Operation Lactation

There are some key things that indicate that you have a good latch. If you utilize My Latch Mantra you will be well on your way to a good latch, and here are the things you will notice when the latch is just right.

• Baby's body will be in a straight line. Baby's ear, shoulder, and hip will all be in perfect alignment. The objective here is to be sure baby is comfortable. Try twisting at your neck or waist and holding it for 30 minutes, and you will see that it would not be a comfortable way to eat. 

• Baby's chin will be pressed against the breast while the tip of baby's nose is just brushing the breast. The chin is the working part so you want it nice and close to promote plenty of breast stimulation. This also helps get the nipple to the roof of baby's mouth. (Note: with large breasts, baby's nose may end up being pushed up close to the breast even when positioning is correct.)

• Baby's mouth will be open wide when latching on and when latched on you will notice a wide angle at the corner of baby's mouth. The smaller the angle, the less breast baby has latched on to and that is the recipe for sore nipples. 

• Baby's lips will be flanged outward both on the top and bottom. Think: fish lips 🐟 Some babies have a habit of tucking their lips into their mouth, interfering with the latch. Usually this can be adjusted by gently pulling the skin above or below the offending lip to pull it out.

• When latched, you will not be able to see much of the bottom of your areola because it will be in baby's mouth, however, you will see some of the top of your areola.

• A couple things you should NOT notice are puckering of baby's cheeks and any smacking sounds (a good latch will be silent, except for sounds of swallowing).

One of the most important indicators of a good latch is that it is comfortable. The sensation to aim for is tugging and pulling not biting and pinching. It is common to feel discomfort for the first 15-20 seconds, but after that the latch should become more comfortable.

Here's a link to a video that will give you a visual of what I'm talking about. This momma's milk is "in" so you can see and hear swallows, you will not see this until baby is at least a few days old.

If you find yourself struggling to latch baby comfortably, I encourage you to ask for help. As you can see there are many little things we look at to judge the quality of a latch, and to pinpoint any potential issues someone needs to be watching and seeing the complete picture. Sometimes it is an easy fix and other times there is something more than meets the eye.

Peace, joy and blessings!