Latching advice - 5 days old

[ShelleyI83]

I appreciate it is very early days. When DS latches he feeds really well. It doesn’t hurt and my milk is in. Issue we having is getting him to latch. It can take up to 30 minutes and at times he becomes hysterical. The next time he latches fine and feeds 10 - 15 minutes each side. What am I doing wrong? Thanks for reading.

It's early days.
Baby is still learning. I don't think you are doing anything wrong given that baby is feeding well.
Given time I think baby will figure it out - how to find the nipple easily, keeping hands out of the way etc but for now I think keep doing what you're doing.
Well done xx

Have a look at the flipple technique, I basically had to do a nipple sandwich at that age & they got the gist of it soon. It won’t last for ever but I know how frustrating it is trying to get them to latch!
Assuming baby has been checked for tongue tie & no issues there? He stays latched, it’s just the initial getting him on that’s tricky?

I used to follow advice on a leaflet, I'm sure you've seen it, nose to nipple, wide mouth, lips flexed out etc got myself comfy etc, and I went through it like a checklist for every feed...if it wasnt right I'd latch and start again, you are both learning and great that he is feeding once latched.

Thank you all so much. Yes he’s been checked for tongue tie and absolutely fine. He’s feeding so well once on. Satisfied, good latch, no pain etc….. he was born at 37+ 4 and when I’m waking him every 3 hours to feed or the evenings / night that’s when he is much harder to latch.

Mine didn't open their mouths wide enough sometimes.
Sounds mad but talk to him and tell him you want him to open his mouth wide "like this" and you open YOUR mouth and he will copy!
Didn't work every time but it felt like I was a least trying to help
He'll get the hang of it soon - well done though, sounds like you're doing brilliantly

I also used to move their mouths into the right position to make sure they were wide enough, just gently but I think when they are agitated it's easy for them to clamp on but if it's not quite right it causes problems later on.

This video from Dr Jack Newman might help, but like others have said, it's a new skill for both of you so don't get disheartened.

Are you getting any RL Support?

Just to echo what others have said, it sounds like you're doing great. It's a new skill for baby to learn and it gets easier all the time. I found this video very helpful when my baby was newborn. Good luck and congratulations!

The advice I got that helped me the most was to hold the nipple between forefinger and thumb and offer it like a biscuit.

Kathryn Stagg IBCLC on Instagram has so much helpful information on breastfeeding you're doing so well already, it does get easier with time

Feedeatspeak is another fab Instagram resource.

Good luck OP and congratulations on your new baby

How have you both got on today @ShelleyI83?