breastfeeding OUCH

Kathy - posted on 12/24/2009

The trick to breastfeeding is getting the baby to latch on well. A baby who latches on well, gets milk well. A baby who latches on poorly has more difficulty getting milk, especially if the supply is low. A poor latch is similar to giving a baby a bottle with a nipple hole that is too small—the bottle is full of milk, but the baby will not get much. When a baby is latching on poorly, he may also cause the mother nipple pain. And if he does not get milk well, he will usually stay on the breast for long periods, thus aggravating the pain. Unfortunately anyone can say that the baby is latched on well, even if he isn’t. Too many people who should know better just don’t know what a good latch is. Here are a few ways breastfeeding can be made easy:

1. A proper latch is crucial to success. This is the key to successful breastfeeding. Unfortunately, too many mothers are being "helped" by people who don’t know what a proper latch is. If you are being told your two day old’s latch is good despite your having very sore nipples, be sceptical, and ask for help from someone else who knows. Before you leave the hospital, you should be shown that your baby is latched on properly, and that he is actually getting milk from the breast and that you know how to know he is getting milk from the breast (open mouth wide—pause—close mouth type of suck). See also the websites www.breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml for videos on how to latch a baby on (as well as other videos). If you and the baby are leaving hospital not knowing this, get experienced help quickly (see handout When Latching). Some staff in hospital will tell mothers that if the breastfeeding is painful, the latch is not good (usually true), so that the mother should take the baby off and latch him on again. This is not a good idea. The pain usually settles, and the latch should be fixed on the other side or at the next feeding. Taking the baby off the breast and latching him on again and again only multiplies the pain and the damage.
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/01startin...

Katie - posted on 12/23/2009

When I took my prenatal course we watched a video about BFing. I think it had a lot to do with my success with it when my son was born. It did hurt a bit at first but because of the video I had seen, I knew just what a proper latch should look like and always unlatched and relatched my son if he wasn't on properly. Continuing to feed with an improper latch can be painful and lead to cracked nipples:( Here's a link I found to a page with some video clips on BFing...



http://www.drjacknewman.com/video-clips....



Watch the two at the bottom of the page tiled 'nibbling' and, 'really good drinking'. Pay close attention to the pause during the sucking in the 'really good drinking' video. Hope that helps:) Good luck!

Melissa - posted on 12/23/2009

Hi Katrina, I know a bad latch can hurt a lot! I had some difficulties as well (along with sore nipples) and wen't to a few lactation consultants for some help. Here's what helped me:



Positioning: make sure you are comfortable and not hunched over, you want to bring the baby to your breast, not the other way around. I have an obusforme breastfeeding pillow that wraps around me and makes things a lot easier!



Patience: I know its so tempting to just bring the baby to your breast when they cry and let them begin to nurse but this can cause a bad latch and sore nipples. Bring the baby to your breast and point your nipple towards their nose. Depending on the position you nurse in you may have to use your hand to make this happen.

Wait for the WIDE open mouth and then bring baby CHIN FIRST into your breast to ensure that they take as much areaola into their mouth as possible instead of just the nipple tip.



Think of the way you would try to eat a massive hamburger, you wouldnt go straight into it, you would let it rest on your bottom teeth and then bring your mouth around the top. That is the same idea I found helpful to keep in mind while nursing.



I hope this helps a little and things get better for you soon!! :)