Whether breastfeeding is going great from the beginning or is requiring a little more attention and practice, you’ll want this “tool” in your back pocket! I talk a lot in my classes about having plenty of “tools” or techniques that you are educated on to be able to use in lots of different common breastfeeding situations. I also explain the difference between the sensation you’ll feel when baby is latched on properly, or pain that comes from an incorrect or poor latch.
Good Latch
Some of the ways Moms describe the feeling of a good latch is,
“It’s a tugging and pulling sensation”, “I feel some pressure there”, “I feel something, but it doesn’t hurt”.
Bad Latch
Some of the ways Moms describe a bad latch are,
“Ouch!”, “It’s pinching,” and they describe their pain above 5 on a 0-10 pain scale (10 being the worst).
Don’t ‘Muscle Through’
The key to avoiding skin breakdown and nipple pain is to avoid a bad latch for an extended period of time. I have had some clients who thought they had to muscle through nipple pain because they got bad advice like, “It’s going to hurt, that’s just part of breastfeeding.” That’s not true! A good latch will not hurt! Let me explain this a little further. Your nipples will most likely feel tender post-delivery. That is much different than Ouch! Ouch! 9/10 pinching pain. Also, if you have had an incorrect latch for several feeds to a few days, there may be some pain with a good latch while healing is occurring. Many women are able to continue breastfeeding during the healing as long as the problem has been corrected. Nipple pain and soreness is one of the top 3 reasons mothers wean their babies! So what do you do when you are having a lot of pain during latch-on? Read on!
How to break latch properly
When you have a poor latch, it’s important to break the latch properly, and start over with the latch process. Most of the time this problem can be solved by waiting for the infant to open their mouth wide, and also bringing them onto the breast deeply. There are two ways to break the latch properly.
Insert your finger into the corner of baby’s mouth – push back in between the gums
Roll the baby’s top lip back toward their nose
I hope this helps! More great tips, pictures, and video tutorials in my Breastfeeding video classes, available to view at your convenience. No need to ‘sign up’, just click and watch. Also the classes come with a notes outline, can be watched as many times as you like, and never expire! I’m running a great giveaway today on instagram and be sure to download my free PDF, ‘Top Ten Tips for Breastfeeding Success’.
I’ve created this great e-mail course to help you get breastfeeding started on the right foot! Click the image below for more info.
Thanks for coming by today!
xo ~ Lindsey, RN, IBCLC
