>
> Clicking sounds means the tongue is doing something incorrectly.
> Sometimes it is the flow that is too fast for the baby and he
> clicks by doing something odd with his tongue to handle the flow.
I know this is obvious for most Lactnet readers, but I feel the need
to say this anyway, given several cases I have seen recently. We
need to be very careful not to pathologize mothers and babies who are
basically normal. Most mothers and babies out there are going to
have normal nipple anatomy and normal oral anatomy. Even if the
anatomy is unusual, it can still be in the spectrum of normal, and
have normal function, as long as a way of positioning is developed
that is comfortable and effective.
I just saw a mom who was in pain and at the end of her rope with
trying to perfect the baby's latch. She and her baby were fighting
at the breast to achieve the perfect latch, based on advice by a slew
of IBCLCs and friends about all the things she and her baby were
doing wrong. Thanks to years of seeing moms at LLL meetings, I
firmly believe that most mothers and babies out there have perfectly
fine anatomy. Babies can latch on perfectly well, if the mother
holds them close and lets them do it. If the latch is comfortable
and the baby is getting enough milk, then "wrong" is the wrong word
for clicking or any other variation of normal. "Unusual" or
"interesting" would be preferable, and in the mom's presence, I
prefer "perfect" or "beautiful"!
This particular mother was holding her baby away from her body both
because she anticipated pain and because she was trying to constantly
check the position of the bottom lip. She also was waiting until she
saw a wide open mouth before letting the baby latch, rather than just
keeping the baby close and letting the baby feel the breast on her
face, thus triggering a wide open mouth. When I showed her how to
keep the baby close, with the nipple on the philtrum and the chin
smooshed into the breast (thanks Cathy Watson Genna and Rebecca
Glover), and the baby self-attached perfectly, the mom expressed such
relief and pride in her baby for innately knowing how to do it right.
Ok, I realize I am starting to rant and this has nothing to do with
bubble palates, but it made me think of this because 2 of my 3 babies
clicked, but our latch was comfortable and they were gaining
normally. So I wanted to point this out for the benefit of those
less experienced people who may be reading Lactnet, including mothers
out there who lurk.
Warmly,
Lynnette Hafken
----
Lynnette Hafken, MA, IBCLC
Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Nurslings Lactation Services
http://www.nurslings.com
240-888-2123
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