Shallow latch and soft nipples
Hi all, my little girl is 9 days old today and has always struggled to latch. She doesn’t tip her head back enough and when she is latching, generally has her mouth too small so she is pinching my nipple.
Sometimes I leave her because I’m just so grateful that she has latched but it gets so painful and I’m worried about causing damage.
Also, my nipples can be quite flat and soft, so she doesn’t seem to be able to latch onto them.
We both get so upset when we keep trying and she can’t latch, she sometimes tries so hard.
I am bottle feeding a mix of formula and expressed but really really want to move to EBF.
Any advice on how I can stop my nipples being so soft, and how I can encourage her to deepen her latch?! TIA
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Ouch! I feel your pain momma. I've tried what the admin suggested here but still his latch is sooooo shallow. I'm going to connect to my local LC (2 days PP w 2nd baby) but I've been trying to hand express. Is it normal to only get a few drops from each side this early? And surely he's getting more than that when he nurses even if it's shallow? Thank you!
@Brenna it is normal to get drops in the first couple of days when your milk is still colostrum. Baby’s stomach is very small and doesn’t need much. But to answer your question, yes, baby is usually the most effective at removing milk from the breast.
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Soft and/or flat nipples shouldn’t keep her from latching. Getting the right positioning will help tremendously! You want her tummy to tummy with you, well supported (support from the shoulders and back, no hand on the back of the head), nipple to nose/upper lip, she should have to look up to reach it with her mouth. This will also help her open wider. We often help virtually with latch, so feel free to reach out if you need help ❤️