July 4, 2024 • 15 mins
In this episode, host and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Lo Nigrosh explores how parents can determine if their baby achieves a deep latch for optimal breastfeeding. Lo emphasizes the importance of comfortable positioning for both the baby and the parent and provides detailed advice on how to adjust infant positioning to ensure a successful latch. Key points include different breastfeeding positions, the importance of aligning the baby’s body, and tips for minimizing pain and maximizing milk transfer. Lo also encourages parents experiencing difficulties to seek professional help to improve their breastfeeding experience.
00:00 Introduction to Deep Latch in Breastfeeding
01:26 Understanding Positioning for Optimal Latch
07:24 Adjusting Infant Positioning
10:49 Achieving an Optimal Latch
14:08 Seeking Professional Help
Book a lactation consultation today or reach out to be on the podcast!
https://www.quabbinbirthservices.com/
Head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for more Milk Making Minutes episodes!
Make your voice heard on The Milk Making Community Group on Facebook!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lo-s-lactation-lab--5834691/support.
Follow Lo Nigrosh:
#lactationjourney #breastfeedingmoms #maternalhealth #postpartumtruths #supportmoms #newborn #newmom #newbaby #baby #pumpingmoms #breastfeeding #chestfeeding #humanmilkforhumanbabies
00:00 Introduction to Deep Latch in Breastfeeding
01:26 Understanding Positioning for Optimal Latch
07:24 Adjusting Infant Positioning
10:49 Achieving an Optimal Latch
14:08 Seeking Professional Help
Book a lactation consultation today or reach out to be on the podcast!
https://www.quabbinbirthservices.com/
Head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for more Milk Making Minutes episodes!
Make your voice heard on The Milk Making Community Group on Facebook!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lo-s-lactation-lab--5834691/support.
Follow Lo Nigrosh:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lo-nigrosh-16371495/
- Website: https://www.quabbinbirthservices.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quabbinbirthservices/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2F54fe1szmemB9n7YUJgWv
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/los-lactation-lab/id1614255223
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@loslactationlab3967
#lactationjourney #breastfeedingmoms #maternalhealth #postpartumtruths #supportmoms #newborn #newmom #newbaby #baby #pumpingmoms #breastfeeding #chestfeeding #humanmilkforhumanbabies
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Have you ever wondered how you wouldknow whether or not your baby was achieving
a deep latch. We've all beenthere. Any of us who have desired
to breastfeed our babies and have attemptedlatching have felt that feeling of doubt,
not knowing if we're doing it wellor doing it right well. I'm here
(00:21):
today to help you reassure yourself thatyou either are getting a latch that optimizes
breastfeeding or to help you know,Ah, maybe things aren't going as well
as what I thought and I mightneed a little bit of help. I'm
your host, Low Nigrush. I'man International Board certified lectation consultant and host
(00:45):
of the Milk Making Minutes, wherewe explore breastfeeding struggles and triumphs so that
you can feel as confident as possibleabout feeding your baby. Okay, So
when I am working with a newfamily or when I am in the hospital
getting to see lots of new familiesat once, the biggest question I get
(01:06):
is how do I know that mybaby is latching well? Or how do
I know that my baby is gettingmilk? So we're going to start with
this question of the latch, andthen in an upcoming episode, we will
talk about how you know that milkis being transferred from your body to the
baby. So the first thing youwant to think about is positioning, and
(01:30):
as breastfeeding supporters, there are twotypes of positioning that we're thinking about.
We're thinking about the position of thebaby and the position of the feeding parent.
So there are lots of different positionsand there is not a one size
(01:52):
fits all approach to great positioning.You might feel most comfortable sitting upright in
the bed. You might feel mostcomfortable sitting in a chair. You might
feel most comfortable laying back a littlebit with the baby kind of on top
of you. You might feel mostcomfortable lying on your side and getting baby
(02:15):
lying on their side facing you.Some of the factors that will determine which
is the right position for your bodyand which is the right position for your
baby are going to be what typeof birth you had, how sore you're
feeling after the birth, whether ornot you had a cesarean birth or a
(02:36):
vaginal delivery. If you have reallylarge breasts, there might be some positions
that feel more comfortable, and ifyou have smaller breasts, there might be
other positions that feel more comfortable.So if you are working with supporters at
your place of delivery who insist oncertain positions because they're best for newborns,
(03:04):
just know that there's not one rightposition that is good for every new parent
and every newborn. So if oneposition feels like it's awkward or that it's
not working well for either you orfor the baby, then you can shift.
