struggling to latch on

[OffMyAyersRocker]

Dd2 had, what l thought was a good latch and sucking but she lost 13% of her birth weight by one week.

Then on day 7 she suddenly seemed to forget how to latch and she gets very distressed. With patience l can get her on and once she's on she is sucking fine.

I've had 3 mw and 1 hv say it looks good, but why is she struggling with the initial latch?

I'm going to a local breastfeeding clinic tomorrow but just wondered if anyone had any ideas?

Ask them to check for tongue tie. It is one of the most common issues preventing a good latch - and I really don't understand why every baby is not checked for it before leaving the hospital.

Thanks daluze. Would tt prevent initial latching but not affect her feeding once l get her on?

One mw looked and said she didn't think she had tt but l will get it checked tomorrow.

So frustrating!

Check for TT. DD's was missed by several midwives and bf supporters. Finally spotted by a lactation consultant/ TT specialist (I went private after bastard GP refused to refer me to the local NHS TT clinic).

I can recommend someone very good if you're in/ near London - pm me.

And yes, it's entirely possible that TT would prevent initial latching. And while it may feel like she's suckling well, she may not be efficiently getting the milk from the breast, hence the weight gain issue.

Best of luck!

Thanks City, I've sent you a pm.

As CityDweller said. As to specifically check for posterior tongue tie - these are more difficult to detect and not obvious that sucking is affected, however it can be less efficient (talking from experience with my boys...). Good luck!