Is It the End of Nursing?

I blog about ____@____.com you own The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding? Do you have a hospital based lactation consultant or pediatrician based consultant who you can talk to?

you've gotten alot of good answers already, so I'm just gonna give you a tip...Watch carefully for infection. I actually got an infection in my blood stream from my daughter biting me. The doc told me one really good way to help them heal is to rub breastmilk on the sore. It really did help alot, as well as lanolin. I also used a breastshield at times. I just told my daughter that if she would stop biting then I wouldn't use it, but that if she hurt mommy then I would have to use it.
Good luck!

N.,
For me, when my daughters started biting me, that was indeed their signal that they didn't want to nurse anymore. I'm sorry, I know how that can hurt your feelings as a mom, but kids do have a mind of their own at that age. Maybe you could pump and give the milk to him in a cup if you feel strongly that he should still have breast milk.

I have heard that flicking your child's face is effective.

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I'm just weaning my 20 month old and the only time she did bite was exactly when your son is-when she was out of it and on her way to sleep. I learned to watch her more closely and when she was passing out and not really nursing but suckling I would take her off and put my finger gently under her chin to keep her mouth closed for just a second. And she would stay asleep. Learned that trick from the no-cry sleep solution book.

He might be working on his two year molars and just looking for some relief from teething discomfort. I just finished nursing my 27 month old, and found the only time she would clamp down was when her gums hurt. It didn't seem intentional, just a discomfort issue with her mouth.
I really like Hyland's teething tablets, they seem to help and not have the artificial ingredients. For cuts on your nipple, try a drop of liquid vitamin E on the cuts each time after you nurse. It will help you heal faster, but will absorb into the skin quickly so your son won't get any by the time he nurses next.
There are also some great teethers now without all the chemicals in the plastic. I gave my daughter a frozen teether she can chomp on during the day, and that seemed to help too.
Best of luck to you!!

If it happens again, I would honestly say no, unlatch him, and quit the feeding until it is time again. I think he may be upset but he will get the picture really quickly. Don't feel badly about doing it this way, he will not see a consequence otherwise and may continue with the biting. Good luck :)

You have essentially answered your own question. He's doing it because he's falling asleep and not completely aware of what he's doing. Just pay attention and unlatch him when he starts to dose off. He shouldn't wake up again. All you need to do is stick your finger in the corner of his mouth to unlatch him.
My daughter bit me once about 6 months old or so. I screeched from the pain and she never did it again. My son is only 3 weeks old so we're not there yet, but I have no doubt he'll bite at some point. It's something all nursing moms go through if they nurse long enough. It would be a shame to stop nursing at this point.
Good luck!

My son started biting me consistently at about 11 months--I had planned to nurse him at least a year (maybe longer), but he didn't want to nurse anymore and I think that was how he got his point across. He definitely understood that if he did it he could wiggle away. It was weirdly emotional for me to quit nursing him (even though I didn't really like nursing that much); it was hard knowing that our nursing relationship had ended. I quit nursing him and he never, ever looked back. Maybe it really is time for him, even if you're not quite ready?