Friday, October 05, 2007
OUCH!!
The title of this blog entry is not exactly the expletive that I shouted yesterday morning as I was bitten by one of my children while breastfeeding. I’m trying to keep things PG.
Over the past month, the Deuce have been exploring their new 4 chompers (two on top and two in the bottom). And among the irritants that come along with those new pearly whites (the incessant teeth grinding; the screams that ensue when they bite each other) there have only been a few instances of momma mutilation.
It really hasn’t even been that painful…until yesterday. Yesterday F left his mark. He quite possibly may have came close to transforming me back into hipster status, with the piercing I never wanted. (Lets face it… I was never a really hipster to begin with.) And, after spending the day on the phone with lactation consultants and pediatricians, it is sinking in that this may not be a one-time instance.
My first parental experience with discipline is here. In order to continue to breastfeed (my goal is one year), I must teach them not to bite mommy. I have gotten some good tips from the docs, but I’d love to hear what has worked for the moms who read this blog.
I will offer one piece of advice I’ve learned (too late) that potentially may have avoided this from happening: If you plan on continuing to breastfeed, stay clear of the Avent sippy cups, or any sippy cup where they have the BITE IT TO GET THE FLUID TO COME OUT.
Duh. Lesson learned.
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A note to my family... I KNOW we are behind on giving you a steady stream of photos of the boys. To put it lightly, we've been a bit busy. This weekend, however, is sure to be filled with an abundance of picture taking. To tide you over and to remind you how cute my two little vampires are, I'm adding my two favorite pics of O (from well over a month ago).
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Ouch! What a bummer!
The kids and I are not at the biting stage yet, but a friend of mine employs this method...when the baby starts to bite, quickly mash his face into your chest. It makes it hard for them to breath, and they let go. It is working for her so far. This way, they don't get a verbal reaction (other than a yelp or two). I don't know, couldn't hurt to try, right?!
I remember a few bites from one twin mostly. I followed my friend's advice in that I'd yelp (not a problem!), get him/her off the breast, look at them closely and say (not yell) "No", firmly. Then I'd return him/her to the breast. I think crying only happened once, when I scared him/her with the first "No", which I said too loudly, not having had the practice.
With #1, he got his first teeth at 3 1/2 months, and there's not much to do at that age so I "toughed it out" for 5 days and he quit. With #2, she was a couple months older and the problem was mostly at bedtime, so we made sure Daddy was part of bedtime for those few days. When she'd bite, I'd take her off, hand her to Daddy for a couple minutes, then she could come back after a bit. Neither one are great plans, but they did work for us. Just don't try a plan that doesn't feel right to you. I know a lot of people don't feel comfortable with the "face smooshing" or swatting their baby's face for biting. You'll find what works for you; just stay relaxed when nursing since worrying about it happening makes it worse.
Oh, I feel your pain. I only got bitten 2x's in 13 months of breastfeeding.
I found that popping her off, and then reattaching her worked wonders.