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Intro: |
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| Skin-to-skin contact alerts babies to the breast's presence, and often encourages them to latch on and feed well. Consider feeding shirtless whenever you can. Don't wear nail polish and keep your fingernails neatly trimmed while you're breast-feeding. |
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Nearly every breast-feeding problem, from sore nipples to insufficient milk, can be prevented or cured if the child is properly attached at the breast. This is called "latching on," and it's an important skill for both of you to learn. Breast anatomy. Milk is produced in tiny sacs, called alveoli, in the breast. It flows into ducts located behind the areola and out through the nipple. The small bumps on the areola are called Montgomery glands. They produce a natural oil that cleans, lubricates, and protects the nipple.
The yawn. To get your baby latched on properly, cup your breast in your free hand, with the thumb above and the fingers below the nipple. Tickle the baby's lips with your nipple and wait until his or her mouth opens very wide, as if in a yawn. Then quickly pull the baby in to your chest. With a proper latch, the nipple tip and about an inch (a couple of centimeters) of the areola are inside the baby's mouth. The baby's lips should make a seal with the breast, with the mouth muscles compressing the ducts behind the areola and squeezing milk out of the nipple. If the child is attached only at the nipple tip, he or she is squeezing the opening shut, not getting any milk, and probably hurting you. If your baby doesn't latch on properly, work your index finger into the baby's mouth while you back the nipple out, so the baby is sucking on your finger. Then pull your finger out of the baby's mouth and try the latch again. Remember, if you and your baby don't seem to be mastering the latch, a lactation consultant can help you learn. Once your baby is latched on properly, the jaws should move in a slow steady rhythm, and you'll hear the gulping sound that signals successful suckling.
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Learn the latch
