# DD hits herself while nursing



## turtlewomyn (Jun 5, 2005)

DD will be six months old on April 3rd, lately when she nurses she hits herself in the head repeatedly while nursing (like she is moving her hand back and forth and happens to hit her head). She also tugs on her hair while nursing. Is this normal at all? Should I be concerned? She twiddles a little bit and I have a nursing necklace, but she is easily distracted right now and she tends to stop nursing in order to look at the necklace.


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## Lisoula (Jan 9, 2006)

6-months is about the age when they easily get distracted while nursing. I (sadly) mistook this for weaning with my first (I was young and naive!!)

My DD is 5 1/2 months and hits herselft a lot too while nursing - or she rubs her head. She doesn't have any hair, so there's no pulling, and she hasn't cared much for my nursing necklace. She prefers to hang onto the outer strap of my nursing bra for dear life. It's adorable.

I think all kids this ae do suff like this - it's not abnormal. It's probably because they finally discovered they can contol their own arms! If anything it can get _messy_ because they seem to always look away right as your milk lets down, but if I remember from DS#2 - around 8 months they stop exploring and get "serious" about nursing again!


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## gabysmom617 (Nov 26, 2005)

Yeah, ds does this when he is tired and nursing, and doing ANYTHING to keep himself awake. He hits himself upside the head, he hits me, he pulls my bra strap and then lets go with a SNAP! etc. Recently, he's started to rub the other unoccupied breast through the bra...


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## KimProbable (Jun 22, 2005)

My DD is six months as well and does the same thing. It seems that when she's tired and falling asleep at the breast she really flails around (right arm only for some reason) and the result is often her repeatedly smacking herself in the head. She actually woke me up fully last night during a nighttime feeding because I could hear her going "Smack smack SMACK".







If I'm awake I tend to put my hand over her head and she just smacks my hand instead.

Another thing she's been doing lately is "milking" my boob!







With her bottom hand she'll grab a handfull of boob and squeeze it over and over again while she nurses. I showed DH last night and we laughed at what seemed like her attempt to get the milk out faster!

I'm certain that nursings are only going to get more "eventful" as we get closer into the toddler years.


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## cj'smommy (Aug 14, 2003)

My 6.5 month old does the same thing, and he smacks himself hard! It's either with a closed fist or this thumb sticking out. When it's his thumb he jabs himself in the eye and in the ear. It looks and sounds like it hurts, but it doesn't seem to bother him. If I try and hold his hand still, he'll yank it away and continue to beat himself. It seems it's something he has to do.

My guys also does the 'milking the boob' thing, it's so cute! It's not so cute when I realize that his nails need to be cut!


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## KimProbable (Jun 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cj'smommy*
My guys also does the 'milking the boob' thing, it's so cute! It's not so cute when I realize that his nails need to be cut!

So true!! I cut DD's nails yesterday since I've got about 4 scabs on my boob from her little kitten-nails!


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## TForce (Jul 27, 2005)

I guess it's pretty normal.

My baby boy was hitting himself too a few months ago. Now he prefers milking.


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## narnie (Mar 6, 2006)

laughup

I'm glad to see this thread. My DS will only be four months on April 8th--so he has much less motor control... often his free arm will kind of repeatly flare out and then back--eventually he'll get a hold of a bra strap--and snap it







It's very sweet, but try as I may to keep his nails under control I always have little scratch marks on my breasts--I cut his little finger once with the clippers and ever since have been a little scared to clip


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

Ha! I think my dd is doing the rudimentary form of this! I call it "swimming", cause it looks like she's doing a sidestroke while she's nursing! The arm on top just keeps going around and around!







She also "milks" for a better term, cept right now, it's just her fingers gently patting my boob in time with her sucking. It's so cute!







guess I better get a nursing neckace before she gets much older, huh?


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## theelfqueen (Dec 4, 2002)

Very normal-- my youngest is a big time hair-puller, started pulling his own hair around 5-6 months still does it when he's nursing now, especially in the evenings.


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