On Biting and Nursing Strikes

Courage is trying again when your baby bites you while nursing. – On Biting and Nursing Strikes.

Nursing was Sebastians’ favorite past time. He loved nursing during the day and even more so at night. Even his 2 bottom teeth didn’t slow him down. We’d just found a fairly comfortable groove of a few more hours between nursing sessions and (very) slowly introducing solids, when the biting started.

It’s hard to believe how sharp those two tiny bottom teeth can be. We’d weathered a few forays into biting, but nothing major. I had my experienced-mom biting trick in my back pocket (push in their face to temporarily cut off air and they will naturally let go of suction to breath), but it didn’t work this time. He wasn’t latching on. Just biting. And crying. And biting. Suddenly, my natural nurser wouldn’t nurse.

Teething items he refused in the past – cold teethers, toys with bumps, the raspberry shaped pacifier – all suddenly appealed to him. He snuggled up to nurse or fussed like he was hungry, but quickly became frustrated. After several frustrating biting sessions, he simply started crying when I put him at the breast. Solids also stopped appealing to him. He just wanted to be held constantly.

Thankfully, I have a pump, so this provided a solution to our dilemma. He still wasn’t very interested in the bottle, but would chew on it and drink the milk over time. Sometimes, I could start him on the bottle, then transition him to the breast when he realized it didn’t hurt too much.When he was half asleep at night, he would also nurse. I started to wonder/worry a bit about our new arrangement, but remembered that “nursing strikes” are not usually permanent.

A couple of days in, he finally stopped biting and started latching on. I breathed a sigh of relief. I tried not to complain too much when he went on a 24 hour nursing binge to make up for the past few days. I snuggled him and I prayed for no more biting, or at a minimum the kind I knew how to work with.

Nursing is often all of the things it’s made out to be – beautiful, bonding, nourishing, tender, a gift. Nursing is also sometimes frustrating, painful, discouraging, and hard. Biting, sore nipples, nursing strikes, and uncertainty overshadow the beauty sometimes. It’s challenging to know what’s normal and avoid the cycle of worry. And, as stress in the nemesis of breastfeeding, things can quickly spiral into a cycle of worry.

If you’re currently dealing with any of the frustrations that come with breastfeeding, please know that these challenges are normal. Babies bite. They struggle with latching on. They even go on “strike” sometimes. You can get through this. You are not alone. You are doing great!