I saw a woman yesterday with a  9 day old baby girl.  Natural unmedicated/
non-complicated delivery.  Mom has sore grazed nipples.

A digital exam showed that the baby's mouth/palate were all fine- nice big
mouth.  Latched on to my finger and sucked beautifully.  Baby has never had
a bottle and takes no dummies. Doesn't suck her fingers either.   When
offered the breast, baby opens wide and then gets the nipple into her mouth
and "mouthes" the breast.   She (baby) then pulls away and arches her neck
way back away from the breast.

This baby is extreamly sensitive to any stimulation on her face or head.  We
were very careful not to touch head during latch on- just offered support
behing the shoulders.

Baby has gained 50 grams a day since birth, so is getting something.  But
she cannot get on right and really nurse for more than a suck or two.

Mom's breasts are full and she says tender, but not engorged.  mom does not
say she's in pain, but body language (curling her toes and tension in
shoulders) suggest that she is in pain.

I don't know what to do with this baby.  Her neck and head extend so far
back she looks like she is a turtle!  She arches her head WAY back.  Any
thoughts on why she would do this and how to help?  Mom is very stressed by
these awkward nursing sessions.  Father is afraid that maybe the baby just
will never learn how to nurse.

Baby usually latches poorly and makes a lot of smacking noise for a few
seconds and then goes into this extended neck posistion and takes a lot of
work to settle down again.

Any suggestions/ thoughts would be appreciated.

Nancy Sherwood LLLL, IBCLC- Perth, Australia