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Subject:
From:
Lisa Marasco IBCLC <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 31 Aug 1998 18:29:54 -0700
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> We worked on
> compressing the breast tissue behind the areola, and using a rapid arm
> movement to enable the baby to take a larger mouthful to no avail - baby
> would allow the extra tissue to slip out of her mouth and then carry on
> clicking!
>

Pamela,
Your post made me think of something I forgot to include in mine. Duh!
Palatal shapes. Babies who have that "bubble palate", as the Lactation
Institute calls it, often feel more comfortable keeping the breast in
that hollowed area rather than pulling it all the way back to the
juncture of the hard and soft palates.  Almost without exception, babies
with this variation of palate will gag when I gently try to reach that
juncture.  They are indeed sensitive and will readjust themselves at the
breast if they are able after an initial good latch, and clicking is not
uncommon.

In these cases, allowing baby to pacify on a finger between feedings
(start first where baby is comfortable, then gradually sneak back) helps
them to desensitize and accept the breast more deeply.  In the meantime,
those above-the-breast positions also encourage a deeper latch.

[Note: a "bubble palate" is like a fingerprint indentation with a back
rim that you have to go down and around to reach the juncture of the
palates. Your finger will lose significant contact with the roof of the
mouth as you feel your way along.]

Lisa Marasco BA, IBCLC
Santa Maria, CA

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