Biting and Breastfeeding!
Around 9-10 months, babies often do the unthinkable thing and bite hard on your nipple! After all you have done to breastfeed them, its hard to love a chuckling baby who thinks your reaction is funny or has had such a shock at your response, they have burst into tears.
The first teeth to erupt around 6 months are the bottom two at the front. Sometimes babies might nip you with these sharp, new teeth but this is usually while they get used to how their mouth works now with these teeth in place. Their own tongue stretches over the gum and lower lip while attached, so they have a different experience at feed times once those teeth come through.
It is the top two front teeth which commonly lead to a bite strong enough to break the skin, leaving a painful sore which takes time to heal. As the teeth move through the gum, pressure from biting down hard relieves discomfort. Which is fine when they are biting down hard on a toy, teething ring or hard, cold food sticks. But not so much when they reflexively bite on the breast!
This is a developmentally-related, temporary stage which does not signal a need to wean. It does mean needing to be a bit more watchful during feed times, as biting often occurs when the baby is frustrated, bored, playful or uncomfortable. Watching and engaging with them during feeds helps to know when to interrupt or end the feed before biting might happen.
Helping the skin heal after a biting incident is much the same as nipples damaged by poor attachment in the early days. After a feed, express a little milk and smear it lightly over your nipple. Let this air dry before doing up your bra. Most people do not require additional creams or balms etc as breastmilk is naturally high in fat as well as packed with antibodies which help prevent infection. If you are not seeing signs of healing within a day or two, it is worth checking with your doctor as there is a slightly higher risk of infection with a bite than with a crack or graze.
Sometimes there isn’t an actual bite but indentations from where the top teeth have rested a bit tightly against the skin. The breast tissue might be tender but the skin is unbroken.
Giving your baby lots of opportunities to bite on acceptable objects between breastfeeds can help reduce biting. Lots of toys are designed for teething but anything hard will do. They also appreciate hard, cold food like carrots or even frozen chunks of fruit like watermelon can reduce inflammation in the gums. Normal teething experience does involve discomfort and most babies do not need medicating. Speak to your doctor before using any over-the- counter or natural remedies as some are unsuitable for infants.
Sometimes healing takes a while and you might consider taking the baby off that breast for 24-48 hours to rest it. It is important to regularly remove milk from the resting breast as it is at higher risk of developing mastitis when the skin is broken. Hand expressing will be more comfortable than using a breast pump. Many mothers find a pump just as uncomfortable as the baby. You can give the milk you express to your baby in a cup or mixed with food and continue to breastfeed as normal on the uninjured breast. Some babies enjoy frozen breastmilk, which you can make into ice-blocks they can hold.
Some mothers have a very negative experience of biting and might consider weaning completely. The end of breastfeeding is most gentle when it is done gradually, allowing both breasts and baby to adjust to the changes. Rapid weaning does increase the risk of mastitis and needs careful management. Babies under twelve months will require donor milk or infant formula in place of breastmilk and bottles may not be needed if your baby accepts a cup. Weaning from bottles is recommended at 12 months so a cup is most practical when you are only using formula for a month or two. Night weaning can be hard if you do not have a supportive adult with you to take over settling without the breast. Choosing to exclusively pump instead will mean a routine of regular pumping sessions as frequently as baby would normally breastfeed. You might not pump a full feed in one session and some mothers of older babies find their breasts don’t respond as well to breast pumps as they did in the early days. If you are not able to fully meet your baby’s needs by pumping, you might need to supplement with donor milk or infant formula.
Although unpleasant to experience, the period of biting is very much a developmental stage which passes relatively quickly. In the second year, multiple complex teeth erupt to complete the baby teeth by around the second birthday. However biting is not as much an issue with breastfeeding in the second year. Be warned though - babies often bite others as an expression of frustration or anger during the toddler years.
