How do you stop LO from biting you while breastfeeding?

[*Stephanie*]

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.

[momofclaire]

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.

[Samuel's mum]

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

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

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.

[*Stephanie*]

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. 

[RachelC]

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?

[*Stephanie*]

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.

[*Stephanie*]

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. 

[RachelC]

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 

[*Stephanie*]

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.

[RachelC]

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! 

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

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.

[*Stephanie*]

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.

[RachelC]

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! 

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Right - besides SOMEONE has to be towards the lower end of the chart, right?  We're here to support you anytime!