I have consistently enjoyed sharing my experience with you here dear friends, and I hope you have been enjoying the read and attached knowledge as well. The first pain I felt on my breast as a breastfeeding Mum was a few weeks after my Son came, oh should I say this was the second phase because there is a compulsory first one that women feel after giving birth before the baby begins to suck. This one is normal and should relieve the woman after some time.
But, the one I felt after that was due to incorrect positioning, as a first time Mum, I was not aware that my baby's mouth should be covered on the breast and not on the nipple while sucking, so this made me feel pain and upon getting to the hospital, I was told what to do to help relieve the pain.
At this stage of growth for my baby, he has started feeling an itchy gum and my breast once again is getting to suffer for it, indeed there is the pain of motherhood. Let's get into it and why it is so. There is an attached pleasure when a woman gives birth and nurses her child and breastfeeding has short and long-term health benefits for both mother and child.
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A baby who is well-fed with lots of breast milk would receive many hormones, and neuropeptides, accompanied by growth factors that help with the development, growth, and self-regulation of food intake When a baby is not properly breastfed, there is a higher chance of falling ill or having infection.
During the early stage of breastfeeding, the bite may happen because the mother and child are still trying to learn, which was my first experience as I mentioned earlier, but as a child increases in age and starts to experience the process of teething, the child tends to bite the nipple during a feeding process.
Most breastfeeding babies would at some point attempt to bite because the child is trying to grow teeth, or the child is hungry a demand is greater than supply. Some babies would bite when they feel bored, frustrated, and probably just trying to seek attention.
When a baby has a cold or ear infection, it could result in the baby biting, it is difficult for the child to suck when he has the nose congested or their ears hurt. If your baby is finding it difficult to nurse due to nasal congestion, you may try suctioning the nose with the use of a bulb aspirator. Try to nurse your baby's head higher than his or her chest, and when you see it is getting serious, you need to see an expert.
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A baby who is not very hungry may get distracted while nursing. The pushing, wriggling, or rolling baby will find it difficult to nurse and probably just clamp down on the woman's nipple. To prevent a baby from biting, try to end a nursing section before your baby begins to get bored, or stop nursing at the first sign of boredom.
As some children get older, they may pick up a habit of biting their mother's nipple when they feel she is not paying attention to them, so paying close attention to your child may help too.
Most commonly, as stated earlier, teething is a major cause of biting. As babies experience discomfort in their gums, it may be not so comfortable for them to suck. You can offer a cold washcloth or tether at the onset of biting, this would help the baby with pain and send a message that the nipple is not for biting.
Another method that experienced mothers say works is that upon biting, take off the breast, and say that hurts mama, no biting. If your baby is hungry, you can restart the breastfeeding section again. To help breastfeeding mothers manage injuries from breastfeeding, a device that covers the maxillary arch of the child has been innovated. Other helpful items include; teething rings, food for chewing, teething gels, and soothing sore chins.
I think I saw one appliance sometime ago on Instagram that protects the nipple, I would have to look for it again now and probably get one for myself. Other ways to identify signs of teething aside the trying to bite include; swollen or red gums, low-grade fever, diarrhea, fussiness, night walking, coughing, and drooling.
For Further Studies.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278003460_Teething_trouble_and_its_management_in_children
https://www.pumpstation.com/blogs/articles/biting-and-teething
https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/childrens-health/take-a-bite-out-of-teething
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10466591/
Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.
Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.
