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The Right Latch
Top Tips for Breastfeeding Success!
1. Use asymmetrical latch techniques and correct positioning every time! This will prevent sore nipples and increase milk supply better than anything else! Experiment with different positions, don't get stuck using only one. Babies drain milk from different parts of the breast with different positions. Click here for more information on asymmetrical latch and positioning.
2. Get professional help early on! What happens the first two weeks of your baby’s life matter the most and will set you up for optimal milk production for years to come! Visit with an IBCLC early on to make sure you and your baby are set up for success!
3. Use breast compressions while nursing! Gentle squeezing and massaging help babies get more milk faster! It also keeps baby active at the breast which means you and baby can be more efficient and thorough at each session.
4. Learn how to know if baby is getting enough milk. Watch for nutritive sucking and pauses in babies suck patterns. You can tell if baby is transferring milk by watching what baby does at the breast. Click here for more information.
5. Practice hand expression a lot in the first three weeks! This is magic and will help your milk to continue to increase in volume daily and set you up for a full supply later on.
6. Never give up on a bad day! Breast feeding should be enjoyable and a wonderful experience! It takes time for you and your baby to learn each other and get into a rhythm of success. Give it at least three weeks- and get some professional help then make decisions after that.
7. Always offer both breasts at each feeding - We like to remind moms to offer one breast as appetizer + dinner, then offer the other breast as desert.
8. Feed your baby on demand at least 10 or more times in 24 hours! Watch for early feeding cues and do not follow a schedule. Regardless of what others say, you cannot spoil a newborn baby. Keeping baby close and feeding on demand will increase your hormone levels and in turn increase your milk supply. It's a win win for baby and mom.
What are the most common misconceptions about breastfeeding?
That breastfeeding is naturally painful. Breastfeeding should not be painful; in fact, sore nipples (and sore breasts) are signs that a baby is not latching on well. Although ointment can help, it should be considered a temporary solution only. (Read more about pain during breastfeeding here.) Many lactation consultants believe that difficulty latching to the point of pain for the mother is evidence of a tongue tie,a condition that is believed to cause a less-than-adequate latch. However, many health professionals are skeptical that tongue ties exists or don’t believe it leads to breastfeeding problems.
That breastfeeding means a baby will want to eat much more frequently than a baby who is bottle fed. This comes from the notion that a baby is necessarily getting milk from the breast if he is latched on and making sucking movements. When it’s established that the baby is actually getting milk, he or she will eat about as frequently as a botttle-fed baby. How does one know if a baby is getting milk from the breast? Watch these videos of a baby drinking well, a baby nibblingand a baby ‘borderline’ drinking, read the accompanying, and then watch the videos again.
That breastfeeding and bottle-feeding require the same function in babies. In fact, a baby does something completely different at the breast than while bottle feeding, even if there is breastmilk in the bottle.
That mothers should breastfeed on just one side so the baby gets the ‘high fat milk.’ Feeding from both breasts is recommended and can help prevent a decrease in milk supply.”