How to Set a Shallow Latch

If your baby has a shallow latch, breastfeeding tin can be downright painful and your baby may not get enough milk.

Painful breastfeeding and low milk transfer? Sounds terrible, right? It'southward non wonder a expert latch is the foundation to successful breastfeeding!

Simply fright not, mama, even if your infant DOES have a shallow latch, there are things you lot tin do to fix information technology and assist them latch more than deeply.

Some top lactation consultants from around the world share their all-time advice on how you lot can fix a shallow latch to help you achieve your breastfeeding goals.

Lactation consultants share how to fix a shallow latch

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Wait for Baby to open wide

"It's called breastfeeding instead of nipple feeding for a reason!  If infant doesn't have plenty breast tissue in his/her oral cavity your nipple can be pinched and fifty-fifty sustain damage.

Waiting for baby to open wide can exist a huge lifesaver! If you feel constant nipple pinching while nursing, seek out help!"

-Lindsey Shipley, IBCLC at Lactation Link

If your nipples are sore, these are an accented lifesaver. They're super cheap, tin be worn for multiple days (perfect when yous're trying to get a proficient latch), and are soooo soothing.

Pare-to-pare and certain positions promote the baby'due south innate power to latch.

"A "shallow" latch has many sources and sometimes simple changes in positioning can meliorate or even eliminate this common complaint.

Peel-to-pare and positions like laid-back or side-lying promote the babe'due south innate power to search and discover the nipple, and latch themselves by opening wide and extending the head to achieve a deeper and more comfortable latch.

Also it'southward important when you're "latching" the baby (in positions like cantankerous cradle or football game concord) to bring him or her into the chest rather than hunching over and holding your infant at the breast, which can stop up with the infant sliding downwardly onto just the nipple.

If the latch "looks proficient" even to a professional, but information technology still hurts you, or the baby is having issues such as sleeping through the feed, feeding very ofttimes or for long periods of fourth dimension, non gaining well, etc., it's probably a good idea to accept a thorough cess done by a qualified and experienced IBCLC to dominion out reasons other than positioning for a shallow latch."

-Laura Coulter, CNM, MS, IBCLC at Chicago Lactation Consultants

A deep asymmetrical latch needs to be shown and takes do.

Watch the Deep Latch Technique below…

-Nicky Pemberton, IBCLC

Visualize a hungry baby bird!

"To help encourage a deep latch, make sure baby'southward mouth is opened wide. Visualize a hungry baby bird!

Gently touch your nipple to baby'southward mouth to trigger the response. At the widest point, quickly bring baby to chest and latch with every bit much in the mouth every bit possible. Try again if necessary."

-Teresa Carroll, MS, RD, LD, IBCLC at NuAngel, Inc.

If the latch is shallow, unlatch, then try once more

"Make sure you're comfortable and baby is both stable and comfortable.

If the latch is shallow, unlatch, so attempt to latch again aiming nipple toward babe's nose, rather than straight into their oral cavity.

Bring baby's chin and lower lip into contact with the chest first."

If needed, compress your breast by making a U shape with your hand.

"First, ensure baby is making full body contact with y'all and y'all're reclined and comfortable.

Then make sure baby is positioned with the chin toward the breast, head slightly tilted dorsum, and your nipple above infant'south upper lip. If needed, y'all can compress your breast by making a U shape with your hand.

You need to brand sure your fingers won't impact baby'south face as this can stimulate them to close their mouth. The key is to brand sure baby does the work of the wide gape and you wait for babe to self-latch in this position."

Think of your chest like a big sandwich.

"I always think of a latch like how I may take a deep bite.  I cannot take a seize with teeth of, say a sandwich, without creating a "base" for my oral fissure.  That same concept applies to obtaining a deep latch at the breast.

Think of your breast similar a big sandwich and compress the chest tissue behind the areola where the babies' olfactory organ and chin are to create that ledge.  Compressing the tissue allows the infant to use that base to get that deeper latch.

Don't let your infant slurp in your nipple and always attempt get them to open wide by tickling your nipple to their oral cavity."

-Nicole Kekesi RD, IBCLC, RLC at The Breastfeeding Resource Center at Virtua

if baby is still struggling, try the 'Flipple Technique'

Need more aid with your infant'southward lach? Check out this blog post where IBCLCs share their favorite latch tricks!

How to fix a shallow latch - advice from IBCLCs

Summary of IBCLCs advice on what to practice if your baby has a shallow latch:

  1. Wait for baby to open wide

  2. Effort skin-to-skin and laid-back breastfeeding

  3. Try the deep latch technique

  4. Visualize a hungry infant bird

  5. If the latch is shallow, unlatch, then try over again

  6. If needed, shrink your breast by making a U shape with your hand

  7. Call up of your breast similar a big sandwich

  8. If baby is still struggling, effort the 'Flipple Technique'