The thread on helping moms to latch and whether to use a hands on/off approach has been fascinating - thanks everyone! Gretchen, I am interested in part of your message, where you said, "This same methodology works in any number of situations, like helping her to encourage baby to open his mouth by applying some pressure to the lower jaw. It is always fun to see how amazed parents are by how strong those little peoples jaws are! Getting comfortable with just handling a new baby can be a significant issue - especially for first time parents." I agree those little jaws can be like cast iron! Can you share exactly what you do to encourage those little clampers to open? Particularly about how you apply the pressure, and what the results are?? Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe (who applies feather-light "tickles" to the lower lip at intermittent intervals and then Gives Up if I can see baby *really* doesn't want to open ...)