- On Mon, 30 Dec 2002 Sanna-Mari Tonteri wrote:
What is "wrong" with these babies who will close their mouth and start
sucking "too early" (nipple not yet in the mouth; inverted nipples
wouldn't bother this baby ;)), and what could be done about it??

Sannu-Mari: So often when I've seen this, it has happened when the mother is
anxious about possible pain on latching - and so hesitates.  The baby is
opening her mouth nicely, but has reached full-open position, and because
the mother is waiting to see this *before* she brings the baby onto the
breast, the mouth has closed a little bit from this full-open stage.  I've
noticed the difference may be only a fraction of a second, but it is enough
to lose the wide gape of the mouth.  In such situations, I encourage the
mother to bring her baby in just before the widest gape, as in that split
second it takes her, the widest gape is occurring.
   We have a saying in English, "He who hesitates is lost", and I apply
this, using the feminine pronoun, to the situation when working with Mums.
    The baby may become frustrated, too, as s/he is going everything right -
but the mother's hesitation messes up the dynamics.  The baby's frustration
increases if the latch is too uncomfortable fort the mother, and more
attempts are made to latch, with the mother's hesitation reinforced because
it hurt just now.  It's a little thing, some fine-tuning, but so hard for an
anxious Mum to make this slight change.  I intone, while observing her latch
again, "She who hesitates is lost", to remind her.
     Happy New Year.
       Virginia
        in Brisbane, Queensland

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