Biting and Nursing Strike

[RosiePose]

My breastfed 8 month old has never fed well just before bed. Everyone else seems to say it's their best feed but I've always had to coax my baby to take more than he would on his own.

Last night he kept biting me... Properly biting me and clamping down! I yelped the first time and he looked really shocked and then cried. When he continued to do it after that I removed him and said "no!" firmly. He fed terribly because he wouldn't allow me to feed him more than the initial "snack".

He fed at 4am brilliantly (normal) and ok in the morning (normally brilliantly). Then I offered him a feed at 3pm. This is also normally an excellent feed but he just snacked on one side and rejected the other. I knew something was definitely off then, but was really upset when he's just rejected me before bed after biting me on one side continuously. I didn't want to scare him again so just said "don't bite mummy!" calmly and removing him from the nipple.

I'm not sure if he's striking because of my reaction, or whether the initial biting was a sign that he wasn't going to feed anyway...I've never expressed before but am borrowing a friend's kit to keep the flow going tomorrow.

Please can someone offer some advice? Do I need to take him to the doctor? I don't give him much water in the day so it's not that, although he does have 3 meals. He has 2 bottom teeth and one side-top... the first front-top is just breaking through so could it be that??

I'm devastated and actually quite worried he's not getting enough milk now.

 

[tiggy85]

I just wrote a reply then my little one bounded up on my lap and deleted it all! So apologies if it's a bit garbled!

It doesn't sound like strike if I'm honest, just a bit of a protest and change in his feeding habits maybe. Is he having plenty of wet nappies? If he is and your not giving loads of water then he is getting enough milk.

I had the same problem around the same age and his bedtime feed was awful! I did the same as you and said no firmly then took him off, would offer again after a few mins then if he did the same I would put him to bed and assume he wasn't hungry,

He was always good at the first feed too! I would have thought he is trying to drop a milk feed, particularly if he increasing and enjoying his solids, I think I just went with the relaxed approach before bed; offered and if he didn't seem interested then I would put him to bed even if it meant he went to bed without milk! It didn't make any difference to his sleep funnily enough!

I weaned my boy at 13 months and I was surprised at how little milk and fluids he actually drinks! He just enjoys his food too much and gets most of what he needs from that! I do have to be quite inventive now at 21 months to get him to drink enough though! They are all individual !