Who knew one tooth could do so much damage? Nora has one little puppy-sharp tooth protruding from her lower gums, and she's working on getting the one next to it to pop through the skin. It must feel good to clamp down on something, so she has been experimenting with biting me while nursing. Or maybe, in keeping with the season, she just thinks I'm a Peep.
Everything I know about parenting, I learned at the animal shelter. So I've been reacting to Nora's bites the way you're supposed to respond to mouthy puppies: Every time I feel her teeth start to make contact, I let out a quick, loud shriek. It's supposed to alarm the puppy/baby and make them stop what they're doing. And it works, to a point. Nora stops, looks up at me with big, worried eyes, and then a delighted smile steals across her face-- like she's just gotten the punchline to a very clever joke. Uh-oh. I didn't mean to make a game of it.
We've had a few shriek-free days now. Wish me luck that they continue. I do think this is the very essence of motherhood: Someone bites you-- on the nipple, for god's sake-- and you immediately put that poor old nip right back into their mouth.
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4 comments:
I'm in no hurry for Libby to get teeth!
You're a wise woman. There's a reason we call Nora "The Can Opener."
We don't really call her that. But we should.
My friend told me to gently remove her from the breast, place her where she can see you and then turn your back to her. I had to do this once with Phoebe, and her tremendously forlorn cry was all it took for me to realize she got it. Granted, she has experimented a few more times since then - with a much lighter bite- but when I look her in the eye, tell her no and that it hurts... she seems to get it.
God help me when the top two teeth come in - that is apparently quite challenging. ^_^
Melissa: Score another one for the dog-training method of child rearing! That's exactly what we do at the shelter when a dog is jumping up or just being obnoxious to get attention. You turn your back and ignore them for a few seconds and they can't stand it!
I think Nora's top teeth are starting to push through. I'll let you know how it goes...
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