Latching On

Baby led attachment can really help you with latching on your baby. It really primes their breastfeeding reflexes so that they open their mouth wider and stick out their tongue. I tried baby led latch when my little guy was born and it didn't work for us because the labour had been too long and we were both exhausted.

I later found out that I could have tried it again (if only I'd known perhaps I would have avoided a month of painful breastfeeding.... oh well, hindsight! learn from my mistakes!!)

If baby led attachment doesn't improve your baby's latching on you can still use a few other methods that I've got videos for on this page, so lots of options!!

Watching videos of babies latching on can

help you to improve your latch

• See a good and a bad latch so you know what you're looking for
• Baby Led Attachment
• Breast Crawl in a One Hour Old (This is another name for baby led attachment)
• Learn About the Asymmetric Latch if baby led attachment doesn't work for you (See below)
• Learn How to Shape the Nipple for Your Newborn if your baby still isn't opening their mouth wide enough (See the Bottom of this Page)
• See How your Breastfeeding Positioning and Attachment are easy to change

Click Here to Share YOUR Latching On Experience and read others

Click here to see Six Different Breastfeeding Positions

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Learn the Asymmetric Latch for
Good Drainage of the Milk

The most important parts to get right with latching on your baby are:

• Your baby's nose not their mouth is in line with your nipple so they can attach asymmetrically
• Bring your baby to your breast not your breast to your baby
• Don't restrict your baby's head movements, support them from their body

Getting your baby attached with an asymmetric latch is an easy way of making sure they get more of the areola in their mouth rather than just the nipple. An asymmetric latch means that the baby's lower lip is further over the areola than the top lip. This is important because it means the tongue can push on the area containing milk rather than just rubbing the nipple.

In the video above the important parts to remember are:

• The baby is on her side, with her stomach against the mother's
• The nipple is gently rubbed over the baby's top lip
• The mother waits for a big wide mouth
• The baby is then brought closer to the breast
• The baby's chin touches the breast and her nose doesn't
• More of the areola is covered by her bottom lip than her top lip
• The baby's head is able to lean back a little so the mouth can open wide

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Shaping the Nipple

Some newborns don't open their mouths very wide which causes problems getting enough of the areola in their mouth so that the mother's nipple isn't damaged during breastfeeding.

Shaping the nipple can make it easier to get more in their mouth. This doesn't work for everyone, but is worth knowing in case it is something that works for you.

• Place your a finger on either side of your nipple so that you can flatten the areola to fit more easily into your baby's mouth
• Position your baby on your other arm so that the nipple is in line with their nose
• Wait for the baby to open their mouth wide, move your nipple out of range of their mouth until they do
• Once baby's mouth is open wide allow the nipple to come into their mouth

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If you are still needing some other quality videos, Jack Newman's breastfeeding website is excellent. A internationally renowned pediatrician from Canada, Dr Newman's job sees him helping new mothers with breastfeeding difficulties daily.

Back to Breastfeeding Babies Home Page from Latching On