breastfeeding -latching tricks

As-Salaamu-Alaikum (peace be with you)

My daughter was a breastfeeding challenge! As a new mom, I expected slight hurdles but she gave me mountains to jump over! As a newborn she decided to lift her tongue to the roof of her mouth every time I attempted to feed her. This made breast feeding difficult and a good “latch” impossible. We struggled with this challenge for three mos. Al-Hamdulilah (praise be to God) I have a dear friend who is a lactation consultant and she advised that some children take about 3 mos before they develop a good “suck technique”. I told my darling several times, “Okay you need to get this in three mos because after three mos…I’m quitting! After exactly three mos and one day she latched on perfectly.

After following all of the traditional advice such as bring the baby to the breast and just roll the baby’s head onto the breast. I found this additional method worked best. I undressed myself and baby. I laid down in a semi-reclining position and laid her on my breast. I gently stroked the side of her face. And brought her to the nipple. I found the “naked mommy” method worked wonders. She loved the skin to skin contact. And the contact helped to relax both of us and made the whole process easier. Patience is definitely key!

I am posting this because I have a good friend whose baby cannot come home because he is not eating and gaining weight. Although theirs is an extreme case, I just wanted to put the info out there for other mothers who may be struggling with latching problems. 1. It will get better – believe me!, 2. Be patient and don’t give up – give it AT LEAST THREE MOS! And finally give the “naked mommy” method a try it did wonders for us.