Hi, Joy.  I tend to focus less on latch and I NEVER wait for a 'wide open
mouth' when helping a mother achieve good attachment during breastfeeding.
Instead, I focus more in positioning and allow the latch to happen naturally
from there.  
 
To clarify, I find that many moms wait for that 'wide open gape' that they
are taught about in prenatal class and in literature, but end up with a
shallow latch because in so doing they aim their breast into the center of
baby's mouth.  I find it so much better to teach mom to look for the
'reach', not the gape.  That is, the reach that baby does when baby lifts
his or her chin up toward the nipple.  A bit of pressure between the
shoulder blades at the time of the reach, and voila!  Mom and baby usually
attach just fine.
 
If mom is practicing biological nurturing (laid back breastfeeding), latch
is organic, though some moms do like to put a tiny bit of pressure on above
their areola in order to expose the nipple for baby to reach toward.  The
key here is to have mom and baby's spines parallel to each other, and to
allow their body contours to mold into each other and offer support during
the feeding session.  Most traditional feeding positions (such as cradle and
cross cradle) have baby's spine perpendicular to mother's.
 
I hope this helps.
 
~kg


Karyn-grace Clarke, IBCLC, RLC
Registered Lactation Consultant
HAPPY TRIBE CONSULTING
 <http://www.happytribe.ca/> www.happytribe.ca 
Nanaimo, BC, 250-739-3146

 

 

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