Lucy's first tooth started popping through her lower gums in mid January, and as of last week I notice Stella's are now coming in as well!
They have been doing massive amounts of drooling, really for a couple months now, so I knew those porcelain babies were going to come in soon!
Lucy bit me once and i firmly said "no", stopped feeding, and then resumed a moment later. She has not bit since. Stella on the other hand, has bit several times. Each time, I have been tandem-feeding, so I did not want to verbally say "no"- I actually tried, but Lucy thought I was talking to her too.
Grandma Karin mentioned that she used to flick her boys' cheeks. I tried this with Stella, but everything I do just makes her laugh! And then of course I laugh too.
I have done some research. The expert concensus appears to be:
- Unlatch, but make sure to use your pinky finger in between her mouth and you, otherwise you could put yourself in more pain
- When unlatching use a firm "no" or "Do not bite Mommy" and do not re-feed immediately, wait a minute and if it keeps happening up to ten.
- Make sure you are calm- if you shriek or push your baby away at the first feeling of teeth, you will likely frighten her and possibly put her on a nursing strike.
- If the biting happens early you can either massage or use a warm cloth to speed up the let-down (someone massaging your shoulders helps too!), or feed her solids (if she is at the stage) first
- If biting happens at the end because of sleepiness, release the latch before she falls to sleep.
