If Diane W. is around, she can describe this much better than I can - but
here's my attempt.

You have gently stimulated the baby to open his mouth by tickling/rubbing
with the lovely curve of the breast below the nipple. The nipple is pointed
at the baby's nose. As the baby opens his mouth nice and wide in response to
the feel of that round breast against his lips, his head naturally tips back
a bit as well. But that nipple is still above his mouth and - as Katherine
says - looks like it isn't going to go in. So you use your finger to press
down on the breast just above the nipple (exactly where you press and how
you press will depend a bit on the size and protrusion of the nipple) so
that the nipple slides under baby's top lip/jaw and into his mouth. At the
same time, you snuggle the baby in nice and close. This means the baby gets
a nice full mouth of breast, with a good asymmetrical latch (bottom jaw will
cover more of the breast than the top jaw). I find this approach effective
for most mothers and babies, and it works really well for flat nipples. I
also find it very helpful with babies who have learned to "grab" the nipple
while latching-on.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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