Breastfeeding

Here are the 6 steps to help you achieve a better latch

1. Firstly your baby should never be stressed when trying to put he or she to the breast. Babies do not like to be pushed or shoved onto the breast and as much as we think, “Oh I would never do that” when sleep deprivation and frustration kick in, it is very easy to slip into this habit in that initial first week.
2. Observe your baby’s cues, we have all heard of these…Waking, licking lips, turning the head from side to side, sucking on their hand, and the last one is crying. You want to catch them before the sucking stage but definitely before the crying stage! The “quiet alert” state is the best state.
3. Brush your baby’s lips on the nipple to stimulate the “rooting” reflex, try for the upper lip and make sure your fingers are well away from your babies mouth. Use your breast by moving it up and down on their lips.
4. The next step is waiting for your babies mouth to be WIDE open. If it is not wide, you will never achieve a deep latch and only cause your baby to grab onto the nipple, so it has to be wide and their tongue needs to be on the floor of their mouth.
5. This next step is the tricky one! When your baby opens their mouth wide, you need to quickly pull them to your breast. Obviously this needs to be done in a calm movement so as to not startle them, and the CHIN of your baby should touch your breast first. Make sure you have your baby positioned tummy to tummy or it will be impossible to achieve the next step. Your baby’s mouth should be brought up and over the areola with the baby leading with his or her chin.
6. Please don’t be tempted to push down on the breast in fear that your baby cannot breath. Babies are nose breathers and a normal healthy baby will not feed if he or she cannot breath. Watch your baby and listen to them swallow, this will give you signs that they are latched well. You should be able to see the tip of their nose and you should hear them swallow.