Biting the Breast That Feeds

Educating Yourself

By Sharon Waldrop

Megan is a breastfed baby. She has a gorgeous complexion compliments of Mother Nature's most precious gift. Megan also has bright eyes, a heartwarming giggle and a beautiful smile that shows a mouth full of teeth.

Yes, you read that right. Megan is breastfed, and she has teeth. Since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding during at least the first 12 months of life, many babies continue to nurse long after the first tooth pops in.

Krista Thompson of Ogden, Utah, was first bitten by her son when he was 9 months old. "I let out a shout of pain and surprise," she says. "My cry stunned him he unlatched, looked up at me and began to cry."

The second bite came two days later. "I said 'no biting' loudly, but without shouting and put him on the floor, effectively ending that nursing session," she says. That was 14 months ago. Her tactics worked; Thompson and her son are still nursing strong.

Shari*, a nursing mom in Ohio, knows that there are different kinds of biting. "Usually, biting seems to occur when I am nursing her while doing something else," Shari says. "She loves to make eye contact while nursing, and I love it, too, though sometimes I have to use that 'sit down' time to get other things done." Biting also seems to occur when the energy level in the house is high.

Non-intentional biting has occurred, as well, when Shari's daughter falls asleep while nursing. Her mouth will sometimes slide down, closing tightly, causing a bite that hurts. Shari tries to unlatch her daughter before this stage of sleep.

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!"

Want to see more?

• Lactivism 101: 5 Ways to Support Breastfeeding
• From Mother to Mother: 6 Simple Ways to Promote Breastfeeding
• From Bottle to Breast: Explaining Breastfeeding to Bottle-fed Kids
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