Soothing a crying baby

I am not trying to be misleading with the title of soothing a crying baby, however I am going to talk about latch and breastfeeding. 

[caption id="attachment_2346" align="alignleft" width="150"] better latch helps to soothe a crying baby[/caption]

It does make a difference to a crying baby who is trying their best to do the feeding but getting no joy and ultimately staying hungry, hence crying. It can be confusing when you start and your baby is feeding for lengthy period of time regularly but you are getting nowhere.

I was helping another cousin with breastfeeding yesterday and it prompted me to write this so that you can pass it on. Just a little about basics.

I am noticing a trend where mothers are being told to hold their breast away from their baby's nose when feeding. In her case it has caused her baby to suck only the nipple leading to bleeding nipples which has then led to low supply and early mastitis.

Baby's noses are designed to be flat and flanged so that they can get up close to the breast so the nipple can get drawn to the back of their mouth. If your baby can’t breathe he or she will detach from the breast.

This is important in the beginning , not so much  later on.

 My cousin said that she had mentioned while she was still in hospital that it was hurting.  The response was that it looks ok, yes, keep going you are doing great.

  She was doing great from the outside but when it still hurts and it looks ok , there is something else going on. Often I see the baby doing funky things with his or her tongue that is not easy to see from the outside. Sometimes it is more indepth but often it is reasonably simple.

  Usually all you need to do  when it looks good but still hurts, is to make sure the baby is better attached to the breast. This means that the baby has a mouthful of breast tissue not just nipple.  From the side their mouth would like the special K symbol with their lips flanged back.

 This means their tongue can extend forward, the nipple can get right to the back of their mouth where it I protected from being squashed and is more efficient and comfortable for both mother and baby.

  Your baby’s chin should be right into the breast  so it can also massage the breast and help get the milk out more efficiently.

If something is preventing all  or any of the  above to occur, latch may well be painful and damaging.  Once early interruption to milk supply occurs, it is harder to re-establish it again.  It is not impossible by any means  it just takes a little longer and with more effort.

 If you can get any tenderness or discomfort sorted early, your outcomes will be much better and often only takes a little tweak with attachment, or latch and positioning.  Your baby will be much more settled when feeding is more satisfying for him or her and soothing your crying baby will be easier.