Mary Ann asks: If a baby attempts to breastfeed without an effective
latch, is it
considered significant breastfeeding (in the first 24 hours of life?
Attempts to breastfeed without an effective latch don't count. I don't know
how many times I've walked into a room to see a baby latched with a
totally non nutritive suck who falls asleep after a minute or two. I've even
seen babies billed as latched who are sucking on their tongues and are not
even on the breast. If these patterns continue baby will lose too much weight
and mother's milk supply is at risk. Our job in the first 24 hours is to
not panic but to help mother correct the latch and to evaluate for effective
breastfeeding. We also need to teach the mother and the bedside nurse how
to assess the effectiveness of breastfeeding.
Kathy Boggs, RN, IBCLC
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