Dear all:

When I first took my steps away from my supervisors, I had already learned about tilting the nipple
to the roof of the baby's mouth & an assymetric latch.  I went to one of Diane Weissinger's talks
and heard her presentation and I think she showed some videos from Rebecca Glover's work.  We
called the video the "Dangerously Dangling Babies" because that's what it looked like.  (Diane -
feel free to correct me if I'm wrong since this was about 2 years ago when I went to your talk).

My colleagues were all using this technique, but it really didn't seem all that different to me from
what I was doing.  And Diane thought it was similar to my former supervisor's technique.  But I
knew there was some subtle difference.  I had my "ah ha" moment when I watched Heather Kelly,
my friend and colleague,  do her "Bend the Breast" technique.  I cannot tell you what a revelation it
was.  Literally, it is a much more extreme form of the nipple tilt & the baby's bottom lip is right
there at the areola, ready to go.  When you use the thumb or finger to press near the nipple, you
can actually, gently pry open the baby's mouth and get the baby on.  No RAMMING the baby into
place. "Follow Me Mum", Rebecca Glover's video illustrates this bending of the breast teachnique
beautifully.  The only thing I noticed is that parents who watched this video didn't quite pick up on
the fact that the thumb or finger is directly parallel to the bottom lip --- even though I think the
video presents this nicely.  In using this technique the baby's head is extended back and the nose
is away.  You do NOT have to press the breast tissue away from baby's nose.

So, the technique serves several functions:

1) It is easier to latch (or attach) the baby even if you have lousy timing (which most new moms
lack) and without a forceful RAM
2) It enables baby to drink in a much more comfortable fashion.
3) You totally avoid having the baby's nose smooshed into the breast.

I find that an extreme nipple tilt does not stop the flow, on the contrary, I find that mother's will
often squirt out milk.

Really, I find words totally worthless to describe it.  I only understood when I watched it up close
and personal two years ago when Heather showed me and I had my "Ah Ha" moment - or this
weekend when I first showed the "Follow Me Mum" technique to one of my classes.

With this technique you really couldn't smother a baby with the breast.

Best regards, Susan Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

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