Small baby latching

[Lxii62]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice please!

My baby girl is 16 days old today and breastfeeding has been up and down for us. We combi feed currently and so she has 1-2 bottles of formula a day.

She seems to latch okay on the right side but on the left side I think she struggles to get a deep latch. I know she's drinking and swallowing whilst feeding and appears "satisfied" when coming off so I think she's getting enough milk. She was born at 37 weeks weighing just under 2.5kg (5lb 7oz) but has been putting weight on well since birth and was above her birth weight again on day 10 weigh-in.

On my left, she often makes a "clicking" sound when feeding and my nipple has the "lipstick" appearance when she's done which I know both indicate a shallow latch. I try to unlatch and relatch her, I use flipple method and wait for a really big mouth but it doesn't seem to have any impact on how she latches. I wonder if it's just that her mouth is so small and she struggles to take in a mouthful? I have quite small breasts so even using flipple there isn't loads for her to get her mouth around! Has anyone had a similar experience? I'm wondering if her latch will just improve as she grows bigger?

Had the same experience with a small baby, it did improve with her growth and also using the 'laid back' feeding position and 'side lying' too.

Is there a breastfeeding cafe or support group near you?

You could try using one of those think silicone nipple shields on that side - I had pretty much the same problem and using the shield for a while allowed little one to "learn" what he was meant to be doing! Slowly got rid of it and was plain sailing after that.

Try to get some in person support - either a private IBCLC or ask your health visitor what's available nearby. Try different positions and tiny micro adjustments while feeding (like moving their body a little bit while remaining latched on to change the angle a bit).

it will get easier as she gets bigger. If she has a preference for which side she is lying on then it’s worth trying a rugby ball hold to get her on the other boob but on her preferred side. Skin to skin also helps, and trying to get her on before she’s screaming hungry!

you will get there!

I had exactly the same with DS who was 5lb4 born, and dropped to 5lb after 5 days.
we supplemented by tube for the first five days but by day 10 we’re fully breastfeeding - his latch was poor for a while though - until he grew a bit. Flipple and rugby ball hold both helped.

The rugby hold can help a bit too, they're sort of in the same position they would be on the opposite breast.