doctors because I don't get the feeling she supports bfing. She just tolerates it. But dd is doing fine, she has more than enough wet diapers, and she is consistently gaining weight; it's just not as much as the doctor wants.
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Right now she is in the 10 percentile which means that 90% of the babies her age are larger than she is.
Well, that is a true statement.... but who cares? Someone has to be at the bottom of the charts. That's my dd2... she's at the 3-5%. I would definately agree with you changing doctors, especially in that comment
The thing about growth charts is to stay on the same curve. In other words, was your dd always on the low end or did she drop dramatically from the previous visit? You want them to stay on the same curve, so if she suddenly jumped to the 50%, that would be a concern too.
Sorry... I know I am rambling (and ranting). Doctors who don't support and encourage breastfeeding drive me crazy! ;)
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Another thing to consider is that most of the charts were made with formula fed babies who tend to be a bit chubbier compared to breastfed babies. I know my doc uses a different curve to compare dd to - one that's for breastfed kids.
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Thank you all so much for your support. :-* Yes, she has always been on the small side. This last visit, she dropped from 15% to 10%, but she had gotten sick and was teething at the same time. You would think the doctor would acknowledge the cold (especially since I went to the doctor to make sure she didn't have bronchitis two weeks before her six month check-up) for her % drop. But all the doctor said was, "I think you should start supplementing". When I said that dd hates formula, she was giving me tips to get her to drink it. She (the doctor) didn't even suggest me pumping and supplementing with ebm.
It's also hard because my mother keeps asking, "How long are you going to do THAT?" (and yes, she emphasizes the word). I do have my SIL (who bfed three children), and a mommy group I belong to, but some days you just get tired of the opposition. I am going to join a La Leche League group where I live and I believe that will encourage me.
Again, thank you for your help and encouragement and I will try your suggestions.
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So glad to hear that you are going to stick with it.
As far as the growth charts go, I asked the peditrician about the ff vs bf charts... as long as they always follow the same chart and your lo stays on the same growth curve, it's ok.
15%-10%... that's not a concern at all.
Keep up the great work! ;D
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Right - besides SOMEONE has to be towards the lower end of the chart, right? ;) We're here to support you anytime! :)
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Hello all,
I was writing to update you. I cut down on solids to one meal a day, and for the most part, she is back to her normal sleeping schedule. She only wakes once or twice during the night. But the GREATEST news is that she has learned to self-soothe! This past week, she has awakened in the night, and she went back to sleep by herself! At most, I walked in and gave her the pacifier, but that's it. No holding, rocking, or feeding (for the most part). So just when you feel down and out, something good happens to give you hope.
Last question...but is there anyway to get her to take in more milk? Most times she'll df 3-4 oz, sometimes it's 1.5 oz. If she only drinks 1.5, she'll wake up 3 hours later. If she takes the 4 oz, she'll sleep closer to 6 hours without waking.
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Great job on the self soothing!
You can't force her to take more milk, perhpas you could adjust the time of the df. Do you always offer it at the same time?
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Hensonsr...You are doing a fabulous job! You are giving your baby the best food possible. You will have to tolerate your mothers comments for a while. Different era...different way of thinking. Just say, "Mom, I know you are trying to help but I know what is best for my little girl. And I would appreciate your support." Or if you don't have that kind of relationship with your mom then just ignore...she probably doesn't know any better.
As for charts...I too was caught up in the charts and weighing her. I was weighing her every week and my Dr. finally said, Stop doing that...she's gaining weight and her wet and poopy diapers were right on. But as a new mom you worry...so that's why you come here! Cuz we'll tell you not to worry.
Kudos to you and your success in helping her self soothe! More milestones like that to come!
I too had a biter...it was when she was almost done her feed. The saying no didn't help her either. She cried but she still did it a few times after that...She has stopped now though. I've heard that smothering them into the breast works better...sometimes even a negative response is enough for them...no reaction is better. My LC said that if she's biting, she's not hungry. End the feed right there! If she didn't have enough, she'll eat more at the next feed.
It's tough when they are snackers. You can work her out of that habit. Do you have Tracy's book? If so, which one, I may be able to point you to the page on fixing a problem snacker.
Lastly, if you have access to a lactation consultant locally, I would consult them too. They can be very helpful with any breastfeeding issues. We have free access to LC's here in Canada so we're lucky that way.
Good luck and keep up the good work! You're a great mom!
Leanne
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I agree, ignore mother! LOL Look to where you know you'll get support.
BTW, Self soothing rocks! Now someone tell my 18 month old that.
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Thank you everyone for your support! I really appreciate it. :-*
To PaigeJalyn: Her df are not the same time every night. I've been working on being more consistent with her bed time (right now she goes to sleep anywhere between 8:30 to 10:00 p.m.). So her df could be anytime between 11:30 to 1:00 a.m. (I'm not a morning person so that's why she goes to bed so late.) She took a lot of milk today, so let's keep our fingers crossed for tonight. Thank you so much for the suggestion to cutdown on solids. I think it's working. When would I increase them again? Do you have any suggestions/thoughts?
