Teething & Biting During Breastfeeding

There are several things that you need to know regarding teething & biting by your baby during breastfeeding. If you are planning to breastfeed for a good length of time, your nipples are going to be bitten by your baby sooner or later. There is a wide array of reasons why this happens. Therefore, if you want to save yourself from the pain of getting bitten, you are recommended to learn about those reasons. It will help you recognize the moments when your baby is likely to bite.

Your Child Is Teething

The most common time when the baby tends to bite is during the first year. In particular, this is the time for baby teething. Teething is a process that makes things uncomfortable for the baby. In fact, in some cases, it can be a very painful process. Thus there is a tendency in some babies that they chew on some objects in order to get some relief from the discomfort or pain caused by teething. In your case, the objects for them are usually your nipples. Most of the times, when teething & biting happens, the mothers tend to instantly pull the babies away. However, such things will only result in more pain. If the biting is not very painful, you can continue feeding the baby. It is important for you to learn the technique that could stop your baby from doing so. For example, instead of pulling the baby away, you had better pull the baby closer to you and then release the suction by gently inserting the finger into the corner of the baby’s mouth. You have to do that in a gentle but firm way. Always remember that the babies understand the language of the mother. Therefore, in most cases, just saying “NO” is found to be enough. You have to stick with the process for several times. It means if the baby bites again, you again have to say “NO” to the baby, and suspend feeding for a couple of minutes. It will give the baby a sense of punishment and he or she will not repeat it again.

What is more, while you suspend the feeding, you can also try giving a carrot to chew down on while you utilize that time to pat your nipple dry. If the teething & biting has caused a sore nipple, you can also apply modified lanolin.

Finally, teething is just one of the reasons. Some babies also tend to bite in order to indicate that they have had enough milk and do not want more. However, this usually happens in case of twins and triplets where the mother has to breastfeed more than one child. In most cases, toddler & biting is a different thing.