Shallow latch can cause painful breastfeeding and shaped nipples-how do you fix it?
Imperfect latch? Try micro-adjustments.
“Take that baby off and start again”
I hear this commonly said, from healthcare professionals and other people. They say that if you've got your baby to the breast and it's a bit uncomfortable, or something in what you're seeing or feeling makes you think that it is not a perfect latch, that you must break the seal, take the baby off and then put them on again.
I'm not sure if that's helpful.
I've even heard it said, (I’m not really sure what the implication is…) but something about “Then your baby will learn. They will learn that they're not allowed to latch shallow and they must latch deep”. And I know babies are brilliant, but I'm not sure they've got that kind of thought process going on!
However, in my opinion, once your baby is on, and they're beginning to feed if you look, can you see that something's a bit imperfect. I do think there's other options. Taking them on and off again, on and off again, sometimes just gets them really fractious and confused and it can be quite stressful and time consuming. See if there's anything that you can do while they're on just to get a bit more comfortable.
Some suggestions in this film:
Sometimes breaking the seal and taking baby off is necessary (if there is a lot of pain you might be damaging your nipples and your breastfeeding relationship).
But taking babies off and trying to re-latch can sometimes just get everyone stressed and babies struggle to latch well when they are feeling agitated.
There are several things you can check and small alterations and adjustments you can make while your baby is still latched.
I’d love to hear what worked for your family. How did you solve shaped and damaged nipples?
If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this post, please feel free to get in touch.