Mastering the Breastfeeding Latch

Breastfeeding is often depicted as a natural or instinctual process for moms and babies. While this is true to a certain extent, many new moms find breastfeeding to be really difficult. Achieving a good latch is the foundation of a successful breastfeeding journey. When done correctly, a good latch ensures that baby can effectively remove milk to support their nutrition and growth and also prevents nipple damage, which can lead to pain and infection. The latch is the usually the first thing we evaluate when breastfeeding problems crop up, so it’s important to prioritize a good latch with every feeding. So let’s take a closer look at how to achieve a good latch. (Psst...keep reading until the end for access to my Ideal Latch Handout for free!)

The Keys to a Deep Latch:

Positioning:

Tummy to Tummy

Hold your baby so they face you, with their tummy in contact with yours and their hips stacked over their shoulders, keeping their spine in a straight line.

Support from the Neck

Hold your baby by supporting their neck, not their head, to give them the mobility they need to tilt their head back and open wide for a deep latch.

Hips Flexed and Feet Supported 

Tuck baby in closely and tightly, with their hips flexed, and avoid letting their feet dangle in the air. This gives baby a sense of stability and support while they attempt to latch. 

Nose to Nipple

Baby’s nose should be opposite your nipple allowing them to come up and over the nipple for a deeper latch.

Technique:

Bring Baby to Breast

Wait for baby to open their mouth wide. Avoid trying to put the breast into baby’s mouth, and instead bring the baby up onto the breast. Baby's chin should make contact with the breast first, then their upper lip reaches up and over the nipple.

Asymmetric Latch

Aim for a large mouthful of breast tissue, including the nipple and much of the areola. There should be more breast tissue in baby’s mouth on the lower side of nipple than the upper–this is called an asymmetric latch. 

Comfortable for You and Baby

The latch should not be painful. Some discomfort for a few seconds at the beginning of a feeding, especially in the beginning stages of breastfeeding, can be normal. But a consistently painful latch is not normal, and if not addressed it can lead to nipple damage as well as decreased feeding efficacy and efficiency. If the latch is painful, break the latch by gently inserting your finger into the corner of the baby’s mouth to break the suction, and then try again.

Continuously Evaluate, Readjust as Needed

Watch for signs of effective feeding such as rhythmic sucking and swallowing sounds. If your baby seems fussy or is not actively feeding, they may need to be repositioned or encouraged to latch again.

 

A Note on Breastfeeding Pillows:

Nursing pillows can be a major asset while breastfeeding to help support baby and get some of the pressure off of our arms and back, and many moms find them so helpful for positioning. But they can also be a hindrance to a successful latch, especially in the early days postpartum. Often the large, rounded shape of many nursing pillows makes keeping baby close and supported even more difficult, or they aren’t long enough to support baby’s whole body, leaving their legs dangling. Every nursing pillow has its own pros and cons, but there are a few that I recommend that I think are the most helpful in achieving a good latch. Check out my favorite nursing pillows below!

Shop my favorite nursing pillows here!

So now that we’ve laid out the keys to achieving a good latch, you’re probably wondering how to tell if your baby has a "good" latch. To help you with exactly that, I put together a downloadable Ideal Latch Handout to give you a visual of what to look for when evaluating your baby's latch--and you can get it FOR FREE by clicking the link below!👇🏽 Hopefully this helps you get your breastfeeding journey off to a good start and you feel more confident in your ability to latch your baby.

Download the Ideal Latch Handout!

Mastering the breastfeeding latch can be more difficult than it’s often made out to be on social media or on TV, which is why there is actually a whole section of my Mastering Bottle & Breastfeeding Course dedicated specifically to latching your baby. So if you’d like an even more in-depth look at the breastfeeding latch, or you have other feeding related questions that you’d like to learn more about, I’d love to see you in my course!

Access the Bottle & Breastfeeding Course Here!

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