The Biting Nightmare: Can a woman’s nipple ‘fall off’ while breastfeeding?

TikTok creator Jasmine Chiswell said her nipple was “falling off” after her one-year-old son Midnight bit her during breastfeeding.Chiswell, who is famous for posting content dressed as late Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, told her 16.4 million followers: “Nipple falling off update…I’m In shock right now!!”In a video posted on 10 January, the TikToker said, "So last week my baby bit off my nipple. Basically, I got told it will stick itself back together so I kid you not they were not lying. Is it bruising? Yes. Is it crusty? Yes. But it stuck together!"In an earlier TikTok video, shared on 6 January, Chiswell recalled how the pain-inducing situation happened."I have been breastfeeding my baby for almost a year," she said. "He currently has eight teeth. Here is where the story gets wild. Has he ever tried to bite me before? Yup — but not like this. I was breastfeeding him like normal late at night — I wanted to point this out — and he bit down on my nipple literally with all of his teeth and pulls,” she said as per eonline.com.She said though her baby’s bite hurt, she did not think much of it. “When I woke up in the morning, my husband got a fright – my shirt was covered in blood," she was quoted as saying by Cosmopolitan.The TikToker revealed her nipple was “hanging off”."I've been warned that this could happen and that the nipple will fall off," she added.So, can a nipple “fall off” during breastfeeding? Why do babies bite and what can mothers do in such scenarios? We explain.Nipples don’t ‘fall off’, say expertsAlthough it is not possible for babies to bite while being nursed, they may bite when they are teething or are full, say experts."The biting may cause pain and nipple damage but your nipple will not fall off,” podcaster Midwife Pip said, as per Cosmopolitan UK.Allaying fears of nipple "falling off", Rachel Leibson, nurse coordinator for Lactation Services at NYU Langone Health, told TODAY.com, that she has “never seen nor heard of a nipple being fully bitten off”.But, flesh wounds are “somewhat common”, she added.“In that case, the tissue will regenerate,” Leibson assured.The biting nightmareExperts believe that there can be several reasons why a baby bites during nursing.Some common factors that can lead to such behaviour include teething with sensitive gums, trying to grab attention, feeling ill due to a cold or ear infection, slow or too fast milk flow, and getting distracted, as per Healthline."Sometimes biting is to quickly stop the flow of milk, while sometimes the bite is an attempt to trigger a new milk ejection reflex," Danielle Downs Spradlin, lactation consultant at Oasis Lactation Services, told Romper.[caption id="attachment_12021642" align="alignnone" width="640"]

Teething is also one of the obvious reasons that can make a baby bite. AFP (Representational Image)[/caption]Improper latching can also make a baby bite while being fed. Kalai Selvi A, a certified lactation care counsellor in Tamil Nadu, said that deep latch is “key to proper breastfeeding”.“It is impossible for baby to bite if the latch is deep. During the feeding sessions, they adjust or move to different positions. This causes a change in the latch. In this case, carefully remove the seal by slipping a clean little finger between her gums and taking her off the breast before the baby can clasp on your nipple,” Kalai told Indian Express.

Teething is also one of the obvious reasons that can make a baby bite to ease their discomfort.

"Babies who are actively teething can have discomfort and can often want to bite down or chew on something to help with the discomfort of teething, so biting may feel good on their gums," Betsy Marks, MD, a pediatrician in New York, was quoted as saying by Romper.Tongue tie may also be behind why a baby bites. It is a condition where the tongue is attached to the bottom of the mouth by a shorter-than-usual piece of connecting tissue.How to prevent bitingIn case the baby is biting due to teething, then parents can “treat the pain before nursing with a frozen damp washcloth to chew on, a breast milk popsicle, or if they are old enough, you could also use ibuprofen,” lactation consultant Tera Hamann told Romper earlier.Mothers can protect themselves from the biting by ensuring the latch is strong and the baby is positioned well, says an expert."This will mean they are feeding on the softest part of their mouth and will protect your nipple from damage,” Midwife Pip told Cosmopolitan UK.Though it is hard not to shout if the baby bites, it is necessary to avoid an intense reaction. The reaction may set off the baby against breastfeeding, as per experts.Do not abruptly remove the baby from your breast if they bite as that might cause nipple damage. Healthline suggests putting a finger in the baby’s mouth to break the latch and then drawing them away from the breast.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.