A shallow latch is when your baby takes in only your nipple and not enough of your breast tissue. Signs of a shallow latch include: Pain: Breastfeeding should not be painful although you may be sensitive for the first two weeks. If you're experiencing pain, it may be a sign of a poor latch.
If the bottom lip is in the center of the areola, then your latch is shallow, even if it doesn't hurt.
In the first three to five days after birth, if you experience nipple soreness beyond a slight tenderness when your baby latches on, it may be a sign that something isn't right with the baby's latch, position, or suck. An adjustment to the latch or positioning can help you and your baby to be more comfortable.
As long as baby is getting enough milk and you aren't in pain, there's no issue at all and baby has a good latch. With a bad latch nursing may be downright uncomfortable, your baby won't be able to remove enough breast milk, and you may struggle with low milk supply. A bad latch all stems from ineffective sucking.
Hafken says some telltale signs of a shallow latch include a feeling of pinching in the nipple during feeding, a crack or scab in the shape of a line across your nipple, or your nipple looking flattened, pinched, or lipstick-shaped after a feeding.
There are signs of ineffective sucking in the baby who:
Does not wake on his / her own for feedings eight or more times in 24 hours. Latches on and then lets go of the breast often during the feeding. Falls asleep within five minutes of latch-on or after sucking two or three minutes.
With a shallow latch, your baby's chin and mouth are closed tighter than if her mouth and jaw were wide open. To help her develop a deep latch, pull her chin down to encourage her to open her mouth. Slip your finger between her chin and your breast and gently pull her chin down.
Sore nipples can develop for many reasons including a poor breastfeeding latch, not using a breast pump correctly, or an infection. Then, once you have them, sore nipples can lead to a difficult let-down, a low breast milk supply, or early weaning.
Lipstick nipple
If your nipple comes out of your baby's mouth flattened, or slanted like a new tube of lipstick, it's a sign your baby's latch when breastfeeding isn't deep enough.
When babies are latched on wrong, it can hurt or feel like a pinch each time your baby sucks. Over time, this can lead to painful, sore, cracked nipples. If you have pain during breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or lactation consultant to make sure your baby is properly latched or that something else isn't going on.
As well as being frustrating and distressing for your baby, a poor breastfeeding latch can give you sore nipples. It may also mean your baby can't drain your breast effectively, leading to poor weight gain, reducing your milk supply, and putting you at increased risk of blocked milk ducts and mastitis.
Sore, cracked or bleeding nipples are common. Some mothers have such trouble with them that they stop breastfeeding early. As a new mother, you may find it could take a few days or weeks to adapt to the strong suck of a healthy baby on your breasts.
When babies have a shallow latch, they will remove less milk than needed. Over time, this can lead to poor weight gain or weight loss. It will also lead to lowered milk supply if not corrected. The milk supply is dependent on how much milk your baby removes while breastfeeding.
Factors such as prematurity, jaundice, infection, heart disease, a mother's medicines and many others can affect a baby's ability to stay alert or coordinate the suck-swallow-breathe actions. Other mechanical issues that may play a role include tongue-tie or a cleft lip or cleft palate.
Babies tend to improve their latch as they mature and grow. Some babies will latch better when you try a different position. Other babies may simply need more time. Certain babies may need the help of a breastfeeding tool or intervention in order to latch so that they can remove milk comfortably and well.
Babies with tongue ties aren't able to open their mouths wide enough to latch onto the breast properly, commonly resulting in a shallow latch and nursing issues. Some symptoms you may notice while nursing include: Difficulty latching or staying on latch.
Soreness normally settles down after a few days as your body gets used to breastfeeding and your baby's sucking becomes more efficient. Consult a healthcare professional, lactation consultant or breastfeeding specialist if the pain while breastfeeding doesn't subside after a few days.
Common symptoms of overactive letdown include: A baby who gags and chokes at the breast. This also may be in the form of gulping, gasping, coughing or sputtering while nursing. It tends to happen at the beginning of a feedings, and occasionally later in the feeding when mom experiences another milk ejection.
You may only need to use a breast hold for a short time. As your baby gets older, breastfeeding becomes more established, and you become more confident, you might find that you no longer need to hold your breast when your baby latches on to breastfeed. American Academy of Pediatrics.
Sometimes you may hear your baby gulping, especially if you have lots of milk. Clicking or smacking sounds may mean that your baby is not latched correctly. Your nipple looks rounded, not flattened, when your baby comes off your breast.
Your nipples may feel slightly tender shortly after your baby latches on to the breast, for about 30 seconds or so. It's especially common in the first few days because of postpartum hormone shifts and general body swelling. It's common to need to adjust position or break the latch and start fresh to get comfortable.