Breastfeeding Resources

This month's topic:
--Teething
Will he bite me?
by Sue Petracek, IBCLC

Your baby has a tooth; do you have to give up breastfeeding so you don’t get bit?

Short answer: No.

Think about how your baby has been nursing. He opens his mouth wide with his tongue down, covering his lower gum as he latches onto the breast. Your nipple is pulled deep into his mouth and his tongue and jaw motion rhythmically to massage your breast. While the baby is actively suckling and swallowing, if he bites he’s biting his own tongue.

Of course, your baby doesn’t nurse so purposefully during the whole feed. Toward the end of a feed, when he is dozing or playing, his tongue may not be laying low and working hard like it is when he is drinking. But by the time your baby is getting teeth, you will have watched him nurse enough to sense when his attention changes from eating to something else. Then...he might bite.

What next?

I remember reading how a mom should firmly say No! and end the feed right then, being careful not to frighten the baby. And I can tell you from my experience that I remembered that advice only after I had screamed and pulled the baby away. Self-preservation is a pretty strong instinct. My hat is off to those women who have the self-control to moderate their response to just a stern No!

My baby cried, I sat him down and ended the feeding. You can read all the “right” things to do; then do your best. (It was the only time I was ever bitten, so I must have made my point.)

I doubt babies have any idea what they are doing when they bite as their first teeth are coming in. Their mouth feels different, probably painful, it doesn’t feel “right”. Unless they are really focused on feeding, they are going to be exploring and experimenting with whatever is in their mouth, just like when they aren’t feeding.

Most moms will say they can tell when the baby is finished with the main part of his feed. If you think your baby is teething, be alert and end the feed without that lingering finish up time. This way, you can continue breastfeeding beyond this tender time.

• Consider convenience a necessity, not a luxury. Is pumping into bags easier for you? Do it. Would a second set of pumping accessories may your life a little easier? Count it as money well spent. What about a second carrier for milk storage? At the end of the day you leave the full one at day care, take the empty home to wash. That’s a lot less juggling of stuff and one less thing to have to worry about when getting ready to go in the morning. You want time with your baby, not more time organizing, cleaning, scheduling, etc.

Next month...

Breastfeeding and Family Foods

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