Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Biting. Mothers: you know where.

I'm mostly pretty pleased that my baby has never had a bottle of formula.  Breastfeeding is hard work, the health benefits for Mum and Baby are well established and it can take a lot of effort on the part of the breastfeeding mother to go without sleep and never being more than four hours away from their baby.  It wasn't easy the first time round, so I'm really pleased it is going well with my daughter.

So I mostly just quietly grumble about the restrictions because I know that the benefits make the effort worthwhile. 

But I don't like being bitten.

It is the worst, most shocking sensation.  Breastfeeding can be quite tranquil, and last night's dreamfeed proceeded in the usual way:  me idly reading a book, my daughter drinking in her sleep.  Until she finished.  And she bit me.  It took everything not to scream and wake her up.  This was not the first bite - there have been a number over the last few days.  I've done the typical 'say No' firmly thing.

But I do think if anything could make me quit it would be biting.  It is so horrid.

4 comments:

  1. I was lucky with Sweets, she seemed to go through the biting phase just before her teeth came in. Haven't had much of it recently. *fingers crossed* your bub stops biting soon too.

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  2. DD2 wouldn't drink from that side until late afternoon - she didn't like being told 'no.' Other feeds OK, lets hope she has been put off practicing with those sharp wee teeth!

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  3. My little darling Anne had the full foursome of incisors, when she decided to try them out right at the start of a feed (that was silly of her, wasn't it?). So I growled 'NO', unlatched her, marched her back to her room and bunged her back in her cot, marched out and (not quite) slammed her door.
    Waited 10 minutes, while she complained, went back in and collected her and resumed the feed, and Anne kept making eye contact and smiling at me from time to time: "see what a GOOD girl I am being"....... Never tried that trick on me again. All of 8 months old and able to work out a simple right from wrong....... Hmmmmmm!

    Gae, in Callala Bay

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  4. I've only been bitten once since writing this post - yesterday. It is strange to think that I wrote this post in April last year and it is really only know that she is getting her molars in - all at once. Weaning has started - she only feeds in the evening now, but I don't think that I will ever forget the sensation.

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