You can ask to be taught adifferent position. And really the names
(03:25):
of the positions don't matter as muchas you being super comfortable. So we
want to make sure that your bodyis in a position that allows you to
be as rested as possible while youare holding the baby, that allows you
(03:45):
to reduce your own tension, droppingyour shoulders, making sure you can see
baby's mouth without crinkling your neck toomuch, and putting pillows and other types
of supports underneath your arms so thatyou are not holding up the baby.
(04:06):
So some of the things that Isee are shoulders up into the ears,
so making sure you're able to kindof lower those down. I also see
people holding up their baby the wholetime instead of putting enough pillows underneath the
(04:27):
baby so that they are as highas your breast The other thing I see
is parents if they don't have enoughsupport so that baby is brought up high
enough. I see parents hunching over, which is okay for one feed or
for two feeds, but for feedinga baby eight, twelve, fifteen times
and a day, that hunched overposition is going to lead to a lot
(04:50):
of neck and upper back tension thatis not sustainable for the months or years
that you will be feeding your baby. So really get yourself set up so
that you don't feel any areas ofstress or fatigue while you are feeding your
baby. And you may need yoursupport person or your nurse to bring in
(05:13):
more pillows or more blankets to beable to prop the baby up. And
I always remind my clients that youwill not always need so many pillows.
You will learn to get into positionsthat are really comfortable for you and baby
without all of the props. Butin the early days and weeks, when
the learning curve is still very steep, using as many props as is necessary
(05:38):
to support the baby is going tobe really, really helpful. Now,
a lot of people buy breastfeeding specificpillows or they're gifted by somebody else,
and these can be really useful.But I want to say that a pillow
(05:58):
that is very firm and that's strapsaround you is probably going to be ideal.
I've noticed pillows like the boppy aremuch softer, and so baby sinks
into them, and then they arenot as high as they need to be,
and they often are not wide enoughso that they slide away from our
(06:19):
postpartum bodies, and baby tends tofall in between the pillow and our bodies,
and they almost are harder to usethan just a normal pillow. But
pillows such as My breast Fent mybreast Friend allow you to keep the pillow
latch tightly around your body and they'revery firm, so baby does not sink
(06:43):
into it and then it because itis latched around you or clipped around you,
baby does not fall in between thepillow and your body, regardless of
the size or the shape of yourcurrent postpartum body. So once you've gotten
yourself really comfortable, you feel likeyou're able to see the baby. You
(07:06):
are not holding any strong areas oftension the bay, the wall holding the
baby. Your your hands are reallyjust there for a little bit of extra
support to the baby. But youcould essentially let go and they would still
be as high as they need tobe. Then you're ready to start adjusting
the infant positioning. Now, theinfant can be in a variety of positions.
(07:31):
They can be in that football holdthat many people use on the side
of their body, almost like you'recarrying a football like a running back carries
a football when they're running. Manypeople use that after cesarean birth. They
can be in the classic cradle holdor the cross cradle hold, which is
where the arm that if the babyis facing towards your left, then your
(07:58):
right arm is holding behind the baby'shead, and then you're using your left
hand to move your breast around.They can be in a sideline position or
a laid back position, both ofwhich I find really nice for new parents
because baby can do a lot ofthe heavy lifting of finding the breast themselves
(08:22):
and you are not having to holda baby up. So those are a
variety of infant positions you can use. But in all of these positions,
there are a couple of things thatI see help babies to latch optimally.
Number one is that the baby's ear, shoulder, and hip are aligned.
(08:48):
That means their head is not turnedto the side, but rather it's facing
directly towards the breast. And inorder to do this, what you need
to think about is getting the baby'stummy touching your body. And it doesn't
matter which position they are in.If you are in the football hold,
(09:11):
you're going to turn the baby sothat their body is facing your side.
That allows them to come towards thebreast with a straight neck, they don't
have to twist their neck to tryto latch. If they are in the
crosscradle, you don't want their sidetouching your stomach. You want their stomach
(09:35):
touching your stomach. So bringing themin really tight tummy to tummy, same
thing with sidelining, same thing withlaid back. You really want to have
that tummy to tummy positioning. Iftheir head is twisted or their hips are
twisted, it's going to make itmuch harder for them to get latched and
(09:56):
stay latched and get an optimal amountof breast tissue in their mouth. The
second thing when it comes to infantpositioning is ensuring that their hands are free,
that they are unwrapped, so noswaddles, no blankets wrapping them up,
that their hands can go around thebreast and that their feet are touching
(10:20):
something. So just like when youfeel unsettled, if you sit in a
really tall chair or at a barstool and your feet dangle and they don't
touch the ground, sometimes you feela little lost in space or disoriented.
