Clicking noises are associated with breaks in the seal of the lips at breast
with resulting loss of suction.  If the lips are rolled in (rather than
smoothly flanged and stuck like a suction cup to the breast), then it would
follow that there would be gaps in the seal and lots of noise.

What would cause this?  If the baby has thin cheeks (lack of fat pads) the
cheek stability may be so poor that lip strength and tone is compromised.
Or the lips themselves may lack tone.  Usually a baby with poor lip tone
presents with no bow to the upper lip and the dimple under the nose (the
philtrim) is very flat.  Sometimes poor tongue tone or control is the
culprit, causing the baby to roll in the lips in a compensatory effort to
try to better hold the breast in the mouth.  Unfortunately it is not a very
effective compensation, as this baby's feeding problems suggest.

What to do?  Try having mom really support and shape her breast so she takes
over all the effort of keeping the breast in the baby's mouth.  Start the
latch sequence by tickling baby's nose with the nipple so baby tips back and
opens really wide to reach it. Then aim nipple for palate and bring baby in
close by hugging along the shoulders and torso (not with any pressure on the
head itself).  This will latch the baby with chin dug into the breast and
nose tipped away.  Mechanical flanging of the lips may help.  Take frequent
breaks, because as baby fatigues, the lip control will get poorer.  Baby may
need topping up with postfeed pumped milk in order to increase rate of
weight gain.  The sooner the cheeks fatten up the more oral stability you'll
see.

Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
http://www.lactnews.com

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