And to this day , I do not think my spontaneous reaction could have been prevented .

But the context to my unantici-

did not feel like I had any conscious ability to stop my reaction .

The slap was immediate and felt like a reflex .

My uncle completely bit off my grandmother ’ s nipple , such that , when my mother was born later , she was breastfed entirely

Dr Pam Rachootin GP in Adelaide , SA .

dren after a GP was fined $ 5000 for spanking a two-year-old who was

pated behaviour is important . I was breastfeeding my daugh-

I cannot recall whether or not I screamed .

on the opposite breast . In that regard , I felt lucky

It was a reflex response to pain , but I was shattered .

misbehaving in his surgery . The debate immediately reminded me of an incident in which I was guilty of slapping my 18-month-old daughter across

ter when she bit my nipple .

It was a powerful chomp , one of the most physically painful moments in my life , totally unexpected and excruciating .

My daughter detached from my breast , crying .

Perhaps you should also know that there is a history of serious nipple-biting in my extended

not to have had my nipple amputated .

But I was shattered that I had not only hit her but with force , and my guilt only esca-

the face .

I could swear under oath that I

family .

lated as the day went on — for

whenever she glanced in my

direction , she would look so

hurt and start whimpering

and uttering muffled sobs with

downcast eyes as tears slowly

rolled down her cheeks .

Write-off here and ideally three lines if possible please , thankyou Obitius molupienime quat im num nume sust , simus doluptas

and kindness .

Then there was the huge

question of how our breastfeeding

relationship would be

affected .

As a source of love , I felt I had betrayed her .

It was such a meaningful

and beautiful connection

between us . I did not want it

to end .

But had she learnt not to bite

the nipple that feeds her ?

I was absolutely terrified ,

and it took some courage to

put her to my breast again later

that day .

My trust paid off . All went

well , and I continued to breastfeed

her for years afterwards ,

without incident .

In fact , we had to have long

discussions and ultimately set

a quit date to finally end breastfeeding

when she was four

Pull Quote here Si odi totatiatem faccusa erovid magnimus , sitatum asitiis eariatio es qui cuptiorDolupid quam , sunt . Nis ne as recto et facia qui ut quiam , quis ma nullorest inctum ligendaerum

years old .

I wonder if this slapping episode had been witnessed in current times , whether I would be reported and face charges .

I have read forums online about how to handle nipple-biting , and they recommend saying “ Ow ” and “ No ” and not overreacting .

In my case , I feel that a

rational approach was definitely

not within my capabilities

because of the level of pain

I experienced from her razorsharp

piranha bite .

Nevertheless , upon receiving

a powerful physical deterrent

, my toddler had learnt an

important lesson that allowed

her many years of continued

benefits from breastfeeding .

I do not recall any other

instances of using brute force

in her upbringing and recall hugging her closely during tantrums — albeit while having

less-than-charitable thoughts .