How? How? How?

[heidi]

Jon just had his second well-baby visit.

And we realised that I give birth to two month old babys.

He's now 9lbs 6oz and 21 and 3/4 inches (and I have to redo his carseat as he's outgrown the "newborn" setting).

And... the scariest thing is...


He's teething!!!!!!!!!

Yes, he is 2 weeks old (technically, 44 weeks post-conception, which is sort of relevant for teeth) and his teeth are about to sprout through his gums - sometime within the next 10 days or so.

Meh.

Am, as many of you know, NURSING, and I don't intend to stop but...

How do you nurse a one-month-old who could hurt when he bites?

Any advice? Help? PLEASE?

Comments

[ex-mahoney365.livejournal.com]

Eek! Well, my sister's youngest started teething pretty early (in her case, early was 4 months), and she had to be very careful to monitor when he starte to get full. He didn't bite when he was actually feeding, but once he got to the point where he was getting full, the nipple would sort of become a pacifier rather than a food source. This was a particular problem when new teeth were coming through and he was quick to chew on everything in sight to relieve discomfort. She got pretty good at sensing when he was more interested in chewing than eating, and would disengage. And that was really the only thing she could do to deal with it. I got the impression that it wasn't too bad, though, once she got him figured out. :)

Good luck! And thrilled to hear how big he is -- yay for big healthy baby!! *hugs*

modified suffocation

[mama-bec.livejournal.com]

is it top or bottom teeth?

ok, that looks horrible when typed... but, i've heard that some people have great success with bringing their child in very close to the breast so that the breast covers baby's mouth & nose, then baby can't breathe. baby will unlatch in order to catch a breath, and learns that "biting = no mama milk."

the other thing to remember is that when baby is properly latched, baby's tongue covers the bottom teeth, so biting shouldn't really happen when baby is nursing for hunger. most times, biting starts when baby is done eating and is more playful.

[perceval.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm a deeehentiiiist!

erm, siriusly - I could put you in touch with a friend of mine. Ginormous baby, early teething, four big teeth at 11 months.

Mail me at perceval@livejournal.com, and I'll give you her e-mail (am slightly paranoid about giving out e-mail addresses over the net). As far as I can remember, she took kiddo off her breast when he bit her inadvertently Taught him quickly to be gentle with mummy, apparently.

She is also a speech and language therapist and quite knowledgeable about child development.

good luck with the big bouncy baby boy!

re. the TLC snippet: you on maternity leave or what!?
:)

percival

[steerpyke.livejournal.com]

first, congrats.

and second, hmm.
i know my brother had teeth almost right out of the gate, too.
my mom said she just grinned and bore it.
she also said that when he got a little older, he'd grab on and smile.
he always was an ass.

[heinous_bitca.livejournal.com]

My niece was born with two teeth. Top front teeth. Turns out her father was born that way too. But seeing how my niece is now 17 I don't know that my sister will remember much about it. I'll ask, tho.

[anadandy.livejournal.com]

Hi, heinous_bitca directed me here.

I nursed for 17 months (then he self-weaned) so I had lots of months with teeth. I agree that biting usually occurs with boredom and immediately removing the baby from the breast (by whichever means you prefer) is the best deterrent. It was never as much of an issue as I thought it would be. Not to say it never happened (ouch!) but the baby picks up petty quickly that it's a one way ticket to "noboob land".

Feel free to contact me if you need any more help!

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

And we realised that I give birth to two month old babys.

Yeah, me too... Meg was 9 lbs. 5 oz. at her two-week visit. !!!!! Big, grownup baby!

Meg has started teething now. Owie, owie, owie. We are trying to train her not to teeth on me while nursing. She's not keen on the frozen teether, but a cold wet washcloth went over well and shouldn't mess with nursing. Swap out the boob for the washcloth when he stops nursing and starts playing around.

[fiannaharpar.livejournal.com]

Oh,hun. Lake just started "biting" me (she has no teeth, but frickin' HARD little gums) and it seems to be working that I quite naturally say "OW!" and pull my nipple away. The biting has decreased and only seems to happen when she's sleepy now.

I wish I had some actual advice. I'm just happy that you two are home and well :-)

[cynthia-black.livejournal.com]

Firstly, congratulations!!!

On the nursing front, as many of the others have already said, baby learns fairly quickly that biting = withdrawal of milk supply. I fed both of mine to about 1 year old, and they both learned quickly.

9lb 6oz is a good weight (my eldest was 9lb 7oz at birth). May both you and baby Jon continue to thrive!

