It's a battlefield

[jodyvo]

My DD is 8.5 months and has been breatsfeeding since birth. She nurses in the AM and has botles of EBM the rest of the day. I used to love to nurse her but it is becoming a battlefield. She bites, pulls, latches on and off, sratches and pinches my breats with her hand etc.
I keep going but please tell me it will get better. It may be more painful then the early days

[Stephanie]

Is she using a bottle while you are at work? She may have developed a bottle preference because it is easier. If she is not on the slowest flow nipple, I would put her back on it. If she is getting bottles while you are around, I would stop. She has to work harder for the milk and may prefer the ease of the bottle.

If she scratches, I would take her and tell her "gentle hands" or "hands show love" and show her what that is (rub her hand gently on your cheek). If she continues, I would unlatch her. She may be biting if she is teething. Sometimes a frozen washcloth on the gums before nursing helps. If she bites, tell her no biting and unlatch her and set her down. It is not an overnight fix, but it does get better.

[ima062002]

I would attribute this behavior to bottle preference. Can the caretaker(s) feed her like this: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

Hope others are going to chime in. I gotta go sleep :). Too many nights with too many disruptions...

[jodyvo]

I know it is a bottle preference and teething. It has been going on for a while but I don't want to give uo that one nursing session :(