Breastfeeding will be so much easier if you go in knowing just how to help your baby latch on. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not an instinct for the baby to just know how to latch.
And it’s certainly not as easy as just sticking your baby on the boob and letting them suckle. It takes a very specific technique and not knowing this technique can lead to serious consequences.
Not understanding how to latch could cause horrible sore nipples that feel like they’re on fire, frustration for both you and your baby, milk that comes in late, or a low supply right from the start.
***Want Breastfeeding Freebies?!You can get them with the coupon code ” Thislittlenest22 ” that was created with each company just for my readers. Yes! They’re really free so check it out!!
So it’s important to go in knowing what you’re doing. Also, you cannot rely on the hospital staff helping you out. Sometimes they can help but at other facilities, you might find they’d just rather stick a bottle in the baby’s mouth and not be bothered by your attempts at breastfeeding. Sad but true.
I’m going to give you some helpful information below but the best way to learn to breastfeed is to take a quick and cheap Breastfeeding course that uses video to demonstrate the exact technique you need.
There’s a video course called Milkology that’s only $19 and it will teach you everything you need to know in less than three hours. It’s a very popular course and many women have found great success with it. You can see it here. She also has a pumping course and you can find that here.
I also have a free breastfeeding Course you can sign up for below:
Ok, let’s go over how to get the perfect latch every time.
This post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
How To Get The Perfect Latch Right Away
Pin It On Pinterest For Later!
Begin By helping your baby get his ( or her ) mouth wide open. Then You’ll place your nipple in the baby’s mouth.
Here’s how:
move baby toward the breast, touch top lip against the nipple
move mouth away just a bit then touch top lip against nipple again, move away again
repeat until your baby opens her mouth very wide in a receiving way
When he opens his mouth wide with the chin dropped and tongue down, he should latch on to the nipple.
Put his lower lip on the very bottom of your nipple an put it in his mouth.
Try to get as much of the lower portion of the areola (the area around the nipple) in the baby’s mouth.
The baby’s chin should indent the lower portion of your breast.
She should have a large portion of nipple and areola in her mouth from the bottom lip up.
***Taking a prenatal course is the single most proactive thing you can do to prepare your body and mind for what’s to come. There’s a great online course you can take in the comfort of your home that was created by a labor and delivery nurse named Hillary. It’s very popular and the first part of it is totally free. You can sign up for free right here.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, Even with a good latch you are going to get really sore in the very beginning, But it’s not as bad as some might have you believe.
For the first few weeks when the baby latches on it will burn pretty intensely, but the good news is that it fades after about 20 seconds and you won’t feel that pain again until the next feeding. If you don’t get that latch right from the beginning this pain will go on and on and that’s when most moms give up. Don’t be that mom.
Breast shells and nipple shields will also minimize the pain you feel great so you’ll be able to concentrate on helping your babe more.
This information should get you headed in the right direction. But again, there’s a lot to learn about breastfeeding and getting a deep latch so make sure you are fully educated going in to save yourself from pain and disappointment.
I hope this helps!
If you loved this post or think it could help another mama it would be awesome if you’d share it with your friends. You can save it to Pinterest below with the special images I created or you can share with one of the buttons to the left, top or bottom.
Pin It On Pinterest For Later With This Special Image!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can have a look at my Disclosure here.
Breastfeeding is so rewarding and the bond that is created between mother and infant is indescribable.
But there’s no doubt that breastfeeding isn’t easy in the beginning. It’s painful to start and if your hospital doesn’t have a good lactation expert you may be totally lost on what to do.
Most imagine that you just stick the baby on the boob and that’s all that it takes but it’s wayyy more difficult than that.
I should know, I’ve breastfed three babies, each time past two years old and I’ve experienced it all. I have loved every second of it though and I love helping other new moms learn how to do it.
Want Breastfeeding Freebies?! You can get them with the coupon code ” Thislittlenest22 “ that was created with each company just for my readers. Yes! They’re really free so check it out!!
So I know a thing or two about the subject. Let’s talk about how to transition into nursing with ease.
