Teeth and breastfeeding

[kookooma]

I know we have alot of teethers out there and I'm wondering how breastfeeding is going with that. My LO hasn't had any pop through thankfully but I'm nervous for that day they do show up. Please share your experiences with me!

[kookooma]

Biting is what terrifies me. Did you try to teach them not to bite first? Is that even possible? Did you turn to EP or just totally switch to formula after stopping? I'm just trying to get an idea of what to expect and how to deal with it.

[amyface813]

I've read that if they are latched on properly their tongue will be over their bottom teeth. Fox's tongue sticks out a little when he nurses. That doesn't address the top teeth though but they tend to come in after the bottom... My mom says to pop them off if they bite. Taking away their food will teach them very quickly not to bite.

The paragraph above doesn't make me feel much better though.

[kookooma]

Hmm. I'm going to watch his latch a little more closely. And good to know that they can be somewhat trained to NOT bite. My boobs hurt to think about it too.

[grlittle29]

May 14, 2015 14:54:10 GMT -5 amyface813 said:

I've read that if they are latched on properly their tongue will be over their bottom teeth. Fox's tongue sticks out a little when he nurses. That doesn't address the top teeth though but they tend to come in after the bottom... My mom says to pop them off if they bite. Taking away their food will teach them very quickly not to bite.

The paragraph above doesn't make me feel much better though.

LO is not teething yet. But the "Pop off" method worked with my daughter. It only took a couple times until she stopped biting.
Not looking forward to those first couple bites though...

[nannygoat]

I don't have any experience yet, but my mom told me that the first time we bit was the last time we nursed. That was around 6 months. (I really hope it doesn't start that early) I would most likely try to teach him not to bite for a little while, depending on how much my nipples can take. If that doesn't work, I would probably start pumping to try and gradually decrease my supply.

[samantha24]

I'm not looking forward to this either, I'll have this times two. I have heard the same thing as pp that when they bite you take them off. I have also heard to yell ouch really loud when they bite and it startles them so they won't do it again.

[abenson3]

We have both bottom teeth here and one top. She has only bitten when she sneezes or coughs while nursing and hasn't hurt to bad yet. So no real advise but don't feel like teeth means biting will happen.

[Deleted]

if they are latched on correctly you won't get bit and you won't really feel the teeth either. If they are sucking, they will have to move their tongue out of the way in order to bite you or they'll bite their own tongue. You can usually see them move their jaw a bit as they move their tongue and get an idea that they are done nursing.

When they are teething they may apply some pressure. it feels good to their gums. So before nursing you consider if some pain meds are in order, rubbing their gums firmly before nursing will help the teeth cut thru a few microscopic layers of gum tissue and give them a measure of relief so they are less likely to try to use your nipple as a teething ring.

When they first get teeth they are as surprised about it as you are. They don't know how to latch with the teeth in place, they have to open much wider. Model wide open mouth yourself to get them to open wider. They won't bite down on you on purpose (for the most part) but they may do it because they don't realize cause and effect at all its not there in their brain development yet. During this time when they first get teeth you model open wide and if they begin to close their mouth you may need to unlatch with your finger in the corner of their mouth and then relatch again in a better way.

Don't yell loudly, that may scare them and cause them to bite.
Similarly don't pop them in the mouth or pull the hairs on the back of their neck.
Like when first learning to nurse, they have to learn how to nurse with teeth and they WILL learn.
be calm and gentle. You can try "no biting" or "be careful" or "open wide"
some babies think it's amazing that they can bite down and you will yell. And then it becomes a game. They don't have much control in their lives and most of the time they do what you say not the other way around.

You can unlatch, say no biting, and put them down for a minute. You will probably have an idea of your baby's temperament. some will absolutely get scared if you freak out, and may end with a nursing strike.

Some babies never bite. some of them try it once. a few of them try it a couple times or struggle to correct their latch every time they get a new tooth. I know of no moms that have EVER lost a nipple to a bite. And I know lots of moms who breastfed past a year, past all sorts of teeth.

[kookooma]

@amyg THANK YOU! That is really helpful and I feel a little less freaked out.
@kc295905 thanks for paging amyg!

[bookworm87]

This is a good thread! We don't have any teeth yet but my baby has started grabbing my boob and pinching really hard over and over and over when nursing. He really digs his nails in. So much pain. I try to keep his hands away but those little things are slippery.

[jesster88]

May 15, 2015 3:25:29 GMT -5 bookworm87 said:

This is a good thread! We don't have any teeth yet but my baby has started grabbing my boob and pinching really hard over and over and over when nursing. He really digs his nails in. So much pain. I try to keep his hands away but those little things are slippery.

DS is a book pincher too - ouch! Today he started flailing his free Han and hitting himself in the head. It is an ongoing struggle to keep that little hand occupied!

ETA LOL at book pincher...it was 3am so boob became book

[rn536]

May 15, 2015 3:25:29 GMT -5 bookworm87 said:

This is a good thread! We don't have any teeth yet but my baby has started grabbing my boob and pinching really hard over and over and over when nursing. He really digs his nails in. So much pain. I try to keep his hands away but those little things are slippery.

Get a nursing necklace. I wear it with every feed and LO plays with this instead of my skin.

[mlee116]

DS bit me a few times.  Like she said, it feels good on their gums.  It's not so bad when they are just getting their very first teeth, because the teeth aren't big enough to really hurt but when they already have some teeth and are getting more, that's when it hurts.

I know you're not supposed to yell like @amyg said, but it really surprises you and hurts and sometimes you can't help it!  Every time he did it, my automatic reflex was to say "No!" and he would let go because he was startled.  And then I'd set him down for a few seconds and say "No biting." He caught on pretty quickly.

[things]

My older kids would nibble or bite during the early phases of teething, usually when they were lazily nursing. I definitely blurted out "no!" from the surprise and pain, but it was a one time thing, IIRC. I don't remember having any issues after the initial clamping down or bite.

Nursing with teeth was never a big deal or something I ever really thought about.