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From:
Lac Ladee <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 28 Mar 1998 16:12:20 EST
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Hi Pamela!
You asked for more info on how to open "little jaws".  I try to remember to
dry off the chin first - slips like crazy if wet!  I always use a finger cot
on the index finger but really don't like gloves most of the time - a personal
issue.  With the baby in mom's arms I ask her to encourage an open mouth by
perioral tickling (I usually joke with the mom and dad if he is present about
the idea of tickling the lower lip that is in much of the available literature
is near impossible with a wiggly baby.)  Then as the baby is attempting to
open gently push along with baby's opening to get wider than baby is
accustomed to for latch-on.  Sometimes it takes a few attempts to coordinate
the whole thing and it can get a bit crazy.  I find that making light of the
situation rather than getting overly tense loosens things up physically and
gives moms a different perspective too.  It's so easy to feel despair and
misery when things are going poorly.  Just shifting perspective slightly we
can often see the humor and folly of our situations and laugh a bit which is
such a good catharsis when dealing with a crisis.  When a baby is not opening
sufficiently because some well meaning soul gave an artificial nipple to the
baby this method works reasonably well.  I've thought that perhaps the baby
gets a "muscle memory" of how far they are suppose to open for feeds, so the
extra push during the opening process seems to get them past that.  Another
factor is that sometimes mothers have an expectation that their baby can not
open that wide.  I usually ask how wide their mouth is opened to yawn or cry
and usually get responses about how wide that is.  If they can open for other
activities then they can certainly be taught to open wide for feeds.  When a
baby is physically unable to open wide enough to accomodate mother's nipple, I
usually teach her to finger feed and try periodically as baby grows and
eventually the baby can latch-on well.  Hope this answers your question.
Gretchen Andrews, BA, IBCLC, LLLL
private practice, Redlands, So CA

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