5 tips to help get a good latch

What is a good latch?

When talking about breastfeeding, “latch” refers to how your baby is attached to your breast. A good latch is one that is comfortable for both mum and baby (not painful!) and allows your baby to suck well and transfer milk from your breast to their mouth. Not sure if your baby is transferring milk well? Check out this blog post.

Here are 5 tips to help your baby to get a good latch:

1. Tummy to tummy

When you’re getting your baby into position before latching, make sure their tummy is right up against yours with no space (or their arms) in between you both. This will help bub to feel stable and helps to trigger their feeding instincts.

2. Head tipped back

Position your baby so that they have to tip their head back a little to get their mouth to the nipple. If you’re using the cradle hold position (the traditional breastfeeding position), you may need to move bub back towards your midline (towards their feet). 

3. Nipple to nose

Position your baby so that your nipple is close to your baby’s nose. This will ensure that their head is tipped back and that they are in a good position to come to the breast chin first and get a good mouthful of breast, rather than just the nipple in their mouth.

4. Chin digging into breast

Your baby’s chin touching the breast is a trigger for them to open their mouth nice and wide. Using the positioning tips above, your baby should lead with their chin when you bring them to the breast. Once they are latched, your baby’s chin should be digging into your breast.

5. Nose clear

Your baby’s nose should be clear of the breast, not squished into the breast. If your baby’s nose is squished, try moving them towards your midline (towards baby’s feet) so that tip their head back further. This will also get the chin digging into the breast more.

All of these principles apply no matter which position you use – cradle hold or side lying position. Usually practicing all the above steps will result in a “deep latch” where the angle between your baby’s top and bottom jaw is wide and the nipple is drawn deep into their mouth to the line where the hard palate (the roof of the mouth at the front) meets the soft palate (the roof of the mouth at the back) so the nipple isn’t getting squished against the hard parts of bub’s mouth. Although, it doesn’t always matter what it looks like. If your baby is breastfeeding well (as in the link shared above (also HERE) then it doesn’t really matter what it looks like. Along the same lines, if you’re in excruciating pain (or any pain for that matter) and all your health professionals are telling you “the latch looks fine”, IT IS NOT FINE! Breastfeeding should NOT be painful!

If you’ve followed all the steps above and breastfeeding is still painful for you OR your baby isn’t gaining enough weight OR you’ve been told you have a low supply with no reason as to why, please get some help from an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) ASAP!