how to get them to stop biting

triplea1819

DD is a biter.  As soon as she latches she bites.  then through out the feeding she bites at least 1-2 times.  it is so hard because my nipples hurt so bad right now. 

 

I am using a nipple shield but that is not working well.  She does not open her mouth wide enough and is sucking through her gums.  Which hurts as well.

any suggestion on the stop biting and getting her to open up wider?  My boobs thank you!!

Nurselorie

Is she teething?  DS did this for a week.  It sucked badly!  I would gently say "no biting" and end the nursing session for a few minutes.  It went away after a week and from what I've read biting is usually short lived (thank god).  I had to pump much more that week as he was biting at the beginning and barely nursing at all.  It was really rough but hopefully her daughter is teething and it's temporary!

triplea1819

i hope she is not teething, she is only 8 days old.   

 

i just put in through my work a phone consult with a LC, and plan to contact my insurance to see if they cover an at home visit..  my nipples kill, and keep bleeding, even with the nipple shield.  my husband walked in and saw the burp cloth covered in blood, and held his own chest because it just sounds like it hurt. 

any advise in the time being would be helpful.  I do not want to end the nursing session because she is still small and needs to get back up to birth weight. 

smllel

I wish I had advice for you...my first LO did this and it was horrible.  She would bring her tongue to the back of her mouth and not cushion my nipple.  I tried training her with a nipple shield, but it would have taken longer than I had to give.  We were not bonding because I would flinch every time she tried to latch, then she would scream and push herself off of me.  I ended up exclusively pumping so that I could heal.

Calling your LC is your best bet.  Hope things turn around.  You need to heal, so make sure you are taking care of yourself so you can take care of your LO.

streamtrax41

triplea1819:

DD is a biter.  As soon as she latches she bites.  then through out the feeding she bites at least 1-2 times.  it is so hard because my nipples hurt so bad right now. 

 

I am using a nipple shield but that is not working well.  She does not open her mouth wide enough and is sucking through her gums.  Which hurts as well.

any suggestion on the stop biting and getting her to open up wider?  My boobs thank you!!

This makes me wonder if she has a short frenulum. This sounds exactly like what my son had, and I had the same reactions. Really painful, cracked and bleeding nipples. He was not getting enough milk, and I dreaded every feeding. The LC said his frenulum was too short, impairing his ability to have full usage of his tongue. The pediatrician said it was a little short, but didn't think it was the problem. He clipped it anyway, and we never had a problem again. It's worth a shot... ask your LC or pediatrician to see if this is the problem. GL!