Latching help!!!

[Urchin]

My friend has a 3.5 week old baby.

The first 2 weeks he was great at breastfeeding, she had fed her older child too so is quite experienced.
Suddenly, a week or so ago, his latch just went out the window, she got thrush, cracked nipples and has been really really struggling.

I have helped her with positioning, and she had had breastfeeding counselors coming round, plus her HV and midwife and me all trying to help as much as we can
She has been to the breastfeeding cafe etc but his latch is just not happening anymore

He makes a "big mouth" so she gets him on the breast but he just sucks the very tip of her nipple so hard it goes white.
He can obviously get milk this way, but her nipples are killing her!

She knows what his latch should be like, but I feel a bit helpless cos all the advice I can give her just can't get him latching right.
Is there ANYTHING at all I can tell her which might help? Any useful websites?

Is it just he needs practice? Her poor nipples

 

[charlie84]

I dont know whether it would help but has she considered nipple shields.

to your friend

 

[Urchin]

Yeah she has tired them but they are not helping to teach him how to latch
She's at the end of her tether

 

[Tasha20]

Urchin when she puts him on the breast and he opens his mouth, she need to keep her hand on his head and put her thump on one side of the jaw and finger on the other.

This makes them open their mouth more, so as shes putting him on get her to do that so he has it open for longer so he gets all of it in his mouth.

To prevent him them going onto just the nipple, she needs to keep her hand in that position holding his head and as he trys to come off, get her to do it again.

He needs to be retrained, holding him facing the body too while doing this should help.

She needs to keep doing it and he should go back to doing it properly.

Also get her to use plenty of Lanisinoh for her nips

Hes just got lazy thats all, typical man

 

[Tasha20]

You may not of understood what I meant, I just re read it.

She cups the back of his head with her hand, thunp on one side of the jaw (by the ear) and the index finger on the other, pushing slightly will get him to open, if she does this while latching and when he trys to slip off to the nipple it should get him to latch on properly. She will proberly have to keep doing it until he does it himself.

 

[Tasha20]

Oh and get her to squeeze the breast with the other hand (near the nipple) so its flatter.

She could also try doing this while doing a football hold if hes totaly refusing.

 

[locust]

hello

can I suggest http://www.biologicalnurturing.com and go through to the how to .. however please look at this leaflet too .. it looks far more comfortable and is definatly the way forward in making breastfeeding feel more natrual and less painful


Edit : the last link didnt work but is a fantastic article can I send it to you somehow?

 

[jills10uk]

i hold josh's head with one hand and alot of my boob in the other and when he opens his mouth wide i shove as much of my boob into his mouth as possible and if it isn't right i take him off and start again... very technical!!!. he had got into a lazy phase where he didnt open his mouth very wide so i kept on not giving him the boob until he opened his mouth wide and he is back to form again.