How do you stop LO from biting you while breastfeeding?

[*Stephanie*]

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.

[RachelC]

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?

[seniuk2001]

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

[daisymelan]

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. 

[*Stephanie*]

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.

[seniuk2001]

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

[RachelC]

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!

[*Stephanie*]

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

[RachelC]

Yes, Stephanie, my name is Rachel 

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.

[*Stephanie*]

Okay, last update:

I have DD sleeping 6 hours without waking up (considering she was waking every two hours, I count it all joy).      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

[seniuk2001]

Great work Stephanie!  You are truly a baby whisperer!  Welcome to the cult....er....club....

Leanne