Even though women are designed for breastfeeding, it can be a challenge, especially when it comes to positioning. Whether you’re just getting started or encountering common breastfeeding problems, the first thing to tackle is your baby’s latch.
What is Latching?
Latching is the way your baby’s mouth is positioned on your breast for nursing. For a good latch, he needs to open his mouth wide and take the area around your nipple into his mouth.
Why is a Good Latch Important?
A good latch is important for a few main reasons:
- It helps your baby get an adequate amount of milk (including both the thinner, sugarier “fore milk” and the thicker, high-fat “hind milk”). Getting enough milk also regulates your milk supply and helps him gain weight properly.
- It helps drain your breast, which prevents problems like engorgement, blocked milk ducts, and even infection.
- It prevents ongoing nipple soreness.
How Do You Achieve a Good Latch?
There are three basic steps for getting your baby to latch on properly. The way your baby learns to latch becomes a habit, so it’s important to work on a good latch from day one.
Position yourself and your baby. The easiest position for latching is sitting upright in a comfortable chair with your back and feet supported. Place a nursing pillow (like this or this) under your baby so that he’s lengthwise and tummy-to-tummy with you, with his head at the level of your breast. You can also achieve a good latch in other positions. Whichever position you try, his ear, shoulder and hip should be aligned.
Support your baby’s head with one hand and grasp your breast with the other using a “C-hold” (support the bottom of your breast with your fingers and place your thumb on the top – well above the areola).
Get your baby to open his mouth wide. To do this, rub your nipple on his bottom lip, or gently tap or tickle his chin.
Guide your baby onto your breast. Once his mouth is wide open, bring it to your breast. You want his chin to touch your breast first and his upper lip to close around your breast last. You will know he’s latched on well if:
- His lips cover about an inch or two of the areola, with a bit more of the areola is in his mouth on the lower-lip side and a bit less on the upper-lip side.
- Your nipple is pointed towards the roof of his mouth.
- His lips are splayed outward (“fish lips”) against your breast.
- You hear a rhythmic suck/swallow/breath pattern (clicking, dimples in your baby’s cheeks, or irregular sucking/swallowing/breathing all indicate a poor latch).
If your baby isn’t latched on properly, gently ease your finger into his mouth, release the suction, pull him off your breast, and try again. This can feel frustrating for both of you, but it’s easier to establish a good latch at the beginning than it is to fix a poor latch later on.
A Note About Nipple Shields
If you’re having trouble establishing a good latch because of tongue-tie, premature birth, or flat or inverted nipples, temporary use of a nipple shield may help. A nipple shield is a piece of flexible plastic that covers your nipple and areola and helps your baby latch on. It’s important to get the right size nipple shield and use it correctly, so consider enlisting the help of a certified lactation consultant.
A certified lactation consultant can also help guide you if you continue to struggle with establishing a good latch.