need advice for poor latching on

[karenh]

I'm sure this has been a topic before, but I went back a ways and couldn't find anything. DS is 8 weeks old and still won't open his mouth big enough for a good latch. He's gaining weight well and has lots of wet diapers so I know he's getting enough, but I can hear the clicking and slurping as he's breaking the seal. He's also very gassy - lots of writhing around trying to get the farts out, and big burps. When I do get him to latch well at first, as soon as my milk lets down he backs off the nipple just enough to be latched on at the end of my nipple instead of around the whole areola. Sometimes I try repositioning him at that point, but I don't have the heart to repeatedly pull him of to re-position. Any suggestions?

[samuelsmom]

Sounds like you may have a pretty strong let-down that he's trying to cope with. Sometimes having him nurse until the let down, then taking him off and catching the milk in a cloth diaper until it slows down and then re-latching him may help. Or, if he's upset by having to stop nursing, hand expressing or pumping through the first letdown and then nursing may help him handle the amount of milk better. It might be worth a try! HTH!

[2Late2BCreative]

Totally agree with samuelsmom, sounds like it could be a strong let down for him to handle. RE: the latch, you could try to gently but firmly use your thumb on his chin to press his jaw open a bit more during a nursing. That could help in getting a better latch with out breaking the latch. Try not to be too hesitant to break the latch in order to get a better latch on bc you don't want to get him into the habit of a poor latch that results in sore nipples for you. Better to work on it now before it worsens. HTH. Good luck!

[mariag]

sounds like the same challenges my friend is having whose baby is tongue-tied. You might go to kellymom.com and read over the info there and see if it fits your situation.

good luck

[Jacob'smomma]

One thing I did to help with the latch was to squirt a bit of breastmilk on my nipple prior to latching. This seem to help encourage my daughter to open her mouth since she had a taste for the milk ahead of time.

[Momtwice]

If at all possible I'd try to get help in person from a La Leche League leader or a board-certified lactation consultant.

There used to be some good little movie clips on the home page of http://www.breastfeeding.com of latching on.

Also, have you tried
http://www.kellymom.com

[Muaile]

Hi there!
I just read your post and couldn't believe it! It was as if I had written it, I have a three month old son , and its been a battle since the beginning with his latching on, like you my milk would seem to come too quickly, he'd wriggle around, fussy and then pull back to a position which would make him slurp suck and the dreaded CLICKING!!!
I did everything, bf counsellors online and on the phone, la leche meetings... the lot.
He was, like your baby, putting on weight, good nappies but very gassy.
I had myself in a tizzy... this is wrong and I'm a failure, I used to get angry with him when he'd pull his head back...

Then I just decided to ignore the books etc... if he is thriving then thats all that matters. Unles syou are in pain? One thing I did that helped was lean back when I was feeding him to slow down the milk. And I also encouraged him to suck his thumb which meant he only fed when he was really hungry and so would suck like mad and we'd get a good latch.



My son, Joe, is 3 months now, and a noisy little guy! I get tuttuts from breastfeeding friends when they hear the clicks and slurps but Joe is heavier than their babies... its second nature now, no frustration, just great! It will for you two too.

At the end of the day, if there were no books we'd all just get on with it and no one would think it wasn't working.

I'd love to hear how you get on, I just wish I had of known about these forums when I was having probs with Joe...

Let me know how you get on...

Lisa