Hi Hillary,
I have seen many moms with the same difficulty - continued excessive
compression by a baby with a short mandible.  It is one of the most
frustrating problems out there, because it takes absolutely perfect
positioning for the baby to be able to use that short little tongue
better and stop biting.  I'd advise refining the asymmetric latch with
mom by having her first press baby's belly against her, and last bring
baby toward her from between his shoulder blades (rather than pushing
his head), to get a little more head extension and bring that little
lower jaw in more.

Another thing to look at is if there is vasospasm happening.  Sometimes
when nipples are compressed with ever feeding, reflex vasospasm occurs,
probably from nerve irritation from hypoxia (poor nipple can't get any
blood flow when it's being chomped).  Nifedipine is helpful in breaking
this cycle, along with improved latch.

It seems to take 6-12 weeks for retrognathic kids to fully "get it".
Mom will need a lot of emotional support.
--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  New York City  mailto:[log in to unmask]

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