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Home › Articles › Breastfeeding › Biting the Breast that Feeds

Biting the Breast that Feeds

Educating Yourself

By Sharon Waldrop

Pages:  1  2  3  

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.

First Bite
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.

Hey, Pay Attention to Me
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.


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