My Baby Won’t Latch!

I hear this phrase several times a week. It troubles me because it implies that the baby is unwilling breastfeed. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You baby was born to breastfeed! She is hard-wired to seek comfort and nutrition from you breasts. This is, after all, how babies survive! When a baby is unable to latch and breastfeed it simply means that she is unable to latch and breastfeed—not that she is unwilling!

If your baby does not breastfeed right away, you may feel that there is something wrong with your breasts, or your baby doesn’t want to breastfeed or even that your baby doesn’t like you. None of these things are even remotely true, however. Your baby is most comforted by you—the scent of your skin, the sound of your voice and the rhythm of your heart and breathing.

There is no need for panic if your baby doesn’t latch immediately after birth. Let your baby snuggle skin-to-skin on your chest. Let her nuzzle against your breast. Encourage her as she scoots around searching for your nipple.

If your baby is attempting to latch on and is unable to grasp the breast or maintain her latch, she may be having some simple coordination problems. Seek the help of a lactation consultant. These things usually work themselves out over time, but you will need support and guidance to ensure your baby gets plenty of your milk while she’s learning to breastfeed.

See also, “Your Baby is a Mammal”

Breastfeeding in Public–A New Point of View

The following was written by sister lactation consultant, Norma Ritter. Thank you, Norma, for your thoughtful and humorous contribution to this forum!

There are few things less attractive than a person eating. People who do so in public should be charged with indecent exposure. At the very least, they should apologize to all the other folk in the vicinity. If they can’t cover their naked …mouths then they should stay at home!

I don’t see why people can’t either eat before leaving the house, or just take an IV with them. It is a simple matter to carry the necessary equipment and liquid nutrients in a small cooler. For goodness sakes, companies give away the coolers for free! And did you know that the growing trend is to wear a permanent hep-lock in your arm?

Who wants to see people put food in their facial orifice in public? Come on, we all know what mouths are for, and THAT is most appropriately done in private!

If people insist on eating in public, the least they can do is to use a head cover. There are so many attractive covers now available that you can even match one to your outfit as a fashion statement. It is easy to make your own from a yard of knit fabric, and you don’t even need to hem it.

As for this law I keep hearing about, prohibiting the harassment of those who feed in public, well, that is just ridiculous! We need to return the the good old days when public decency was more common.

Norma Ritter, IBCLC, RLC
Breastfeeding Matters in the Capital Region
www.NormaRitter.com