Latching, right after milk supply is probably one of the biggest reasons, parents say, well I’m going to try to breastfeed. Your nipples may be cracked or bleeding, your baby is falling asleep at the breast, you’ve tried the shield, which may have worked but it’s a pain and isn’t something you’re interested in using long term. You’ve tried the famous “football position”, and yet you’re left with a crying, hungry newborn whose latch is either painful, non-existent, or you just don’t feel it’s quite “right”. I’m here to help. I want to tell you about a latch trick that I’ve been using with clients in my office that actually uses baby’s innate breastfeeding skills. 

Best Breastfeeding Latch Trick

Okay so, my latch trick involves using the Koala hold and the oral feeding reflexes (both of which most people have never heard of).

But first, What does a “good” breastfeeding latch look like?

I actually like to assess a latch by either being deep or shallow. A deep latch where there is: effective milk transfer, no pain, and a lot of breast tissue in the babies mouth. The corner of baby’s mouth should have a wide angle like greater than 90 degrees versus 45 degrees, like a special K logo. We aren’t nipple feeding, we are breastfeeding, therefore, nipple and areola (breast tissue) should be in the baby’s mouth.

So this is how we get to a deep latch:

The Koala Hold

The Koala hold is great for very large babies, very small babies, twins and babies dealing with tongue or other ties. I refer to them as tethered oral tissues (TOTs – we will get to this later). I actually still use this position with my 3 year old twins! You sit baby upright on your lap, baby is straddling one of the breastfeeding parent’s thigh (each of baby’s legs on one side of parent’s leg). Bring baby’s body into close contact with parent’s. Use a hand or forearm to support the base of neck. Baby’s hands should be free, not in mittens and touching the parent. Baby’s feet can be planted, or into a “kneeling position. The parent should lean back, opening their chest towards baby with shoulders back and down. When breastfeeding, they will be clung to the parent like a koala. I usually start with this hold versus laidback because I find that parents find laidback breastfeeding awkward if they haven’t done it before, however, if they use the koala first it acts as a bridge to get them to lean back a bit more.

Oral Feeding Reflexes

Oral feeding reflexes, what are those? Reflexes are an instant muscle movement that happens after a cue. Remember when they hit your knee at the doctor’s office and your leg kicked? That’s a reflex.

Breastfeeding in a newborn up until about 3 months old is reflexive. A reflex we may already know is baby’s “root”, the rooting reflex. Another is when they cutely grab your finger with their little palm – also a reflex, called the palmar.  Every-time you put your finger in their palm, they will close around it. An instant movement that happens because our finger was placed in their palm. Most of the infant feeding reflexes have way past integrated when we are in adulthood. Rooting is just one of many that facilitates the breastfeeding latch. 

A few other Breastfeeding Reflexes:

• Seeking – where baby is moving his/her head up and down (instead of left to right like rooting)
• Gape – opening their mouth wide like a yawn
• Suck – when your finger goes up to the hard palate, they should start sucking
• Tongue Lateralization – the tongue traces your finger along the lower and upper gumline if directed left or right
• Tongue Extension – the tongue sticks out when the lower gum is cued

Certain things have to happen for these reflexes to fire. The baby has to have good range of motion in their head, arms, face and hips (meaning no tension in their muscles).

The Gape Reflex

According to Avery Young, the gape reflex is cued on the chin. Therefore, baby’s chin need to touch mom’s breast before the mouth will gape open. The key to getting a good latch (a.k.a a deep latch) is to get baby to open WIDE. If the baby doesn’t open wide to begin with, the latch is going to be shallow. To cue this reflex, when the baby is feed-able, we can touch our pointer finger knuckle to the baby’s chin. When latching baby, make sure baby’s chin has “planted” on the bottom of the areola first before they get any nipple in their mouth. We wait for them to open wide and then, supporting the nape of their neck, we can help move their head forward and onto the breast.

Their chin must meet the areola first so the reflex fires and they open! I’ve seen some parents lean forward, the baby gets a little nipple in their mouth and then goes on to the sucking reflex. Some people say instead of nose to nipple, try chin to skin! Do you see how in the picture on the right below, the baby’s chin is touching the underside of mom’s breast and the baby is opening even before the nipple has touched her?

Some parents have to use the flipple technique for awhile to get this to work.

What is the flipple technique you ask?

Two things are happening with the flipple, breast is pulled up and nipple is pulled back like this video:

1. If using the right breast, form a C with the right hand, thumb goes on top of the breast, the rest of the fingers are under the breast pulling it up a little bit so baby’s chin can plant to the bottom of the areola first.
2. Your thumb is used to push down slightly above the areola so the nipple pulls back. This will ensure it doesn’t go right into the baby’s mouth, remember we want the baby to plant and open first.

Seeking a Professional’s Support

Lactation consultants can help you navigate latching using these tricks and others, complete a functional oral assessment to rule out tethered oral tissues as a cause of latch pain, and help you create a care plan for you and your baby. I complete functional oral/ latch assessments and help parents navigate latching issues and feeding concerns. I accept insurance and see clients in person, in office and virtually, book now if you need support with this!

Breastfeeding Latch Trick FAQs

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