Latching on...

Hi Ladies and bubs,

Hoping you may be able to shed some light on a BF issue and that this is the right place to ask... Little Mia Grace is 8 days old and bub #3.. It doesn't seem to get any easier though... She latched on quite well from the word go but she is a little lazy in that she won't open properly to latch on fully (OUCH!!!) I have worked out that the football position works best for us as my chest is quite large and I can control her head and keep her arms out of the picture (I usually wrap them to keep them/her under control)I am just after suggestions as to how to get her to open her mouth wider as we seem to have position right... When she does latch on properly she usually manages to pull herself off a little so that it then hurts again... Nipples are suffering but not tooooooo bad... I do pull her off as much as I can but there are stages where I just leave her in peace to feed and suffer the consequences.. I am seeing a lactation nurse tomorrow but was just after some friendly advice in the meantime...

Thanks for taking the time,
Kezz and Mia

Kezz,

I have a Mia Kate and she is 8 weeks old and she is my first, I had the same problem with her, I used nipple sheilds to encourage the wide mouth, I know it's not recommended and the nurses will tell you try not to use them and all the research try's to tell you that it will decrease your milk supply (i had no problems), but if after 4 attempts your little Mia Grace is not latching well then for your comfort try them, i used avent standard size because they are big for that wide mouth but there are others out there. After a while you will find she will start to open her mouth nice and wide.

Good Luck
Sami and Mia

Thank you Sami and Mia for taking the time to respond... Will try that out....