Want So Badly to Keep Breastfeeding Baby Six Teeth and Hurting

Updated on February 02, 2011
H.J. asks from Saint Paul, MN
11 answers

My 9mo old has six teeth already four on top and two on bottom, when she pushed the bottom nothing really changed but now withthe four top I am in pain, I have tried having her come off and re-latch which helps a little sometimes but the rubbing of the teeth is startign to get to me. This is my third and my first successful breasfed baby and our last so I am no where near ready to wean and neither is she. Please any suggestions. She is the worst when she is pushing the teeth out which is why I am writing now as she just got her fourth through. She doesn't really bite...unless she gets scared or sometimes in the middle of the night when she is tired but nothing that really draws blood (but close...lol) I am not use to so many teeth at a young age as my frist two didn't start till 13 months.

Thanks for the responses so far, I must clarify, she hardly Bites (or what I would consider biting) it is more of the rubbing of her top teeth on my nipples. Not sure if there is any way around it or if it will just toughen up a bit.

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone for your posts, I am trying to take her off more often when the issues arise and it seems to be helping. I have always feared pulling her off because of the struggle I had getting her started but I am trying to remember that she knows what she is doing so now we just need to learn to not you me as a teething ring :)

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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

Wow, cathy, That seems a bit inappropriate... I think you must have not breast fed your children (which is your prerogative) but I don't think you should slam mothers who do... it's recommended to nurse for at least a full year, so at 9 months she still has 4 to go to reach the 'minimum' recommended age to stop nursing. The sensation of nursing is NOTHING like the sensation of foreplay. There is nothing sexual about it...

anyway, I agree with trying for a nipple shield. Maybe that will help.

4 moms found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

When my little ones bit I would take my breast away and firmly (But not to the point of scaring them to bits) No and that it hurt mommy. I would typically just put my hand over the breast. After a few moments I would offer again. If they did it again I'd do the same thing over. Typically if they are biting they are done with that nursing session. If a child is actively nursing they can not bite you, it is impossible for them to bite during nursing. If after a couple times they just kept biting I would not offer again. "No nursie if you hurt Mommy". It really didn't take very long at all before all 3 of mine got the clue and stopped biting me. If they were really hungry after I put them down or covered my breast they would not bite me the next time I offered.
I nursed for 3 years, 5 years and my youngest is almost 20 months.
THey are testing cause and effect at this age. It is not because they are done nursing.

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S.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Buy a Medela Contact nipple shield. That way if she bites it won't hurt you and you can continue to enjoy breast feeding. Good luck!!!

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Just take the breast away when she bites.
My son started biting me and my mom told me that was a sign it was time to be done with nursing. I wasn't ready to quit.
I just put him down everytime he began to bite and didn't pick him back up or try for a few minutes. I also offered frozen teething rings or something else for him to chomp on besides me.
I nursed him happily for 15 months.
He quit biting.

If she bites, take the boobie away.
She'll get the hang of it.

Best wishes.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.S.

answers from Sacramento on

My son had 12 teeth by 9 months and had all 20 baby teeth in by 15 months. I nursed him until he was almost two! You can teach her not to bite you/rub those teeth on you. She's old enough to understand your words, so just say "Ouch! That hurts Mommy." And take her off the breast and end the nursing session. Offer her again in a few minutes but say "No biting" (or whatever makes sense) before she latches on. It make take a few times, but she'll get it.

HTH
T.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.R.

answers from Orlando on

It sounds like she is using you as a teething ring (not really a ring, but you get the idea,lol). You have to unlatch her when she does this and firmly say "No Bite!" (or something to that effect) when she realizes she cannot nurse when she does this, she will stop. Just be consistent and firm with her, and hang in there! You're doing great! :-)

1 mom found this helpful

M.W.

answers from Nashville on

I'm not at that point yet... my DD only has 2 teeth... BUT a close friend of mine nursed her DD for 18 months.. and her DD had SHARK TEETH! Seriously... instead of growing in square, they grew in diagonally, so her mouth looked like the cartoon-character drawing of a shark. (VVVVVV) Scary! lol. Her daughter had a genetic birth defect (I guess her hubby had the same thing when he was born) that caused this. She said that it was really bad for a while, until she gave in and started using a nipple shield to protect herself. Her DD didn't really bite her much, it was just the rubbing of the teeth that was irritating her.

1 mom found this helpful

K.C.

answers from Barnstable on

I've breastfed a LONG TIME (daughter until she was 3.5 years, son still nursing now at 2.5 years).

When children are cutting teeth, pressure on the gums relieves pain, so they suck and nurse alot harder because it feels good to them. This is what causes the pain for the breastfeeding mom though. The only thing that has ever worked in my 6+ years of nursing, has been to put orajel on their gums and then give them tylenol, then nurse. The orajel gives immediate relief so they stop nursing so hard, then the tylenol gives them long term relief so when she wakes up to nurse, she won't nurse hard.

It is important to give her pain relief, because what is now just being done to relieve her pain by nursing hard will become a habit when she is no longer teething. Give it a shot - I bet it will work!

:) K.

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T.B.

answers from Miami on

If she is biting, then she is not latched properly. Babies are very smart, so please do not underestimate what your baby understands. Occasionally, one of my babies would press down with their teeth. The moment I felt teeth, I immediately unlatched and said in a firm voice, "You are biting mommy. Do not bite me." Then re-latch. IF it happens again, unlatch your baby immediately and say, "Do no bite mommy." This time wait a few minutes before re-latching. Maybe wait 5 minutes. The point is to teach your baby cause and effect: she bites, she doesn't get milk. They learn quick so be patient but the key is to un latch her immediately and tell her in a firm voice (not yelling or shouting) that she is hurting you. It worked for me, so I hope it works for you. IF she still continues to bite, close the milk bar for a session and give her a sippy cup of water and tell her that she will not get milk when she bites you. Good luck.

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C.H.

answers from Dallas on

I've always had time processing this strong desire for mom's wanting to nurse such a long time.

Forgive me, but that is the kind of thing that some women enjoy during foreplay with their husbands. If it gives the same feeling, then perhaps you might want to get that feeling from your husband. He won't use teeth! :-)

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V.V.

answers from Houston on

The same thing happened to me with my third. She wouldn't bite, but the teeth would rub and make painful indents. (This didn't happen with her older brothers.) So, I totally understand your pain and now exactly what you mean
! It is pretty unbearable! I remember mentioning it to my breastfeeding friends and they didn't have a clue. I put lots of lanolin on the sore areas which unfortunately didn't seem to help much. The teeth would just keep rubbing on the same spot and never gave the skin a chance to heal or scab completely over. I remember one side didn't hurt as much so I would try to nurse more on that side and give the other side a rest for some hours. It did finally heal up and she is now 20 months and we are still nursing. I basically just had to grit my teeth and deal with the pain. I just didn't want to give up breastfeeding either!

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