Babies feel the same way. Andso tucking a pillow or a blanket wherever
their feet are dangling so that theyhave something to push on, something for
(10:43):
their feet to touch, so theyfeel a little less lost in space.
The next thing that you're going tobe looking for is getting as optimal a
latch as possible. Now, whenI am working with families who are in
these early days or weeks of learningto latch, I have to keep in
(11:05):
mind for myself and for the familiesI'm working with that perfection can be the
enemy of good. So there isquote unquote a perfect latch. But as
long as the pain level is veryminimal, and we can see sucks and
(11:26):
we can hear swallows, and babycan maintain that latch for a good amount
of time and seems say shaded afterwards, then let's not let perfection be the
enemy of good. And so inorder to achieve as optimal a latch as
possible. When you get that babyaligned tummy to tummy and facing your breast,
(11:52):
you want to make sure that theirchin comes to your breast first and
the chin will be aligned underneath thenipple and the areola. And once that
chin comes to the breast first,you will notice that their neck is elongated.
It's extended. So if your baby'sneck is scrunched up and it's almost
(12:18):
touching the top of their chest,then you know that they are probably going
to have a hard time latching,maintaining a latch, and sucking and swallowing.
So having a nice extended neck withthe nipple pointed really up towards the
nose will give them the opportunity tocome chin first to the breast. And
(12:41):
then once they open really wide withtheir tongue down, you may need to
help them by bringing them quickly ontothe breast, but you're gonna wait until
you see their mouth super wide onehundred and forty degree angle with the tongue
down. Then it's a quick moveto the You might miss it the first
couple of times they open wide,and that's okay. You're gonna wait until
(13:03):
you get that wide, wide latchand then you're going to bring them right
on. I know this is easiersaid than done. It can be hard
for me with a newborn as well, and sometimes it takes me several tries
to help get the baby latched.But really being patient and waiting for that
wide, wide mouth with the tonguedown is going to mean that they get
(13:26):
enough breast tissue in their mouth sothat they are able to transfer milk by
compressing the breast tissue and creating avacuum instead of just one or the other,
and that allows their tongue to beable to move properly and will minimize
(13:46):
the amount of pain that you mightbe in. Now you can have one
hand holding the breast, one handholding the baby, and and if you're
not figuring out how you might holdthe breast and the baby, then you
may need to switch hands. Butif you're hearing this and you're thinking,
(14:09):
oh my gosh, I'm not sureif I am latching the baby properly,
I'm still feeling a lot of pain, I'm getting a lot of nipple damage.
I don't know. If I'm hearingswallows, I can't really picture what
you're talking about. With the earshoulder and hip alignment. Then I encourage
you to reach out. Go tomy website www. Dot coobbinbus services dot
(14:31):
com. I can do consults virtuallyfor anyone across the world. I can
often build your insurance, and Ican do consults in person here in the
state of Massachusetts. So please pleasereach out. Don't continue to suffer with
painful breastfeeding thinking it's just going togo away on its own, because there
(14:52):
is no guarantee it will if youare not adjusting the infant, positioning,
your positioning, and getting that optimalmatch. So I can't wait to see
your name pop up in my inboxso that I can help you achieve an
optimal match that is pain free,that allows for the most amount of milk
transfer possible. See us soon.
Have you ever wondered how you wouldknow whether or not your baby was achieving
a deep latch. We've all beenthere. Any of us who have desired
to breastfeed our babies and have attemptedlatching have felt that feeling of doubt,
not knowing if we're doing it wellor doing it right well. I'm here
(00:21):
today to help you reassure yourself thatyou either are getting a latch that optimizes
breastfeeding or to help you know,Ah, maybe things aren't going as well
as what I thought and I mightneed a little bit of help. I'm
your host, Low Nigrush. I'man International Board certified lectation consultant and host
(00:45):
of the Milk Making Minutes, wherewe explore breastfeeding struggles and triumphs so that
you can feel as confident as possibleabout feeding your baby. Okay, So
when I am working with a newfamily or when I am in the hospital
getting to see lots of new familiesat once, the biggest question I get
(01:06):
is how do I know that mybaby is latching well? Or how do
I know that my baby is gettingmilk? So we're going to start with
this question of the latch, andthen in an upcoming episode, we will
talk about how you know that milkis being transferred from your body to the
baby. So the first thing youwant to think about is positioning, and
(01:30):
as breastfeeding supporters, there are twotypes of positioning that we're thinking about.