In the beginning
When your baby is born it’s good to attempt breastfeeding right away. The baby may not know how to instinctually latch on { Contrary to popular belief } and you’ll likely have to guide her.
It’s a good idea that you research exactly how to do this so you’re confident in what you’re doing. If you don’t know and you keep trying, you’ll cause yourself a whole lot of pain and the baby will certainly sense your frustration. That will complicate the process and you want to make breastfeeding as easy and pleasurable as possible for you both.
Here’s a diagram that will give you a visual image of how to latch your baby as efficiently as possible.
Have Patience
Even if you are properly educated on how to help your sweet baby latch, she may struggle at first. Your goal should be helping her get as much of your nipple in her mouth as possible from the bottom jaw up because mama, If she just grabs at the nipple with her mouth and only manages to get a bit in, it’s gonna hurt and the soreness that comes is unreal.
Once you get a good latch going everything else will start to fall into place so this is your very first goal.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, Even with a good latch you are going to get really sore and you may even bleed. But it’s not as bad as some might have you believe.
For the first few weeks when the baby latches on it will burn pretty intensely, but the good news is that it fades after about 20 seconds and you won’t feel that pain again until the next feeding.
After a few weeks, the pain will fade completely. It’s well worth it despite the burn you feel and most mamas endure it well.
Breast shells and nipple shields will also minimize the pain you feel great so you’ll be able to concentrate on helping your babe more.
But there’s so Much More toknow…
So we’ve talked about latching and you understand the importance of this process and we’ve discussed the pain you’ll experience and how to minimize that.
Now that we’ve talked about the basics that will get you started let’s go over a few more tips.
See Nursing in action
If you can, before you have your babe watch a friend or someone else you know and ask them to demonstrate. Hopefully, they won’t be too shy to show you how.
Skin To Skin Is Always Best
Having your baby right on your skin without clothing between you two not only feels really sweet, but it helps you produce more milk and it helps the baby bond and breastfeeds better.
Avoid Pacifiers At First
Babies suck on Pacifiers in a different way then the breast. This can and will cause Nipple confusion and they’ll have trouble establishing a good latch.
Have Good Support For yourself and Your Baby
Having a good way to prop yourself up will make you much more comfortable and your back will hurt less { because holding a baby and nursing does cause your back to hurt without a good pillow! } The pillow down below is what I use and it’s amazing!
Also, a really good breastfeeding pillow like the Boppy is a great option. You can get a free nursing PIllow here with the coupon code Thislittlenest22 as I stated above but their pillows are smallish. If you’re willing to spend a little, Boppy’s are the best!
Avoid Formula At First
If you offer Formula right away it will definitely affect your milk supply. Just don’t do it. Continue to try breastfeeding even if it gets really frustrating. You’ll get it, just be patient.
Don’t Give up!
Yes, it hurts and it can be frustrating if it doesn’t seem to come naturally to you both, but it’s so very worth it. Plus the convenience of not having to fix bottles all night is awesome. You’ll be glad you were persistent!
In fact, breastfeeding makes those first few months that much easier and that’s a really good thing.
Pumping When You Get Home
Using a breast pump like this one right here will help keep your milk supply up really well. It will also relieve engorgement when your breasts get flooded with milk. Be sure to get an electric one because the manual ones are pretty tedious and you’ll be sitting around all day trying to pump. Let’s face it, You haven’ got time for that!
You can freeze your breast milk with these breastmilk freezer bags and use it later when you do introduce the bottle to your baby. Then maybe dad can have a go at holding the baby and feeding her.
So this is pretty much all the things you need to think about when Breastfeeding. I hope it helps, and feel free to contact me or leave a comment below if you have any questions!
I would love it if you would share this post with your friends to help spread breastfeeding awareness and maybe help a new mama out. You can share with the buttons to the left or the Pinterest image below the video. Thanks so much!
I also wanted to add this video from The Yellow Nursery. It is an older Youtube video but I think it’s really helpful. Watching the process can be really helpful.
Pin It On Pinterest For Later!
Hey, I’m Toni and I’m the mama of 3 Little Birds. I love Writing about all Things Mama. Learn more about me here. Grab a Tea or Coffee and come see what you find.