[roobarb.livejournal.com]

sometimes babies start to teeth early then the teeth recede and come back later, I don't know why, I just know a number of babies who have scared their mothers in the same way as your little monster :-) Thankfully mine didn't do this, she found other things to discomfort me :-)

[dreamstigmata.livejournal.com]

i'm not sure about the whole biting thing, but you see all those specials about 3 and 4 year olds that still nurse, and they have teeth, so...i don't think it should be that much of a problem.

thats funny about the teeth though. that happened with my nephew...he was 3-4 weeks when he got his first tooth, but, my sister didn't nurse him, so...the biting wasn't a problem for her.

much love/luck.

Hee.

[anya-writer.livejournal.com]

My mum breastfed my oldest sis until she was about 3 years old, which meant she really had teeth by then. In fact, she was the one who told mum that she didn't want to breastfeed anymore because she might hurt her (our mum). 0_0

Perhaps you could express your breastmilk (by hand or pump, whichever method might be more comfortable) and feed it to him through the bottle once his teeth begin to hurt you. There's also the option of talking to Jon about being gentle, it might help. Babies are naturally intelligent and might understand what you mean, especially if you and your baby are really attuned to each other's moods.

Nine lbs, 6 oz... adjusting the carseat setting... damn if he's not a wunderkid. You have yourself a prodigy, Heidi. Congratulations to you and Aaron! :)

Anya

Nursing and biting

[abigail89.livejournal.com]

Am, as many of you know, NURSING, and I don't intend to stop but...

How do you nurse a one-month-old who could hurt when he bites?

Gently...very gently. Break the suction each and every time he bites you. He will get the message. I know it will be a real pain and frustrating, but he has to learn that he cannot bite Mommy. And Mommy cannot allow him to bite.

Good luck, Heidi....what a big pretty boy he must be!
Diana

Re: Nursing and biting

[flourish.livejournal.com]

All I have to say is: ouch. And I second what everyone else has said, although I'm really not qualified to say anything, as am still ickle person myself. But I am very, very glad you are all home and happy and I hope Harry isn't driving you up the wall with both him & Jon to deal with.

Also, see my icon - yay for the handbasket!

[heart-of-wine.livejournal.com]

Ouch! That's a problem I didn't have when I was nursing. I nursed until Emma was 3 months old and never encountered the dreaded teeth.

I think "So that's what they are for" advises to not be shy about showing your displeasure at being bitten (yell ouch, pull the child off the breast), even if it startles the child. Apparently this helps them learn quickly.

I hope that helps.

Hugs,
Elia

[dramaturgy.livejournal.com]

I have no advice as I am But A Teenager And Have No Experience In These Things, but... ouch. :(

Just Say No

[amandageist.livejournal.com]

To the baby, I mean....Kasia teethed at 2 1/2 months, sharp little things. Ow. And she did bite, they all did (though none teethed as early as she, I nursed the first two for nine months and the last, 13).

In all cases, I yelled and pulled the breast out of their mouth. (the yell was usually on the involuntary side) They're not stupid. This is the age when they are totally capable of figuring out that you'll come if they cry long enough (for which I again thank whoever thought of the 10-minute theory, for I have no doubts that I owe my sleepful nights to him/her). This is *not* higher-level cause-and-effect, but they do get to where they understand not to bite. Rather quickly, in fact.

Chomp = food goes away, nice warm Mom smell goes away, nice cushy Mom contact goes away
Nurse = mmmmmmmmm

Don't worry. The good thing about this early? Jaws aren't as strong.

~Amanda
(you *are* using the 10-minute rule, aren't you?)

[mollymoon.livejournal.com]

Greetings and Salutations!

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Thank you for your time, and I apologize for the LJ spam.

Molly Moon

Meetup--Sunset Place

[nyx-wench.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the new baby. I was hoping to meet you at the Meetup last night at Barnes & Nobles at Sunset Place. But realistically with the new baby and all I did not think you would be able to make it. I really do wish to meet you before Nimbus. I work and live in Miami. Also in the legal field as a paralegal. I am getting my book at Sunset Place where will you be? Take care.

Georgiana

Re: Meetup--Sunset Place

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Ooh! How was the meetup? I had really hoped to go, but it's almost 45 minutes from my home, and I can't be that far from jon just yet :(

I'll be getting my book on South Beach, for the same reason - everything else is just too far away - but perhaps at the next one? The week before Nimbus?

Re: Meetup--Sunset Place

[nyx-wench.livejournal.com]

It was good. Let me know I exchanged e-mails with the two people I met. Definitely before Nimbus. I am going and can't wait. I do not get to go to South Beach a lot. My hubby is a cop there so he sees it too much. Take care and see you soon.