To seniuk2001: Thank you for the encouragement. I recently realized that my dd also bites because she is finished eating. When I posted, we had a rough day, and I was fed up with the biting. But now all is well with the world again. I do have (and mostly read) the first book, "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer." Is there a page where she talks about a snacker?
I do ignore my mom for the most part. She does come from the old school, and plus she was a single parent and had to work. Part of it may be guilt on her part because she didn't feel she had the time to bf. Her new thing/complaint is that I'm spoiling my baby. I feel like I understand my baby, know what she needs, and I get it for her; thanks to Tracey's book. I love my mom, but there's a reason we live an hour apart.
Lastly, I have to pay for a LC, but we do have La Leche League, and I'm going there on Tuesday to see what else I can do for a snacker. I have been feeding her EBM (with the fastest flowing nipple I could buy), and I think it's helping her to drink more and snack less. Last night she woke up at 11, 3, and 6. Slowly but surely I think we can get it down to one waking a night.
As you can tell, I'm feeling optimistic again. Again I thank you all and appreciate you.
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Sounds like things are going well for you...at this moment, anyway...It seems that things are always changing now... ;)
Well, I have "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" and she mentions a 4-6 month old that still eats every 3 hours. Here's what it says in this book...
"If she's feeding every 2 hours, I know it's a snacking problem because no four month old or older baby needs to eat that often. At almost 5 months old, she was still feeding every 2 hours, even through the night. I advised her parents to tank her up at 6, 8, 10 and then not feed her at night --no matter what. After all, she was not an infant. She was an older baby whose parents had accidentally taught her how to snack. The first night, she woke up screaming several times between 10 and 5 but they didn't cave in. They used pick up/put down to get her back to sleep each time. It was a hard night for the three of them. At 5 in the morning, she took a full feed and the rest of the day she ate pretty efficiently every 4 hours too. The second day was a little better. She woked up twice, Dad put her back to sleep each time, and the next morning she lasted until 6 a.m."
"If a baby at this stage is still feeding every three hours, she might not be snacking, but I suspect that hte parents are trying to keep her on an eating plan that's meant for a younger child. They need to lengthen the feeds to every 4 hours. You have to do it gradually though. So, you extend it by 15 min a day over a four-day period."
Hope that helps you a little ???
Leanne
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To PaigeJalyn: Her df are not the same time every night. I've been working on being more consistent with her bed time (right now she goes to sleep anywhere between 8:30 to 10:00 p.m.). So her df could be anytime between 11:30 to 1:00 a.m. (I'm not a morning person so that's why she goes to bed so late.) She took a lot of milk today, so let's keep our fingers crossed for tonight. Thank you so much for the suggestion to cutdown on solids. I think it's working. When would I increase them again? Do you have any suggestions/thoughts?
What time does she wake in the morning? Meaning, what time do you start her day?
I would keep at one meal for at least a week and then increase to 2 meals, with the amount at each meal still being small. Hang out at 2 meals for a while, then increase to 3 meals, still small amounts. Check out the solid food forum for lots of great tips there!
but we do have La Leche League, and I'm going there on Tuesday to see what else I can do for a snacker. I have been feeding her EBM (with the fastest flowing nipple I could buy)
Just be aware that La Leche League is going to tell you to feed on demand whenever and whereever and however. Also, when using the bottle, you want to use a nipple size that corresponds to your body. She doesn't have to work at all with a fast flowing nipple, so when she goes to the breast, she may not be happy that she has to work at it, KWIM?
You're on the right track! Keep at it!
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Leanne- thanks for the information. I will have to try that on the weekend as DH prefers that I try new things on the weekend when he doesn't have to go to work in the morning. :)
PaigeJalyn (is your name Rachel?)- She starts her day between 9 and 11. On average, I would say that we wake up around 10 am. I will check out the solid boards, and thanks for the LLL information.
So far the larger nipple on the bottle isn't bothering her, and it is getting her to drink more. She sucked down a 5 oz bottle earlier today, and she was looking for more. But I will remember your advice if she starts getting upset at the breast.
Stephanie
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Yes, Stephanie, my name is Rachel ;D
Sounds good about wake up time... just wanted to make sure it was about 12 hours after bedtime.
Also keep in mind that babies will drink more from the bottle because it is easy and it's there.
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Okay, last update:
I have DD sleeping 6 hours without waking up (considering she was waking every two hours, I count it all joy). ;D I cut her solids to once per day, and she gets EBM twice a day. She is not snacking as much as she used to. I did start doing a dreamfeed again, but I hope to stop this in the next two weeks (when I get "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems".
As far as the original problem of biting, I watch her closely, and when she is finished, I remove her from the breast. She has not cried or been upset when I have ended the feeding session, so that had to have been the problem.
Thanks to all who answered and gave encouragement.
Stephanie
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Great work Stephanie! You are truly a baby whisperer! Welcome to the cult....er....club.... :P
Leanne