Breastfeeding, Teething & Biting

Breastfeeding, teething & biting… oh my!

I didn’t get the new mama memo that teething could disrupt breastfeeding SO much. It’s been a roller coaster this last week!

Wilders top 4 front teeth started breaking through at the same time last week. He started waking up every hour to nurse for comfort at night. Then the random biting began, followed by a nursing strike where he’s been refusing to breastfeed for the last 5 days.

What Am I Doing Wrong?

At first, I was overcome with guilt. Was I too firm with him when he bit me? Is he terrified of me now? Will he ever nurse again? Is he just done with breastfeeding & ready to ween? What am I doing wrong?

I also instantly missed the powerful bonding of breastfeeding when Wilder started his strike. I was REALLY sad for a few days. Breastfeeding is so special and I wasn’t ready for it to abruptly end like that.

After speaking with a lactation consultant, I learned that this is all VERY normal, especially when little ones are teething. Breastfeeding is a lot of work & if they are in a lot of pain from teething, they are much less likely to want to nurse.

There Are Solutions!

I also learned that during the teething period a lot of moms decide to stop breastfeeding because of the biting issue. They just assume it means the baby is ready to ween or there is no way to get their baby to latch again without biting. That’s what I was worried about, but it’s just not the case. There are solutions!

So I’m in the process of learning how to navigate pumping every few hours to keep my milk supply up, while enticing Wilder back to the boob slowly, but surely & soothing his pain.

My intention is to breastfeed at least to his 1st birthday & then SLOWLY ween when he’s ready, so I don’t experience huge hormonal shifts.

The good news is he is now sleeping through the night without needing to nurse, which is a huge win!

It’s taken 10 months for him to settle into a solid 12 hr night of sleep without a lot of wake ups for comfort or milk. I’m sleeping SO much better & feeling more human by the day. 10 months of sleep deprivation has been the most challenging aspect of this entire first year.

Do you have a teething tip?! I’d love to hear from you!