Baby Biting While Breastfeeding

QUESTION: I am concerned that my son is not getting enough breastmilk.  My best friend's baby is 5 weeks old and eating 5-6 ounces of formula every 3 hours as well as 1-2 ounces of plain water everyday.  It just doesn't seem like my son is getting that much from me.  I've tried pumping and only get about 2 ounces from each side.

I started giving him organic baby food at 6 months.  He now eats bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples and squash.  He eats about two 4-ounce jars of organic baby food per day and breastfeeds on demand.

Today my son bit me during a feeding, I started to bleed and immediately removed him from my breast and fed him a jar of baby food.  I don't want to stop nursing.  However, this is not the first biting episode and each one is more painful than the last.

I'd like to try and stop this behavior before it gets out of hand.  Can you please help?

Let me answer your question about pumping first.  Pumping 2 ounces from each breast suggests excellent milk production, particularly at your son's age.  Because babies are more efficient than any pump, the baby will always get more milk from the breasts than you are able to pump.  Also, know that solid foods will reduce your baby's need for breastmilk even though it is an important part of his diet for at least the first year.  I would expect Gordon's need for breastmilk to continue to decrease as he eats more and more solids.  At 8 months of age, his intake of solids is certainly appropriate.

Now, to deal with his biting.  When you feed your son, do you offer the breast or solids first?  Under most circumstances, either choice is fine.  Some mothers prefer to breastfeed first to comfort their baby and then finish the meal with solids.  Other mothers prefer to begin with solid foods and use breastmilk to wash down the solids.  To handle the biting, however, I suggest that you try to offer solid foods first to satisfy your baby's immediate hunger, than offer the breast.  Pay attention to your son's activity at the breast.  Most biting occurs in a playful fashion at the end of a feeding.  The baby may not even realize what he or she is doing.  If you stop nursing at the first sign that he is losing interest and the feeding is about to end, you won't give him the opportunity to bite.  If he does bite, immediately remove him from the breast, firmly tell him "no", and do not immediately offer other food.  Offering him more food at this point would be like rewarding him for doing something you don't want him to do.  Wait at least 10-15 minutes, then offer the breast again.  If the biting continues, stop breastfeeding for at least 30 minutes.  Biting is seldom a cause for weaning.  Babies learn quickly that biting results in separation from the breast and will usually stop biting after several days.  If Gordon is teething and the gums are swollen and painful, you may need to breastfeed more often and for shorter periods of time.

Amy Spangler, MN, IBCLC, is a nationally known perinatal nurse, lactation consultant and member of the Breastfeeding.com medical advisory board.  She has answers several of your breastfeeding questions.  Look for more Q&A forums with Amy in the future.

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