A good latch should not hurt.

With a good latch you should see the following:
 
  • The baby’s chin should be pressed against the breast with the baby’s head tilted back slightly
  • The baby’s nose can be lightly touching the breast. If you feel the nose is buried in the breast, apply pressure between the baby’s shoulders and tuck the baby’s bottom in tight. This will tilt the head back and improve the latch
  • The feeding begins with little sucks that become deep and slow; there should be a pause during the suck when the baby’s mouth opens wide. The longer the pause, the more breastmilk the baby is getting. On average, there should be at least 10 minutes of this deeper and slower type of suck at each feeding
  • You may hear gulping sounds or quiet sounds like “ca” or “eh” when the baby swallows. You should not hear “clicking” or “smacking” with a good latch
If you are unable to hear or see your baby swallow breastmilk, seek help from a lactation consultant.

 

Videos:

Graphic showing importance of good latch

Baby Drinking well 

Good drinking.

Poor drinking, nibbling, no swallows 

Poor Latch with Lips Moving and Blisters on Lips

Reviewed
May2020 - KS