Ah, positioning! I can't tell you how many calls I've had from mothers that
go this way: The baby is very fussy, mother's nipples are very sore. I ask
the mother to describe what she sees when the baby is at the breast, and she
says "Oh, the nurse at the hospital (or sometimes her doctor) checked the
baby's latch and says it's fine. So it can't be positioning."

Then when I go to see the baby nursing, the latch is so far from being okay
that it is obvious from across the room! Once in a while, these are trickier
cases, but often the latch problem is very obvious.

Sometimes I think that this is the mother misunderstanding what she's told,
but I've also been in hospital rooms where a nurse comes in, glances quickly
at the baby and breast and says "the latch is fine" and is out of the room
again. And the baby's mouth is barely covering the nipple!

That puts me in an awkward position - having to contradict the nurse or
doctor. And I wonder how many mothers give up because they are in pain but
they KNOW it can't be the latch or positioning because they were told it was
fine?

Sorry, I guess that was a bit of a rant. But it is frustrating.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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