I think I will not be able to save my RM1,000+ because it’s getting harder and harder to breastfeed my baby girl:
1. She’s cutting her first tooth – it’s more difficult for her than it was for my boy because she has diarrhea, she’s very irritable, fussy and clingy. Plus, she enjoys biting down the nipple just to see her Mum scream!
2. She’s easily distracted – I can’t breastfeed her in public because she’ll swing her chubby little legs, swat at me with her hand and play with the nipple. And she still does her “I’m sipping a milkshake” style of breastfeeding.
At the sight of any movement or a slight sound, she’ll turn her head quickly towards that direction with my nipple still in her mouth! Or, she’ll let go and the milk will be dripping…
I’ll be glaring at her and scolding,
“Quick, drink! Look, the milk is flowing out!”
It’s really annoying and of course, she doesn’t care (rolls eyes). Anyone who hears me in the nursing room will think I’m scolding a young child when it’s just a little baby LOL
3. She’s very playful. When I breastfeed her at home, the boy finds it incredibly funny when I yelp in pain as she bites down my nipple. They seem to be bonding with each other as they play a trick on Mum.
She’ll look at me right in the eye and I’ll know that look i.e. “I’m going to bite you, Mummy” and she does. I’ll yell “Ouch!”, try to unlatch her and warn her “NO, no biting!” while the elder brother will break into stiches of laughter – covering his mouth with both hands!!!
Can you believe it?
The only time I can breastfeed her in peace is during the night if she wakes up. Yes, now that my little darling is taking one solid meal a day, she’s letting me sleep through the night 
Breastfeeding her has helped me with quick weight loss so I think it’s OK if I spent RM1,000+ on the Medela Freestyle breast pump, right?
I’ve decided to buy the breast pump from the US i.e. a store that ships international and is willing to pay for the return shipping of defective breastpumps.
Even after including the return shipping cost of returning the pump for repairs (IF it happens), it’s still RM300-400 cheaper than the pumps sold in Malaysia! And I’ll always have my AVENT Manual Isis as a back-up.
Sigh, I don’t know. Hubby thinks I should just let it go now that she’s nearly 7 months old. But I breastfed the boy until he was 9 months old even though I was hoping to do it till he was 1 year old. What a dilemma!
Can somebody just tell me what to do?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
You’re not alone dear, you are going through what most nursing moms do including myself.All I can say is hanging-tough & be patience. I did some compilations on common problems in breastfeeding. It’s lengthy in my blog hope u can find some useful.
it’s really up to you whether you want to continue or not. i can relate to the ‘sipping’, letting go and biting and definitely the pain associated with bfg. it’s not funny at all and had me in tears too. if you feel by pumping you can continue to bf her than by all means, do it. but if you’re like me, i really hate the pumping and prefer the direct feedings (yes, even if painful), then don’t get the pump if you feel that it will only last you a couple of months or so. i know it’s so tempting to get the double pump – i really wanted them too coz it would make my pumping much easier but in reality, the price was a put off as i do not know how long would i use it for.
btw, how i taught haye li not to bite me was to be very stern with her. i actually flick her cheeks and made sure it hurts so she knows what ‘pain’ means. after doing this to her many times, she understood and stopped biting me. and don’t do this in front of the boy since he finds it so amusing. sounds like your girl likes the attention she is getting from biting you.
Did the boy give you similar problems? I emphatise with you, but I think I can only encourage you to hang on as long as you can. Sadly, I can’t speak from experience, obviously.
Hanz – Ok, will check out your post when I have a minute.
Syn – You are right! Just breastfed and she bit me again but I decided to play it cool and not react. The naughty girl actually did it 3 times and then finally relented and drank.
Bart – You’re my only male reader here. Think you should be awared ‘special member’ status LOL
I only breastfeed the 2nd one for 7 months myself so, can only encourage you to continue if possible. Nevertheless, if it’s too stressful to do so, it really is OK to stop, you know. Good luck ya.
Immomsdaughter – I really do want to stop but her skin allergies (she’s got a semi-permanent eczema spot on her forehead!) make me fear that if I stop, all hell will break loose. Stress, stress.
hopefully you will carry on!
I’m not there yet, only TBF for 2 months but i do hope to go to 1 year… all the best! you are a great mom 
My boy was easily distracted when nursing in nursing rooms too, so I fed him in the car. At home, even Daddy must stay away cos he’d keep unlatching and calling out.
As for biting, he did that too when teething. The worst experience was pulling off really hard and causing a slight wound, which was EXTREMELY painful to nurse. Pumping can’t drain my milk well, so I bore with the pain for a week while nursing him.
Then I learnt to recognise his facial expression: once I think he’s going to bite, I slide a finger into his mouth to protect myself. Firm verbal warnings are needed too.
Direct breastfeeding is absolutely most convenient, so try to overcome the hurdles and hang in there. 7 months passed so quickly; you’d be at 12 soon!
reg – Thanks for the support
It’s my second time breastfeeding and now that I know the problems, I hope to share a successful story of breastfeeding this time.
MieVee – Direct breastfeeding my boy was a breeze compared to the girl. Since I work part-time, direct breastfeeding isn’t possible for me with the girl thus, pumping is the only solution except for nights and weekends.
You’re such a tough Mum to withstand the biting! I have a low pain threshold but because I want to breastfeed the girl for as long as I can, I’ve put up with more pain than I’m comfortable with…