Biting the Breast that Feeds

Educating Yourself

By Sharon Waldrop

Pages: 1 2 3

Californian Suzie Calvin asked her toddler not to bite her when she noticed a mouth open bigger than usual during a nursing session. Her toddler's response? "No, I not bite the me-mes." Then she kissed them and said, "Bye-bye, me-mes. I love you. Talk to you later."

Gretchen Andrews, IBCLC, is a certified lactation consultant at The Lactation Connection at The Birth Center in Redlands, Calif. "Most often babies bite because they are uncomfortable," she says. "The breast is seen as a

means of nurture as well as nutrition to babies, so naturally, they look to soothe themselves and ease their discomforts by biting down on this wonderful soft body part."

When Mom shrieks, yells or utters some other less-than-tranquil word, Baby usually has one of two responses. Either he is shocked, wondering how Mom could react that way when it feels so good to bite down and ease pain, or Baby may think to himself, "Cool! New game! I chomp down like this, and Mom makes great noises – let's see if she'll do it again!"

"Baby needs to be clearly communicated to that this is not a game, and we will not be playing again," Andrews says. "This does not give permission for Mother to bite her child back to show him how it feels, nor to spank him. Andrews recommends a firm, clear "no" and removing Baby from the breast and lap to clearly state that biting is not acceptable. This is usually all that is necessary.

Pages: 1 2 3

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to

Post As:

Enter your comment below:

Title

Comment Text

CAPTCHA

Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.

www.iparentingcanada.com -

Biting the Breast that Feeds

Educating Yourself

By Sharon Waldrop

Want to see more?

Comments

daily pregnancy info find out more