Advice on latching on, getting baby to tilt head back?

[arewethereyet]

Help! My 18 day old DD can't seem to latch on properly and I don't know how much longer I can feed her like this. She doesn't seem to open her mouth wide enough and tilt her head back enough. When she does latch on, her nose is covered by my (too large ) breast and she ends up pulling back a little off the breast to take a breath; she then repositions painfully herself on my nipple. I pull her off and the whole thing starts again, and we both end up crying. This happens regardless of which position I hold her in. I've tried speaking to bf councillors and they advise changing position, but it doesn't seem to help. She is filling her nappies and so is somehow getting enough milk , but it is just so sore and takes hours per feed. Does anyone have any advice on how to make this any better?

[puppydavies]

have you tried pulling her whole body back towrads the armpit furthest from the boob you're feeding from? there are videos on breastfeeding.com that i found really helpful, including one on this i'm sure.

congrats on dd

[knifewieldingtoddler]

here also have latching videos.

have you tried feeding lying down? there are two ways to try: breastcrawl and side by side, lying down. this way, your baby can let baby latch on with minimal help from you so you can rebuild your confidence.

someone with big norks will come along with more practical info soon, i'm sure.

[Pickie]

my DD had the same problem only she couldnt turn her head left so couldnt latch on properly. We went to a cranial osteopath who explained as she was born so quickly she didnt have time to postition her neck correctly and after only one treatment she was much better and a much happier baby (and mother). Onlw saw him twice and all was solved.

[knifewieldingtoddler]

i have found this and this may be helpful too.

[puppydavies]

was wrong is in shift to asymmetric-1 on jack newman site. other vids there worth watching too. i found that to get dd2 to open wider stroking the nipple along her top lip from one corner to the other always did the trick when she was tiny.

[puppydavies]

have you spoken to counsellor on phone or in person? in person best if at all possible.

[arewethereyet]

Thanks very much for the suggestions, will have a look at the videos now. I've spoken to a counsellor on the phone, and had advice from a midwife in person but not at home, so I felt she couldn't see what the problem was like in the places/positions where I normally feed (still in that 'don't feel comfortable feeding outside of home' stage).

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

My baby was like this to start with. Try feeding in the football hold position with baby lying next to you, feet towards the back of the chair, supported by pillows and a v pillow. Hold your baby tight with your hand supporting the back of her head/neck. Use your other hand to hold your breast while you latch her on. Your boob won't smother her nose in that position either (a problem here too)

If she isn't opening her mouth wide enough, one thing you can try is gently pinching your nipple and the underneath part of the areola into a little horizontal sandwich so you can get the optimum amount of nipple in her mouth while it isn't fully open. Theory being she should then naturally open up as she sucks. It worked for us until ds learnt to open his mouth wider.

[Davidsmom]

I had terrible problems getting my ds to latch on properly for a number of reasons. I have largish breasts and had to support them while feeding so as not to smother him. There are many techniques to improve a latch but it is almost impossible to describe them acurately.The midwives kept telling me he was latched on well but it was soooooo painful and I used to dread feeds. I cried loads, phoned helplines, watched videos and struggled to find a breastfeeding counsellor who would come to see me at home but found one eventually. It was by far the best thing I ever did and am still breastfeeding him (in comfort!)5 months later.


You have done so well to carry on despite the pain, it really does get better!

PS One thing I found when the latch improved was I spent a much shorter time feeding which improved the pain no end. Average feed approx 1 1/2 hours initially.