Why does he latch sometimes, but not others?

[pastrygirl]

My son is a week old today. He's been latching perfectly most of his life, which is incredible given how much trouble my older son had. But, sometimes when he tries to latch on he pops right off, and will keep doing this for up to half an hour before finally latching and staying on. Other times, he'll latch on and drink for 20 minutes without unlatching at all. The not-latching/popping off typically happens during the night, in side-lying positions. For the past couple of days, I've gone for a change of scenery -- changing his diaper and nursing in a different room instead of in bed -- that usually fixes whatever is wrong. Yet most of the time, he's just fine latching on side-lying and doesn't pop off until he's full. I don't get it. Anyone have any insight?

ETA: No gagging, choking, sputtering, so I don't think it's overactive letdown... He just latches on for a sec, doesn't suck, and pops off.

[bajamergrrl]

My DS is 7 weeks old now but during the early weeks we had similar issues. i think that sometimes newborns just need to relearn some things even if they were doing fine before. The side-lying position can be tricky and it took me a few weeks before DS and I got the hang of it.

[Epona]

When this has happened to my babes, it is usually in bed, and it's usually because my breast has actually gotten way from them, rather than them breaking their latch. They're sleepy, therefore their latch is little bit lazy, and if my breast slips, well then the latch breaks. Could this be your issue?

[pastrygirl]

Originally Posted by Epona

When this has happened to my babes, it is usually in bed, and it's usually because my breast has actually gotten way from them, rather than them breaking their latch. They're sleepy, therefore their latch is little bit lazy, and if my breast slips, well then the latch breaks. Could this be your issue?

I don't think so... I hold his head with one hand and my breast with the other, to make sure there's contact. Also, I'm still getting a tiny bit engorged, so I have to flatten my nipple area a bit so it fits in his mouth. At first I thought maybe the engorgement was a problem, but it's not a problem at other times. I guess maybe he is just learning and re-learning?

[Epona]

Originally Posted by pastrygirl

I don't think so... I hold his head with one hand and my breast with the other, to make sure there's contact. Also, I'm still getting a tiny bit engorged, so I have to flatten my nipple area a bit so it fits in his mouth. At first I thought maybe the engorgement was a problem, but it's not a problem at other times. I guess maybe he is just learning and re-learning?

Hmmmm, no idea!

Maybe just because he is sleepy? Or maybe because of the way his inner ear feels when he is lying down and nursing? Sucking a straw while laying on your side is different from when you're sitting up. Who knows.