How To Latch

Below is a checklist I created to help mothers with common breastfeeding challenges.  These guidelines will be helpful for most mothers and babies. However, there can be exceptions to some of these rules, and you might need to experiment with solutions that differ from what you see here.  For example, when holding a baby in a horizontal position across the mother's chest, most babies latch better if you slide their body a bit toward the mother's center; however, a small percentage will do better if you slide them away from the center and toward the mother's side.  If breastfeeding continues to be painful, seek a lactation counselor or consultant who can assess for issues such as tongue tie or neonatal abstinence syndrome which can cause baby's jaws to clench. This checklist may be reprinted for individual use by families or healthcare providers with credit given to the author, but may not be mass-reproduced without permission.