Comfortable and good breastfeeding is accomplished with an effective latch. There should not be any pain when a baby is latched, although you may feel some discomfort as this is new to you and your body! Babies who are latched well should effectively drain the breast, training your breast on how much milk to make and reducing risk of plugged ducts and mastitis.
Here are some tips for achieving a good, comfortable, effective latch:
- Make sure you have enough pillows around you to help you support baby’s weight and your arms
- If you are feeding in the cross cradle position (across your body), be sure the baby is tummy to tummy with you and his ears, shoulder, and hip are in alignment
- Cup or “sandwhich” your breast so that baby can get a large mouthful
- Point your nipple to the baby’s nose and wait for him to gape with a big open mouth, then bring him on
- Alternatively, some moms find that holding their breast and running their nipple from upper lip to chin teases the baby and gets him to open nicely, then bring him on
See the video below for a nice demonstration of this.
If you have any questions around nipple or breast pain or you aren’t sure if you are getting a good latch, contact Simply the Breast to reach your local lactation consultant today!
Simply the Breast provides lactation consulting services to Ventura County… Contact us today for your lactation support.
