Taming a barracuda baby

Ever since Ali's first teeth came in, she has been biting me on and off. For the past few months, I have been living in fear. Seriously, this is not a joke. I found myself getting more distressed as the days went by. Is she going to bite me this time? Please don't bite me. Gone were the days when I nursed and watched TV at the same time. I have been reading quite a bit online (how did people survive in the old days when they don't have internet?? Seriously!), magazines, books and whoever I could talk to. Even when I went to the library or the supermarket, when I see other moms around, I would ask if their babies bite them when they nurse and how they dealt with the situation. I must have looked like a schizophrenic maniac. From what I gathered, suffice to say, most babies don't bite (what???) and if they do, it only lasted a VERY short time (what???). I am SO lucky!!

"Mama, who are you talking about?? It's not me. I am so innocent!"

I called the nurse hotline too and they said I was doing everything right and asked me to wean her off since she is already 9 months old, but I am not ready. When Ali was born, I have had a tough, tough time latching her on. After a few painful weeks, things got a lot better and I love nursing her. It is such an intimate bonding experience with my beloved daughter. And now it's back to hell. But am I really ready to wean her? No, I am not. I am not ready to say goodbye to those precious nursing times. No, not yet.

"Whatsssup??? I am a hip hop baby!"

Okay, maybe I am not stern enough? So I took my friend's advice and decided to hold on to her chin when she started to bite again and gave her a firm "No! It hurts mama" talk. Ali must be pretty pissed that I did that because after I started with the new routine, she would not let go of my poor nipple. Ouch! Even worse, she would go on a short term nursing strike - she only nursed on one side and not for long either. I remembered reading one parenting book suggesting things not to do. One of them was "do not bite baby back". At the time I read that, I laughed so hard my tummy hurt. I must confessed, that did cross my mind when she started to bite multiple times in one feed. These were the dark nursing days that I would never forget.

"Rrrrrr...............I am a baby barracuda in disguise!!!!!! Did I fool you???"

After a week of painful torture, Ali finally gave in. Every time I told her no, she would look defiant and make funny faces and what not. This time, she started to cry. I know she must have cracked. Because, if she was not, I sure wasn't too far away from weaning her off myself. (Screw nursing, gotta rescue my nipples before the monster chomped them off.) It was like a battle of wills. But since that feed, she only bit me twice in the past three weeks. To all the mommies who are trying to tame their own barracuda babies, be patient and victory is not too far away. Have faith, sisters!

"If a stubborn baby like me can learn from not biting, then any baby can too! Good luck, mommies!"