We're thinking about the position of thebaby and the position of the feeding parent.
So there are lots of different positionsand there is not a one size
(01:52):
fits all approach to great positioning.You might feel most comfortable sitting upright in
the bed. You might feel mostcomfortable sitting in a chair. You might
feel most comfortable laying back a littlebit with the baby kind of on top
of you. You might feel mostcomfortable lying on your side and getting baby
(02:15):
lying on their side facing you.Some of the factors that will determine which
is the right position for your bodyand which is the right position for your
baby are going to be what typeof birth you had, how sore you're
feeling after the birth, whether ornot you had a cesarean birth or a
(02:36):
vaginal delivery. If you have reallylarge breasts, there might be some positions
that feel more comfortable, and ifyou have smaller breasts, there might be
other positions that feel more comfortable.So if you are working with supporters at
your place of delivery who insist oncertain positions because they're best for newborns,
(03:04):
just know that there's not one rightposition that is good for every new parent
and every newborn. So if oneposition feels like it's awkward or that it's
not working well for either you orfor the baby, then you can shift.
You can ask to be taught adifferent position. And really the names
(03:25):
of the positions don't matter as muchas you being super comfortable. So we
want to make sure that your bodyis in a position that allows you to
be as rested as possible while youare holding the baby, that allows you
(03:45):
to reduce your own tension, droppingyour shoulders, making sure you can see
baby's mouth without crinkling your neck toomuch, and putting pillows and other types
of supports underneath your arms so thatyou are not holding up the baby.
(04:06):
So some of the things that Isee are shoulders up into the ears,
so making sure you're able to kindof lower those down. I also see
people holding up their baby the wholetime instead of putting enough pillows underneath the
(04:27):
baby so that they are as highas your breast The other thing I see
is parents if they don't have enoughsupport so that baby is brought up high
enough. I see parents hunching over, which is okay for one feed or
for two feeds, but for feedinga baby eight, twelve, fifteen times
and a day, that hunched overposition is going to lead to a lot
(04:50):
of neck and upper back tension thatis not sustainable for the months or years
that you will be feeding your baby. So really get yourself set up so
that you don't feel any areas ofstress or fatigue while you are feeding your
baby. And you may need yoursupport person or your nurse to bring in
(05:13):
more pillows or more blankets to beable to prop the baby up. And
I always remind my clients that youwill not always need so many pillows.
You will learn to get into positionsthat are really comfortable for you and baby
without all of the props. Butin the early days and weeks, when
the learning curve is still very steep, using as many props as is necessary
(05:38):
to support the baby is going tobe really, really helpful. Now,
a lot of people buy breastfeeding specificpillows or they're gifted by somebody else,
and these can be really useful.But I want to say that a pillow
(05:58):
that is very firm and that's strapsaround you is probably going to be ideal.
I've noticed pillows like the boppy aremuch softer, and so baby sinks
into them, and then they arenot as high as they need to be,
and they often are not wide enoughso that they slide away from our
(06:19):
postpartum bodies, and baby tends tofall in between the pillow and our bodies,
and they almost are harder to usethan just a normal pillow. But
pillows such as My breast Fent mybreast Friend allow you to keep the pillow
latch tightly around your body and they'revery firm, so baby does not sink
(06:43):
into it and then it because itis latched around you or clipped around you,
baby does not fall in between thepillow and your body, regardless of
the size or the shape of yourcurrent postpartum body. So once you've gotten
yourself really comfortable, you feel likeyou're able to see the baby. You
(07:06):
are not holding any strong areas oftension the bay, the wall holding the
baby. Your your hands are reallyjust there for a little bit of extra
support to the baby. But youcould essentially let go and they would still
be as high as they need tobe. Then you're ready to start adjusting
the infant positioning. Now, theinfant can be in a variety of positions.
(07:31):
They can be in that football holdthat many people use on the side
of their body, almost like you'recarrying a football like a running back carries
a football when they're running. Manypeople use that after cesarean birth. They
can be in the classic cradle holdor the cross cradle hold, which is
where the arm that if the babyis facing towards your left, then your
(07:58):
right arm is holding behind the baby'shead, and then you're using your left
hand to move your breast around.They can be in a sideline position or
a laid back position, both ofwhich I find really nice for new parents
because baby can do a lot ofthe heavy lifting of finding the breast themselves
(08:22):
and you are not having to holda baby up. So those are a
variety of infant positions you can use. But in all of these positions,
there are a couple of things thatI see help babies to latch optimally.
