When you’re expecting your first child, it’s hard not to feel anxiety about nearly every aspect of child-rearing, especially during those crucial first hours, days, and months. You know intellectually that your whole world is about to be turned upside down, but you can’t really prepare for everything that will be thrown at you until it is actually happening. Today, thankfully, we are going to cover something that you can readily prepare for long before the baby (or babies, shout out to mothers expecting multiples!) arrives: breastfeeding your newborn. Give us your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Tips For Getting A Good Latch
A lot of this will come naturally or instinctually, but as with everything, there are nuances that can help make or break a good feeding session. Here are some quick tips to help you navigate getting the best latch for your hungry little one:
- Make sure that your posture is comfortable for you and that your lower back especially has good support. Try feeding in a comfortable chair with a high back or on your bed with lots of pillows for support. Please make sure to have nice firm support to hold the baby so that the baby is not falling or sliding down. Gravity will work against the breastfeeding mother this way. Slightly reclining back will allow gravity to help. This is a great firm and supportive breastfeeding pillow.
- There’s no one “right” position for feeding your baby. Try a few different ones at first to see what is best for your baby and for you. Some positions include: football hold, cradle hold, and side-lying.
- Guide your baby’s head to the nipple in a “nose to nipple” direction. Point their little nose straight at the center of the nipple and then position their mouth at the very center.
- Hold your breast in a “C-Hold” position to more easily guide it to your baby’s mouth, which is especially helpful for mothers with larger breasts.
- Time it just right for when your baby’s mouth is in a wide open or gaping position before bringing them to the breast. If their mouth is already open and ready, then getting them to latch and in position properly is much easier than trying when their mouth is closed.
- Assist baby with compressions while they are at the breast. Using an upside down ‘U’ shape, hold the breast tissue up higher on the breast. This will prevent baby from sliding down and losing their latch by compressing too close to the nipple.
When to Seek Help
Every mother has struggles with breastfeeding their newborn. If you find yourself in this position and nothing you’re doing seems to work, know that you are not alone and that there are tons of great resources out there designed to help you. If you are struggling with breastfeeding, a private practice IBCLC is the best resource to get immediate help.
Before You Go
We hope you enjoyed learning about tips for navigating breastfeeding and latching. If you would like to know more about this, our sleep learning, consulting or training programs or any of our excellent newborn care services or overnight newborn care, we are happy to help. Just contact us and we can go over your options and help you find the best path for your little one.
We hope these tips have helped you along your journey. If you have any questions about helping your baby to sleep better, or about your baby in general, please reach out to us HERE. We are experts in all things baby and sleep and would love to help!
Katie B.
Expertise You Need:
- Certified Master Pediatric Sleep Consultant
- Certified Advanced Newborn Care Specialist (2016-2022)
- Board Certified Holistic Healthcare Practitioner
- 16 years professional childcare experience
- Certified Postpartum Doula (2015-2022)
- Travel & ROTA Nanny
Katie has over 16 years experience working with children of all ages. As a Pediatric Sleep Consultant and Newborn Care Specialist, she has professionally supported families and babies worldwide over the last 10 years. Her mission is to help the entire family unit get better sleep, utilizing a holistic approach that supports the baby or child’s natural biologic drive to sleep. She has personally served hundreds of families, holds 20,000+ hours exclusively caring for infants & babies and has 69+ 5-⭐️ Google reviews.
