Absolutely, babies can learn better latch skills at any age, I've even 
worked with 2 year olds who had gotten sloppy and were hurting their moms.

For this baby, one of the breast shaping techniques might work, either 
denting an area under the nipple with a fingertip (makes a longer nipple 
for the baby to grasp) or tilting the nipple away to bulge out the 
areola underneathe, like Rebecca Glover teaches in Follow Me Mum.

One needs to use more muscle effort to stay on the breast if the latch 
is shallow, so the first thing to try for any clamping baby is a deeper 
latch! Try with with a lollipop or carrot and you'll see.

Catherine Watson Genna BS, IBCLC  NYC  www.cwgenna.com

On 7/18/2016 2:33 PM, mary westra wrote:
> Dear wise ones,
> I have a lovely couplet that I have been trying to help for over 3 months
> now and would love to have some feedback especially from those in private
> practice who work with older babies.  (I am a hospital based LC).  First
> time mother of a full term healthy baby born via c/s.  C/S was for failure
> to progress which means nothing here with over a 40% initial c/s rate but
> that is a story for another day.  Baby spent the first 3 days of life skin
> to skin and working w 2 experienced IBCLC's.  From the get go baby did not
> know how to latch.  She simply clenched her jaw and chomped, if anything.
> There was no visible tie, but we suspected a submucosal one.  Mother went
> home pumping and had frenulum cauterized by plastic surgeon. Mother did ot
> return for follow up with lactation until 2 weeks of age.  Fortunately, her
> milk supply has been and continues to be excellent. It was noted then that
> baby chomped on bottle as well.  Suck training was tried and, at our
> suggestion, she followed up w a speech therapist who felt the oral
> structures and suck were normal.
> Fast forward to last week when baby started to latch.  Mother had not even
> tried for several weeks when baby just started rooting on own.
> Unfortunately, the latch is not good and mothers nipples have become too
> painful to latch her.  Baby can stick out her tongue, palate seems slightly
> high but not very high. Mothers question to me is: can baby learn a correct
> latch at this age?  I question if the tongue might need revision, but
> mother doesn't want this. I appreciate any insights into this case.
> Mary Westra RN, IBCLC
>
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