Joined: 17 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 3706 Gender: Female
Posted: 18 October 2006 at 5:27pm | IP Logged
The vast majority of breastfed babies manage to go through the
teething process without attempting to bite their mothers!
Many mums are told to wean when their babies get their first tooth
but this is not necessary. Many babies never attempt to bite and
those who try once are so startled by their mum's reaction they
never do it again!
When a baby breastfeeds, the mother's nipple is positioned far back
in it's mouth, and the baby's lips are positioned well behind the nipple
on the outer edge of the areola (the coloured part that surrounds the
nipple). The baby's tongue extends beyond the gums between the
lower teeth and the breast. Therefore, even after a baby's teeth
erupt, he cannot bite when he is ACTIVELY nursing.
If your baby does bite the natural reaction will be to pull him off the
breast. This could cause your nipples even more damage than the
bite. The very best thing to do is stay calm (difficult I know!) and
actually PULL HIM IN CLOSE! If you pull him in this will partially block
his airway and he will release the nipple. Babies are sensitive even
to a slight block of their nose and will release as a reflex action.
If biting persists there are a number of strategies that can help.
1. Give baby your complete attention during nursing. Give lots of
eye-contact, touching and talk to your baby. This will also help you
see when baby is becoming uninterested in feeding and may be
ready to stop nursing.
2. Learn to recognise the end of a feed. Most biting, if it is going to
occur will happen at the end of a feed, when the baby has lost
interest. While watching your baby you may notice tension develop
in the jaw before he actually bites down. This is a signal to break the
suction by gently popping your pinky into the side of baby's mouth,
and take baby off the breast before a bite!
3. Don't force a feed! If baby is wriggling, rolling or pushing against
mum it is probably not hungry or interestend in feeding. If baby is
definitely due to be fed try lying down in a quiet room with baby lying
beside you to help settle him down enough to feed.
4. Keep your milk supply plentiful. If baby gets frustrated at the
breast from too little milk it may increase the odds he will bite.
Human milk is the ONLY food a baby needs until the middle of the
first year. If other foods are used too early, or the baby is given
regular drinks of water or juice it will interfere with mum's milk
supply. You can boost your supply by expressing milk in addition to
feeding your baby frequently. Remember breastmilk is on a supply
and demand basis.
5. For perststant biters- keep your wee finger poised to release the
suction and, if baby bites put them quickly and quietly down on the
floor. ( Obviously if you are in a nice carpeted room- not if you're in
the middle of a cafe or on a bus.)
The baby associates feelings of comfort and security as well as
satisfaction of hunger with his mother. He doesn't understand that
putting his teeth on her nipple causes her pain. Babies do not bite
out of "meaness". A baby has to learn what to do with his new teeth
while nursing, and this is sometimes learnt by trial and error.
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Topic: Breastfeeding and Teething
