Biting causing supply to tank

bumpuser10331514 · August 2014

My DD started getting teeth at 4 months (she's about 5 1/2 now). Lately, she'll nurse with no issue for a few minutes, then she'll start biting until I switch sides - even though I'm pretty sure the first side isn't done. Then she'll nurse on the second side for awhile and eventually will start biting or pulling off and on. So I switch back to the first breast, and she won't stay latched. I don't think she's getting her fill and I don't ever feel "empty." In the past, one side was always sufficient to fill her up.

I spend 3 days with her, then 4 days working and pumping. Normally I pump about 14-15 oz while at work. However, this time, after being with her all weekend, I only pumped 12.5 oz yesterday. So I increased my pumping today from 3x to 4x during the day, but I only got 10 oz.

I'm going to work my way through my freezer stash pretty quickly at this rate, so I've asked my bottlefeeders to add a little rice cereal to the BM to help fill her up.

Why isn't she staying latched? I know she's hungry. Any suggestions?

TheBorg7of9 · August 2014

Just wondering how you know she's still hungry. My 7 month old was on a biting streak. I always ended the nursing session when he bit, or switched sides. I'm sure he's still getting enough food because he's fat and happy.
Another tip is to nurse in a perfectly quiet and dark place with no distractions. Watch LO intently, and as soon as he stops sucking, delatch him. Some good articles on kellymom.com too.

ETA: I don't think you should add rice cereal. It's not as filling as milk and has little nutritional value.

mommatotwo2 · August 2014

my LO also cut her first teeth around 4 months. Like @TheBorg7of9‌ , my LO would start biting when I was empty or when she was full. I would unlatch her when she but and try again a minute later. If she bit again, we were done. You can try feeding a little more frequently if she feel like she's cutting sessions short and effecting your supply or you can pump for a few minutes after.

Adding rice cereal is generally frowned upn for a number of reasons. First, your LO is way to young to use solids to replace milk, she needs BM or formula as her main nutrition until a year or very close to it. Second, you should not add the cereal to the bottle unless you have been instructed to do so (some pediatricians recommend it to help with reflux). She should only receive liquids by bottle, all solids should be spoon or hand fed. Third, adding cereal to fill her will only hurt your supply further, because you're effectively telling your body you don't need the milk.

The best thing you can do is to keep nursing or pumping often and work to discourage the biting.

bumpuser10331514 · August 2014

I was sufficiently alarmed by the feedback about the rice cereal, so I called my doc and the nurse assured me it was fine. DD has been showing a readiness for more than just BM, anyway.

@TheBorg7of9: She seems hungry b/c she cries when I try to sit her upright (whether for a midnurse burp or b/c she's biting); and while she's upright, she bucks backward trying to get back down on the pillow.

The nurse said that just adding rice cereal (in a bowl) to her repertoire and trying to increase my supply is probably sufficient unless she's not gaining weight. I'm going to weigh her and see how she is and go from there.

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't know about power pumping and will check the membranes. Hopefully an extra session will be all that I need... [-O<

TheBorg7of9 · August 2014

Okay. But if you are going to feed her solids in a bowl, why not try something with nutritional value such as oatmeal or vegetables?

Yes, it does sound like she might still be hungry. Try my suggestion of watching her while she eats and Unlatching her when she stops sucking. And read those articles on Kelly mom.com

Good luck!

mommatotwo2 · August 2014

I think rice cereal is slightly beneficial if you buy the vitamin fortified kind, but I would definitely caution you to not use it as a meal or milk replacement. If you don't have enough supply to feed your baby, at this very young age she should be having formula. It's not just about weight gain, but proper amounts of fat, calcium etc that baby needs from breastmilk or formula. It makes me sad that people would rather give inadequate nutrition vs giving a little formula. It does not have to be all or nothing with breastfeeding or formula feeding for that matter. I am questioning your nurses advice and think you should talk to the doc instead at your next well baby.

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