I have found in infants who have learned to only open their mouths halfway in anticipation of a bottle, that it is helpful to work with them to help them learn to open their mouths wider for the breast by gently. It also helps them drop their tongue in the correct position, as these babies have learned to retract their tongue in anticipation of the bottle.  Slight chin pressure is only helpful if you work with the baby, as he has the reflexive wide-open.  And I have found it helpful during a feeding if the same type baby begins to retract his tongue and bite mom, that pulling the chin down a little brings the tongue forward into correct position.  Baby gets the reward of milk, and mom is relieved of the pain.  It's a subtle intervention, and I think, analgous to all the little subtleties of position and touch that many of us have learned in many aspects of patient care.  You'll never find all the tricks that you learn, for instance, in starting IV's listed in books, but your hands know the tricks.  
Denise Sweeney, RN, IBCLC
Mobile, AL

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html