Latching

As a lactation consultant I am trained to assess a babys latch to the breast to be able to identify if the latch is good or bad. A good latch is key to breastfeeding especially during the first few days of babys life. For a lactation consultant when a noticeable bad latch is at hand you do what you can to help mom and baby turn the bad latch into a good latch.
Here are proper steps to get baby to latch good.

1. Hold your breast with one hand and hold baby with the other, tilt babys head slightly back and have babys tummy up against moms tummy (this is called tummy to tummy) Moms nipple should he level with babys nose.

2. Stimulate baby's mouth with your nipple by gently rubbing the nipple on babys mouth. Dont slap babys mouth with the nipple, slow and gentle motions. Babys mouth should open wide with her tongue sticking out. (Looking like a yawn). If youre having trouble getting baby to open wide try expressing some milk on babys mouth. Once baby is latched on the babys chin should be touching against the breast.

3. Babys top and bottom lips should be curled out (like fish lips) and little to no  bottom of the areola should be showing. Babys mouth should be at a 90 degree or more angle. You will see a curve in babys cheek like a "C".

4. Make sure babys nostrils are clear of the breast, you can gently push back on the breast by babys nose.

Signs your latch is good:

1. While nursing it is comfortable and painless.
2. Babys chest and stomach rest against moms stomach and babys head is straight and not turned to the side.
3. Babys chin is touching the breast.
4. Babys lips are curled out.
5. You can hear the baby swallowing (little gulps)
6. Babys ears are moving and the jaw is moving in a circular motion, not a piston motion which is back and forth.
7. You see a curve in babys cheek like a C

If you cant get baby to latch you can try to move to a more quiet area or try a different nursing position, try skin to skin, or let baby lead itself to the nipple on their own. But if youre still having difficulty as get help from a lactation consultant!

The picture at the top of the post is a photo of my son and I. The red lines show how a good latch should look, the curve in his cheek, his chin touching my breast, and his mouth open at a 90 degree angle. In this picture though his lips arent curled out, he is 18 months old and once they get this old the way the haby latches doesnt really matter anymore as long as you and baby are comfortable is what matters.

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