Is this a sign that he's angry or frustrated?
My son is 3 months old. My son was nice about nursing on my nipples.
But a week ago he started pulling and chewing on my nipples.
really?? wth?? is this his way of showing that he's angry or frustrated?
i will say, "sam, no" in a stern voice. but it doesn't help because he will do it again.
can anyone tell me if this is normal. how do i get him to stop?


i'm confused.
how would he be increasing my milk flow by chewing on my nipple or pulling on it?
from my understanding of it, the nipple on the boob doesn't do anything except give the infant something to suck on while nursing.
Quoting RozyMama:
He is working to increase your sippy to his growing demand. He's growing, he's telling your body to catch up. Or he's annoyed by slow milk flow at the end of a feeding, especially in the evening. It's all normal, and annoying. When he starts that, unlatch and switch sides. You can repeat the process over and over, great supply builder. No need to scold, he's too little to understand.

Quoting vinalex0581:i'm confused.
how would he be increasing my milk flow by chewing on my nipple or pulling on it?
from my understanding of it, the nipple on the boob doesn't do anything except give the infant something to suck on while nursing.
Quoting RozyMama:
He is working to increase your sippy to his growing demand. He's growing, he's telling your body to catch up. Or he's annoyed by slow milk flow at the end of a feeding, especially in the evening. It's all normal, and annoying. When he starts that, unlatch and switch sides. You can repeat the process over and over, great supply builder. No need to scold, he's too little to understand.

It could be a growth spurt, teething, frustration with needing to work for a second (or third) letdown, or a combination of these.
Quoting RozyMama:
The pulling and clamping is physical stimulation and can trigger the release of oxytocin, resulting in more letdowns... More letdowns, more emptying, more emptying signals the body to increase production. The nipple has lots of neat functions, it contains nerve endings, ducts, glands etc that all serve important roles in sending signals to your body about how much and what type of milk to make, based on your baby's nursing behavior and even your baby's saliva. Pretty cool.
Quoting vinalex0581:i'm confused.
how would he be increasing my milk flow by chewing on my nipple or pulling on it?
from my understanding of it, the nipple on the boob doesn't do anything except give the infant something to suck on while nursing.
Quoting RozyMama:
He is working to increase your sippy to his growing demand. He's growing, he's telling your body to catch up. Or he's annoyed by slow milk flow at the end of a feeding, especially in the evening. It's all normal, and annoying. When he starts that, unlatch and switch sides. You can repeat the process over and over, great supply builder. No need to scold, he's too little to understand.

Vina, have you ever seen kittens nursing? They're pretty mean to the mom! They pull and claw. Our bodies are designed to respond to this behavior.
"Nice guys finish last" could well apply to the survival game!
ALL NORMAL.
You have been perfect every inch of the way, from birth on. Every step has been perfect.

holy crap!!
i had no idea they had that kind of innate behavior!
well.........learn something new everyday!!
it's pretty awesome how an infant just uses his instincts like that.
=D
i'm completely impressed.
so if this IS the case, his behavior should be telling me that my milk supply is low and i should worry, right?
Quoting RozyMama:
The pulling and clamping is physical stimulation and can trigger the release of oxytocin, resulting in more letdowns... More letdowns, more emptying, more emptying signals the body to increase production. The nipple has lots of neat functions, it contains nerve endings, ducts, glands etc that all serve important roles in sending signals to your body about how much and what type of milk to make, based on your baby's nursing behavior and even your baby's saliva. Pretty cool.
Quoting vinalex0581:i'm confused.
how would he be increasing my milk flow by chewing on my nipple or pulling on it?
from my understanding of it, the nipple on the boob doesn't do anything except give the infant something to suck on while nursing.
Quoting RozyMama:
He is working to increase your sippy to his growing demand. He's growing, he's telling your body to catch up. Or he's annoyed by slow milk flow at the end of a feeding, especially in the evening. It's all normal, and annoying. When he starts that, unlatch and switch sides. You can repeat the process over and over, great supply builder. No need to scold, he's too little to understand.

Pretty cool huh!? We need to stop messing with nature and thinking we know better. The more I learn the more I get annoyed with modern day humans and how we are killing ourselves with technology.
Quoting vinalex0581:holy crap!!
i had no idea they had that kind of innate behavior!
well.........learn something new everyday!!
it's pretty awesome how an infant just uses his instincts like that.
=D
i'm completely impressed.
so if this IS the case, his behavior should be telling me that my milk supply is low and i should worry, right?
Quoting RozyMama:
The pulling and clamping is physical stimulation and can trigger the release of oxytocin, resulting in more letdowns... More letdowns, more emptying, more emptying signals the body to increase production. The nipple has lots of neat functions, it contains nerve endings, ducts, glands etc that all serve important roles in sending signals to your body about how much and what type of milk to make, based on your baby's nursing behavior and even your baby's saliva. Pretty cool.
Quoting vinalex0581:i'm confused.
how would he be increasing my milk flow by chewing on my nipple or pulling on it?
from my understanding of it, the nipple on the boob doesn't do anything except give the infant something to suck on while nursing.
Quoting RozyMama:
He is working to increase your sippy to his growing demand. He's growing, he's telling your body to catch up. Or he's annoyed by slow milk flow at the end of a feeding, especially in the evening. It's all normal, and annoying. When he starts that, unlatch and switch sides. You can repeat the process over and over, great supply builder. No need to scold, he's too little to understand.
- vinalex0581
on Oct. 5, 2012 at 9:44 PM