How do I get my baby to open wide for a deep latch?

Tease your baby to opening her mouth

Try drawing your chin to your chest and swallowing and you'll see how uncomfortable it can be! Then, using the length of your finger (not the tip), gently draw her chin down to encourage a wider mouth.

How do I change my shallow latch to deep latch?

Pull your baby's chin down

With a shallow latch, your baby's chin and mouth are closed tighter than if her mouth and jaw were wide open. To help her develop a deep latch, pull her chin down to encourage her to open her mouth. Slip your finger between her chin and your breast and gently pull her chin down.

How do you break a shallow latch?

If your baby's latch is shallow or painful, or he starts chomping on your nipple or brushing the end of it with his tongue, remove him from your breast and try again. Ease your clean finger gently inside the corner of his mouth to break his suction if you need to.

How do you deep latch with flat nipples?

Can baby gain weight with shallow latch?

If a mother has an abundant supply, then sucking works just fine initially, and the baby will gain weight appropriately, even with a shallow latch.

How do I get my baby to open wide?

How do I know if my baby's chin is recessed?

Detection of a recessed jaw can be a bit challenging. Infants naturally have a slightly recessed chin/jaw as part of normal development; however, those that present with a gap of 3 mm or more between the anterior upper and lower gum line often struggle at breast.

Will shallow latch affect milk supply?

If a mother has a repeatedly shallow or incorrect latch, her milk supply will decrease and could become compromised. An additional very important issue to consider when speaking about a shallow latch is nipple damage. Incorrect latch can lead to blisters, cracks, fissures, bruises, bleeding and scabbing.

Can pacifier cause shallow latch?

By virtue of #1 (delaying feeds) and #2 (affecting the latch) another possible drawback with using a pacifier is that a mother's milk supply might drop. Being in a shallow latch or having infrequent feeds mean the breasts are emptied less well and less often.

Why is my baby's latch getting worse?

Engorged breasts

If your milk is not being removed sufficiently, you may experience engorgement, which makes it harder for your baby to latch on and breastfeed. Gently hand express a little milk before feeding to soften the breast.

How do you fix a recessed jaw?

To get rid of a receding chin, you'll likely need surgery. Both chin implants and sliding genioplasty, which involves cutting and reshaping your lower jaw bone, can help. Before opting for surgery, keep in mind that you'll need about six weeks to fully recover.

Why are babies chins recessed?

You also may notice your baby has a recessed chin; it's just nature's temporary way of making it easier for him to breastfeed.

How can I loosen my baby's jaw?

So if baby is clenching his jaw, it can be helpful to do the opposite of what you want him to do – gently push baby's jaw closed (before nursing, of course!) then quickly remove your finger to allow him to open his mouth. You might try doing this several times before nursing.

What if my nipples are too small to breastfeed?

The size and shape of your nipples do not affect your ability to breastfeed. Most babies can breastfeed no matter what mom's nipple is like. Some women have nipples that turn inward instead of pointing outward or that are flat and do not stick out.

What is the Flipple technique?

Use the “flipple” technique to get as much of your breast tissue into your baby's mouth as possible. Point your nipple very high towards their nose, try to get as much of the bottom part of your areola into your baby's mouth and use your finger to flip their top lip up after they have latched on.

How do you deep latch with big nipples?

Cup your breast: Hold your breast from below with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other. Squeeze gently while guiding your nipple and areola into your baby's mouth. Dab on breast milk: If you end up with sore nipples, try rubbing a few drops of expressed breast milk over your nipples.