So here I am to greet a new baby girl of two days old and mother fresh from the hospital.
Kitty was born six days late and I had been booked to start a week in but, with a view to establishing breast feeding, I’m glad I’m here from the start as she is having difficulty latching on to the breast.
Breast feeding doesn’t always come naturally to baby and mother. It’s a bit like expecting every man to be able to diagnose an engine fault just by popping the bonnet of a car.
The breast becomes engorged with milk, this and a combination of large breast and small mouth can make is especially hard for a baby to latch on. Kitty is averaging 15 minutes to latch on but I have at last found that she likes a diagonal position with her mouth coming up and over from underneath the breast, 2 o’clock left and 10 o’clock right.
Using a breast pump for 30 seconds before latching can help draw the nipple out if inverted nipples are the reason baby is struggling to latch.
Poor positioning and a bad latch will only result in ineffective feeding and very sore nipples. Make sure baby is wide awake before latching.
I like to wake the babies in my care at least 10-15 minutes before each feed to ensure they are ready to go. Make sure baby has a big wide mouth to latch.
Breasts are different shapes and sizes and if you have, as I like to call them, east and west facing nipples, the football/rugby position may work well for you. Use a good feeding cushion.
I like the “My Breast Friend” feeding cushion, it also supports your back. I’ll keep you posted on how Kitty gets on with her latching. (Aha, see what I did there?).
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