Number one is that the baby's ear, shoulder, and hip are aligned.
(08:48):
That means their head is not turnedto the side, but rather it's facing
directly towards the breast. And inorder to do this, what you need
to think about is getting the baby'stummy touching your body. And it doesn't
matter which position they are in.If you are in the football hold,
(09:11):
you're going to turn the baby sothat their body is facing your side.
That allows them to come towards thebreast with a straight neck, they don't
have to twist their neck to tryto latch. If they are in the
crosscradle, you don't want their sidetouching your stomach. You want their stomach
(09:35):
touching your stomach. So bringing themin really tight tummy to tummy, same
thing with sidelining, same thing withlaid back. You really want to have
that tummy to tummy positioning. Iftheir head is twisted or their hips are
twisted, it's going to make itmuch harder for them to get latched and
(09:56):
stay latched and get an optimal amountof breast tissue in their mouth. The
second thing when it comes to infantpositioning is ensuring that their hands are free,
that they are unwrapped, so noswaddles, no blankets wrapping them up,
that their hands can go around thebreast and that their feet are touching
(10:20):
something. So just like when youfeel unsettled, if you sit in a
really tall chair or at a barstool and your feet dangle and they don't
touch the ground, sometimes you feela little lost in space or disoriented.
Babies feel the same way. Andso tucking a pillow or a blanket wherever
their feet are dangling so that theyhave something to push on, something for
(10:43):
their feet to touch, so theyfeel a little less lost in space.
The next thing that you're going tobe looking for is getting as optimal a
latch as possible. Now, whenI am working with families who are in
these early days or weeks of learningto latch, I have to keep in
(11:05):
mind for myself and for the familiesI'm working with that perfection can be the
enemy of good. So there isquote unquote a perfect latch. But as
long as the pain level is veryminimal, and we can see sucks and
(11:26):
we can hear swallows, and babycan maintain that latch for a good amount
of time and seems say shaded afterwards, then let's not let perfection be the
enemy of good. And so inorder to achieve as optimal a latch as
possible. When you get that babyaligned tummy to tummy and facing your breast,
(11:52):
you want to make sure that theirchin comes to your breast first and
the chin will be aligned underneath thenipple and the areola. And once that
chin comes to the breast first,you will notice that their neck is elongated.
It's extended. So if your baby'sneck is scrunched up and it's almost
(12:18):
touching the top of their chest,then you know that they are probably going
to have a hard time latching,maintaining a latch, and sucking and swallowing.
So having a nice extended neck withthe nipple pointed really up towards the
nose will give them the opportunity tocome chin first to the breast. And
(12:41):
then once they open really wide withtheir tongue down, you may need to
help them by bringing them quickly ontothe breast, but you're gonna wait until
you see their mouth super wide onehundred and forty degree angle with the tongue
down. Then it's a quick moveto the You might miss it the first
couple of times they open wide,and that's okay. You're gonna wait until
(13:03):
you get that wide, wide latchand then you're going to bring them right
on. I know this is easiersaid than done. It can be hard
for me with a newborn as well, and sometimes it takes me several tries
to help get the baby latched.But really being patient and waiting for that
wide, wide mouth with the tonguedown is going to mean that they get
(13:26):
enough breast tissue in their mouth sothat they are able to transfer milk by
compressing the breast tissue and creating avacuum instead of just one or the other,
and that allows their tongue to beable to move properly and will minimize
(13:46):
the amount of pain that you mightbe in. Now you can have one
hand holding the breast, one handholding the baby, and and if you're
not figuring out how you might holdthe breast and the baby, then you
may need to switch hands. Butif you're hearing this and you're thinking,
(14:09):
oh my gosh, I'm not sureif I am latching the baby properly,
I'm still feeling a lot of pain, I'm getting a lot of nipple damage.
I don't know. If I'm hearingswallows, I can't really picture what
you're talking about. With the earshoulder and hip alignment. Then I encourage
you to reach out. Go tomy website www. Dot coobbinbus services dot
(14:31):
com. I can do consults virtuallyfor anyone across the world. I can
often build your insurance, and Ican do consults in person here in the
state of Massachusetts. So please pleasereach out. Don't continue to suffer with
painful breastfeeding thinking it's just going togo away on its own, because there
(14:52):
is no guarantee it will if youare not adjusting the infant, positioning,
your positioning, and getting that optimalmatch. So I can't wait to see
your name pop up in my inboxso that I can help you achieve an
optimal match that is pain free,that allows for the most amount of milk
transfer possible. See us soon.
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