Lactation Consultant

Is there anything more frustrating than your newborn seemingly refusing your wonderful gift of milk? Getting your baby to latch can be a huge challenge and one that can make or break your nursing career. There are lots of different things to try so I will list a few as well as share stories of friends who struggled with an evasive latch.

There are a few reasons why a baby might not latch:

1. The flow of milk is better in one breast than the other.

2. The baby is more comfortable in a certain position.

3. The shape of the breast/nipple is really rounded, making latching difficult.

4. They prefer the feel and flow of a bottle nipple

Just as there are a few causes of latch aversion, there are a few techniques you can try:

1. Squeeze or pump beforehand to get your milk dripping/flowing. Dripping or squirting some milk into their rooting mouth will really motivate them to latch and get more of the good stuff!

2. Try a variety of positions: traditional, football, laying down. Also, don’t touch baby on the back of the head while nursing. They have a reflex trigger back there that irritates them. Try to position your hand to touch only the sides of their head, under the ears.

3. If you have a particularly shallow, small, or inverted nipple you can try a silicon nipple shield. This will cause your nipple to be sucked into the shape of the shield and deliver milk with a more substantial nipple. Eventually you want to wean off of it (because it’s kind of a pain and inconvenient) although I have heard of women using the shield for a year or more! Also, if your breasts are really rounded, like mine, it might be like trying to latch to a volleyball. In this case, you can grab your breast with one hand and smoosh it like a big stacked sandwich you’re trying to take a bite of. This will make the shape less round and your nipple/areola more accessible and easily taken into their mouth. This took lots of practice but I eventually figured out that using both hands was key and that I shouldn’t be afraid to really grab ahold of myself or the baby. Can sometimes seem kind of rough but that doesn’t last forever as eventually they learn to latch on without your help!

4. Some babies who receive supplementation early on (for whatever reason) have a hard time getting on the real thing. I suggest you don’t use bottles or pacifiers until you and the baby have established a good latch for a few weeks. Again, if this is the problem, you can pump or massage your breasts ahead of time to make sure you have a good let down. The baby will be motivated by a good flow and latch more willingly.

5. A baby that isn’t latching can sometimes get frustrated at the breast and give up quickly. You can practice latching after they have something in their bellies so they aren’t as cranky.

Amina never successfully got her baby to latch on the right side so she only nursed him on her left. She jokes about the large size of her uni-lactating breast and said the other shrank back to pre-pregnancy size. While it was inconvenient for her bras, the one side produced more than enough to successfully nurse her child for an entire year!

Laura’s baby had been given a bottle of formula in the hospital because they were worried about his blood sugar (that’s a whole other can of worms, don’t get me started!). When they brought baby home, he refused to latch and would only take bottles of pumped milk. Totally frustrated, she almost resigned to the fact that she would just have to pump all of his milk for an entire year. In a last ditch effort, she massaged her breast, squeezed out a few drops and aimed her nipple at the top of his mouth, instead of in the middle as she had been doing…presto! He latched on and they haven’t looked back!

Whatever your latching issue, contact a recommended, experienced LC and don’t give up because it will eventually happen!