I Quit!

Warning: Contains breastfeeding content

At the beginning of last week, Kiera started biting me while breastfeeding. I had originally wanted to keep breastfeeding at least until September when I start teaching piano. I called a breastfeeding expert from our church and asked her if there were any tricks to get her to stop biting. She said that you can get them to stop by pushing them further into your breast when they are biting, and that will block their nostrils (for just a second or two), and then they will let go because they can't breathe. That way you're not pulling it out of their mouth and practically ripping it while they're biting. Then you are supposed to say in a very firm voice, "Don't bite!" You can also sit them down on the floor so that they understand they don't get to eat when they bite. I tried it and the first time Kiera almost started crying because she knew I wasn't happy with her! I had to do that once more and then after that it was better for a few days. On Friday, she started biting again several times during each feeding. I was very tense and stressed, so then my milk wasn't coming in properly. The "tricks" weren't working anymore, so by Friday evening, I decided to quit and switch to formula. I have always been very anti-formula, although I know there are legitimate reasons why women don't or can't breastfeed, but for me I was so thankful that I could give Kiera breastmilk because it was the healthiest thing for her. So Friday night, I went to the store and bought some powder formula at the store. Kiera's last feeding had been at 7:30 p.m., so at 10:30 we tried giving her formula. She would NOT take it and she hated it, which I expected. Plus, she wasn't used to bottle feeding. We tried again at 11:30 and she still wouldn't take it, so we put her to bed. She woke up hungry at 2:45 a.m., so Jared went upstairs to try and give her a bottle. She screamed with him for an hour and then surprisingly fell back asleep. During this time, I was on my knees in our room praying, pleading, and begging God to help Kiera take the bottle. I was told that babies do not starve themselves for very long, but by this time I was beginning to wonder whether or not that was true. She actually fell back asleep again until 7:30 a.m. When she woke up, I went upstairs to try giving her a bottle. She started crying again, but I turned on her Winnie the Pooh mobile and started singing along. Then, miraculously, she started to drink! Praise Jesus! At 1:30 p.m., I tried again and she didn't want to take it at first, so then I gave her a bath. I tried again after that and she guzzled 2 1/2 bottles (4 oz. bottles)! Since then, we have had no more problems and she has adjusted extremely well! Ironically, I quit breastfeeding on Independence Day and Kiera is no longer dependent on me for any food. I miss it and it's a painful process (physically) to quit, but I will enjoy the freedom it will give me to be able to leave her with someone else for more than a couple of hours and that Jared can help more with not just the baby food feedings. So that was my interesting week-end. Funny how plans can change. Motto of the story: Don't bite the "hand" that feeds you.