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When Latching
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Push baby’s bottom into your body with the side (the same
side as where your baby finger is) of your forearm.
- This will bring him towards your breast with the nipple pointing
to the roof of his mouth.
- Mother’s hand under the baby’s face, palm up.
- Head supported but NOT pushed in against breast.
- Head tilted back slightly.
- Baby’s body and legs wrapped in around mother.
- Use your whole arm to bring the baby onto the breast, when mouth
wide.
- Chin and lower jaw touch breast first.
WATCH LOWER LIP, aim it as far from base of nipple
as possible, so tongue draws lots of breast
into mouth.
Move baby’s body and head together – keep baby uncurled.
Once latched, top lip will be close to nipple, areola shows above
lip. Keep chin close against breast.
WIDE MOUTH / GAPE
Need mouth wide before
baby moved onto breast. Teach baby to open wide/gape:
- move baby toward breast, touch top lip against
nipple
- move mouth away SLIGHTLY
- touch top lip against nipple again, move away
again
- repeat until baby opens wide
and has tongue forward
- Or, better yet, run nipple along
the baby’s upper lip, from one
corner to the other, lightly, until baby opens wide
MOTHER’S VIEW WHILE LATCHING BABY
Move baby, not breast!
MOTHER’S VIEW OF NURSING BABY
RECOMMENDATIONS for the MOTHER
Mother's posture
- sit with straight, well-supported back
- trunk facing forwards, lap flat
Baby's position before feed begins
- on pillow can be helpful
- nipple points to the baby's upper lip or nostril
Baby's body
- placed not quite tummy to tummy, but so that baby comes up to
breast from below and baby’s eyes make contact with mother’s
Support breast
- firm inner breast tissue by raising breast slightly with fingers
placed flat on chest wall and thumb pointing up (if helpful, also
use sling or tensor bandage around breast)
Move baby quickly on to breast
- head tilted back slightly, pushing in across shoulders so chin
and lower jaw make first contact (not nose) while mouth still
wide open, keep baby uncurled (means tongue nearer breast) lower
lip is aimed as far from nipple as possible so baby’s tongue
draws in maximum amount of breast tissue
CAUTIONS
Mother needs to AVOID
- pushing her breast across her body
- chasing the baby with her breast
- flapping the breast up and down
- holding breast with scissor grip
- not supporting breast
- twisting her body towards the baby instead of slightly away
- aiming nipple to centre of baby’s mouth
- pulling baby’s chin down to open mouth
- flexing baby’s head when bringing to breast
- moving breast into baby’s mouth instead of bringing baby
to breast
- moving baby onto breast without a proper gape
- not moving baby onto breast quickly enough at height of gape
- having baby’s nose touch breast first and not the chin
- holding breast away from baby’s nose (not necessary if
the baby is well latched on, as the nose will be away from the
breast anyway)
See videos at www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html
Handout A, When Latching
Revised: January 2005
Original written and designed by Anne Barnes
This
handout may be copied and distributed without further permission,
on
the condition that it is not used in any context in which the
WHO code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes is violated
