does this mean she has decided she wants to stop? :(

[Lenny]

My daughter is 8 months now and has always been a fantastic feeder from day 1 but a few weeks ago she started biting and pulling her head back at the same time with 6 teeth it hurts I've made noises to try and get her to stop but she finds it funny when I do. So I put her on bottles during the day which she took to no problem but now everytime I put my nipple in her mouth she just bites I tried feeding at 1 in the morning when she woke up she bit me 3 times in a row I put it in her mouth she bit I pulled away rocked her for a bit and tried again this happend everytime till I give her a bottle then she downed it.

Is my daughter wanting to stop breastfeeding now?? x

 

[MommyJogger]

Biting is a really common thing to start at this age. It's definitely not a sign of being ready to wean (US definition of wean). My son would find it funny when I made noise in response, too. A loud "ow" can become a really fun game for a kid to try out over and over again at that age. What I did (and what works is different for everyone, I think) was to maintain composure. I didn't respond or make a noise to prevent the game from starting. Then I would offer the breast again the same way you offer to a newborn-- rub the nipple up and down from nose to chin to encourage a wide open mouth. You can tell when they're going to bite by the way their tongue is positioned-- if the tongue is forward and over the bottom teeth, they're going to nurse. If the tongue is pulled back or they start to pull their tongue back as their mouth is closing over the nipple, they're going to bite. If he went for the bite 3 times, I ended the nursing session until he asked to nurse again. Then I offered again the same way and watched for the bite. He eventually gave up trying to bite. You really just have to watch their mouth and learn what each one looks like.
Your baby is not going to starve herself to bite you. I think this is one of the first lessons in consistency for the breastfeeding mom, because consistency and observation are really key in helping a baby understand that biting isn't something that's allowed.
I know this is frustrating for you, and it's okay to feel down about it. But I promise this will pass with consistency and nursing an older infant is such a fantastic experience. Have you checked out the Kellymom tips?
https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/biting/