Why Would You Breastfeed a Child Who’s Old Enough to Ask for It? Used with permission. Laid-back breastfeeding – Suzanne Colson. "It can also help to roll the baby's whole body outward. "Baby’s instincts to look for and latch on to the breast involve a sequence of behaviours, where one behaviour leads to the next." Your Newborn Was Born With Other Special Needs . Baby-led attachment offers your baby the most natural introduction to breastfeeding. ... No matter how many babies you’ve had, latching may take time for you and your baby to figure out. Infants with heart problems may get tired easily or have trouble breathing and breastfeeding at the same time. Required fields are marked *. Breastfeeding positions can vary and change depending on an infant’s size, gestational age and abilities, maternal body shape, breast size and shape, recent procedures, and mother’s . "Mothers shouldn't put up with it. When The Breastfeeding Baby Keeps Falling Asleep Before They’re Full from Analytical Armadillo Videos: Breastfeeding NZ — A Good Latch. Birth- Initiating Early Feeds - 'Breastfeeding. That takes a lot of pressure off me — I can just relax and let her lead the way.". She says that sometimes our attempts to help babies latch can actually interfere, by jumping the queue as it were. She really does know what to do. Some mums say that baby-led attachment gave them more confidence and helped them overcome breastfeeding problems. Baby-led latching is ideal for babies learning to breastfeed, but can also be helpful for those who’ve already had some negative experiences at the breast. If a more baby-led approach isn’t working, try cupping your breast with your free hand and gently compressing it horizontally behind the areola. Dr. Smillie, a pediatrician, lactation consultant, and baby led latching advocate puts it perfectly: “I tell moms their job is not to “make” the baby latch, but simply to “allow” the baby to latch.” Video produced for Breastfeeding Information for Parents resource. ", As one mother said, after her baby daughter followed these steps and latched on beautifully, "I had no idea babies were so smart! "We help the baby stay calm and relaxed to allow him to follow his own instincts. Other newborn mammals know how to find and attach to their mother’s nipples, following inborn instincts in response to physical cues they receive from contact with the mother’s body. One concern is whether baby led-weaning provides a varied and nutritious enough diet. It really primes their breastfeeding reflexes so that they open their mouth wider and stick out their tongue. In my opinion, getting the right latch can be made unnecessarily stressful by overbearing nurses or lactation consultants (though I know there are so many fantastic professionals out there). For them it’s important to allow the full sequence of instinctive reflexes to unfold, where one behaviour leads to the next. Photos of … See page 2 for the basic steps of baby led latching… Baby led attachment can really help you with latching on your baby. Copyright © 2010-2020, Breastfeeding USA, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy. If this is the case, Smillie suggests the mother stop trying to latch the baby for a few days (giving the baby her pumped milk instead), and provide lots of relaxed skin-to-skin time on her chest after each feeding. "Pain is a guide," says Smillie. When the Back of the Baby’s Head is Held to Attach the Baby to the Breast by Robyn Noble DMLT, BAppSc(MedSc), IBCLC and Anne Bovey, BspThy Baby-led weaning can be messier than spoon-feeding. "Babies can begin to associate the breast with a lot of pressure and hassle," Smillie says. It is particularly helpful for babies who are reluctant starters. "They often need a break." Try SILVERETTE Nursing Cups, Online Selves Vs. Real Selves: Mum Shares ‘Behind the Scenes’ Photo to Show Reality. What if that latch isn't quite perfect and the mother's nipples are hurting? © Copyright Teresa Pitman. We asked Dr. Smillie to take us through this amazing process, step by step: Baby-led latching is ideal for babies learning to breastfeed, but can also be helpful for those who've already had some negative experiences at the breast. Originally published in Today's Parent. It’s the opposite of the techniques I experienced in hospital with my son – the second my newborn dared to open his little mouth the attending nurse would grab my breast and shove it in his little mouth. Breastfeeding and baby-led attachment - Raising Children Network. Whether you’re spoon-feeding or baby-led weaning, you’re bound to have some mess at this age. Also called “biological nurturing” or “baby led feeding,” this position taps into a newborn’s natural instinct to feed, putting him in the driver’s seat—in control of latching on when and how he wants to. For them it’s important to allow the full sequence of instinctive reflexes to unfold, where one behaviour leads to the next. Baby led latching is particularly helpful for newborn babies who are learning to latch, or for babies that have been put off breastfeeding by negative experiences. This way the baby gets a bigger mouthful of breast. Baby led attachment can really help you with latching on your baby. I tried baby led latch when my little guy was born and it didn't work for us because the labour had been too … “"When we start with the baby's mouth at the nipple, we are skipping a lot of the early part of the sequence, which sets the stage and helps the baby organize his behaviour," she explains. Paediatrician Christina Smillie has found that human babies do, in fact, have quite remarkable abilities when it comes to breastfeeding. Eventually (remember, "we're on baby time") the baby will naturally begin the process of seeking the breast. See page 2 for the basic steps of baby led latching…, Your email address will not be published. While that’s a new idea to most of us, it does make sense. © 2020 The Natural Parent Magazine. Naturally' DVD - New Zealand Ministry of Health. By The Light of the Moon: Beautiful Breastfeeding Mamas, The online solution to preparing for natural childbirth and breastfeeding, Why the EASY baby routine is anything but easy, Katie Hinde: What we don’t know about mother’s milk, Painful Nipples From Breastfeeding? To encourage your baby to latch on and feed, hold your baby to the breast often and give them lots of skin-to-skin time. Allow baby the opportunity and support to use his instinctive reflexes and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Baby-led latching is a natural and intuitive approach for an infant to find the breast and latch . "Babies can begin to associate the breast with a lot of pressure and hassle," Smillie says. Empowering you with mother-to-mother support. Baby Led Latching from Natural Mama NZ. Of course, many babies do latch when put to the breast, and once a baby has latched several times, there is no need to follow the whole sequence. All Rights reserved. There's no rush, no pressure.". The basis of baby led latching is to provide baby with a calm, relaxed environment, allowing him to follow his own instincts – no rush, no pressure. 4. "They often need a break." Baby-led attachment is letting your baby follow their instincts to find your breast and attach. A lactation consultant suggests trying when your baby is relaxed and using skin-to-skin contact to get started. Often, if the pain is mild, she can fix things by adjusting the baby's position without unlatching — usually by pulling the baby's rump in more snugly, which moves the baby's whole body and the baby's head will tip back a little bit more, allowing his jaw to open wider. It really primes their breastfeeding reflexes so that they open their mouth wider and stick out their tongue. Straight after birth, before anyone has weighed or swaddled your