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Home › Articles › Breastfeeding Basics › Latching On

Latching On

The Right Latch Makes All the Difference

By Teri Brown

Pages:  1  2  3  

Often those things in life you thought would be simple turn out to be not so simple. Take breastfeeding, for example. For most women, it's a simple question of Baby meets nipple, and that's the end of it. For others, it's not so easy.

Mary Hake, mother of two from Crooked River Ranch, Ore., is one of those women. Her first daughter was born four weeks early and weighed less than 6 pounds. She had breathing difficulties and developed jaundice, so for several days, Mary wasn't allowed to hold her. "I pumped my breasts to get milk and finally was able to begin nursing her," says Hake. "She was sleepy and ate every few hours. She seemed to have trouble grasping the nipple in her tiny mouth."

The nurses at the hospital weren't particularly sympathetic, and it wasn't until Hake was able to contact the La Leche League and attend regular meetings that she realized it was a latching problem. With their advice she was finally able to solve the problem and go on to a successful nursing experience. "Their advice and encouragement really made a difference," says Hake.

The Key to Success
Latching on is the process of the baby's mouth connecting to the mother's breast. With a proper latch onto the breast, the baby is able to bring forth the proper amount of nutrition. When there isn't a proper latch, you have a frustrated, hungry baby and a frantic mother. When there is a proper latch the following occurs:

  • Baby's mouth should be open wide.
  • The tongue should be down, cupping the areola.
  • The lips should be flanged.
  • There should be rhythmical sucking.

Bonnie Henson is the clinical operations manager of lactation support services for Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. She believes that many times latching problems are simply due to the mother and infant needing time to work together to get it right. "The baby needs quiet time with the mom directly after delivery to explore and become accustomed to the new surroundings," she says. "This can be best done if the baby is placed skin to skin with mother with the baby wearing only a diaper. Occasionally, there may be difficulties caused by Mother or Baby anatomy (e.g. inverted nipples, breast surgery, cleft lip, tongue tie), but with the assistance of a lactation expert, such as an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), these issues can be addressed and usually overcome."

Step by Step
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