BFing – Biting – OUCH! (+trialing reg. formula)

[Anonymous]

Hi. I BF my first reflux son for 13 months (until became pregnant with 2nd son). I am BFing my 2nd reflux/MPI son who turned 10 months yesterday. Here’s my problem. My first son bit me around 9 months. I sternly said — NO BITING — he cried and never bit me again. On Sat. evening, my 2nd son started biting me during his last feed of the day. He bit me maybe 10 times before I gave up. I’d sternly say NO BITING, but he’d just cry for a second and then when we’d re-start nursing, he’d bite me again. All day yesterday he bit me at every feed. He didn’t nurse at all. I gave him RTF alimentum and some pumped milk I had in the freezer (I’m down to maybe 16 oz in the freezer). He was getting RTF alimentum 1x per day so we have it in the house. I pumped, but not that much as I don’t have time to deal with a 2.5 year old, feed the 10 month old and pump each time I’d feed th 10 month old (he nurses 4 -5 times a day). He is teething (tooth 7 and 8 have broken through). My husband says tough it out and he’ll stop biting once he is done with these 2 teeth, but I’m concerned about (1) the pain from the biting and (2) that my supply will diminish as I’ll try to pump but will not pump nearly as much as he’ll eat.

My son is now medicine free and we were about to trial regular formula (his Ped Gastro said do 6 oz RTF alimentum and 2 oz regular formula and see what happens). If I’m done BFing (can’t believe it’s so — I didn’t choose to end now — with my first son I chose to stop and had accepeted it — here it seems so sudden), I really don’t want to pay $15 per day for RTF alimentum (it is $15 and change for 6 pack of RTF here); I guess I could buy the jugs (couldn’t previously b/c only using once a day and jugs go bad after 48 or 72 hours). I guess I just was wondering how people went from Alimentum or some other atypical formula to regular.

Any stories would be helpful.

Also, if you have any advice on how to stop the biting, that’d be better as I’d love to keep BFing.

We’ve (1) dosed tylenol 1/2 hour b4 feeding; (2) waited extra half hour so would be really hungry; (3) BF immediately after waking up. Only the 3rd worked. This a.m. he BF for 7 minutes before he started biting.

THANKS.

[Anonymous]

My signature says I’m trialing dairy. It’s actually been 4 weeks, so I guess I should say I’m officially eating dairy (he isn’t yet). I was thinking it might be related, but he’s been fine until the biting started on Saturday.

[hellbennt]

is he biting you or is it that it’s the angle of the teeth coming in?

I had it bad w/ both babies but it wasn’t them biting me so much as the teeth/tooth/latch/angle combination

w/ jonah it was just my right breadt (still have a scar) & w/ ari it’s my left…

[Anonymous]

What I did when my boys were biting was when they were nursing, I’d keep my thumb on their chin, then if they started to bite, I’d quickly unlatch them and firmly say NO. Unlatching them seemed to help them understand why I was saying no. Good luck! I hope he stops biting and you can enjoy nursing for longer.

[Anonymous]

He’s actually biting me. For a while when he first got teeth, it hurt just from the rubbing/angle, etc. but I got used to it or he switched positions a little. This is actual biting. He bits and unlatches himself — well, except for this morning, he hasn’t even latched at all. I’ll try the thumb suggestion if he ever latches again. Thanks so much. I’m pretty devastated to stop nursing (particularly after going 6+ mo. dairy free, and b/c we’re going away for 5 days in August and I didn’t want to have to worry about bringing/cleaning bottles, nor do I have enough bottles and it seems crazy to buy some for only a few more months).

thanks again.

PartyofFour2007-07-09 14:40:19

[hellbennt]

for biting what I do is push hs face into my breast- it seems counter-intuative, but for some reason when you do this they unlatch themselves

then I say “No B-I-T-I-N-G!!” I’m not spelling it, lol, I’m slowly and very very strongly enunciating each sound

then I put baby down (on the floor) and walk away

he will then crawl after me and that’s fine…but he gets the message that if he does that then mama doesn’t want to be with him…

then I might give him a teether to bite and say BITE slowly and exaggerated, trying to show that he bites a teether

then I have the teether with me as I try to feed the next time…

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