The Perfect Latch

Thank you, thank you, thank you ❤️❤️❤️

Sending warm wishes & lots of baby squishes for 2024 🤗

Lovely feedback ❤️

There are lots of different ways to latch your baby. The positions you can use are as individual as you and your baby, and there isn't one 'magic' way or method that's going to work for everyone.

We know from research that babies latch better when they are positioned tummy down, and there is close contact between mum and baby.
Achieving this positioning can often be easier if mum and baby get into a more laid-back posture. When you're in the comfort of your own home, we usually suggest that you choose the seat you'd pick if you were going to settle down to watch something good on television. But remember that you can recline in most chairs, using cushions or rolled up blankets to support your lower back.

This type of positioning and latching is often described as 'baby led attachment', 'laid back breastfeeding', or 'natural breastfeeding'. Whatever it's called, it taps into a baby's natural inborn and instinctive behaviour pattern, which leads them to seek the breast and latch on.

During National Breastfeeding Week in Ireland:

🤱 Let's remember that every breastfeeding journey is unique, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach. All breastfeeding experiences should be celebrated, whatever they may look like.

🤱Let's continue to create an environment where breastfeeding is celebrated, normalised, and supported.

🤱 Let's raise awareness, break stigmas, educate, and ensure that every mother has the resources and encouragement she needs on her breastfeeding journey.

Sarah & Lisa ❤️

✨️Understanding your newborn's tiny tummy✨️

In the early days, your baby's stomach is very small, about the size of a cherry 🍒 or a marble! By the end of the first month it's around the size of a large chicken egg 🥚.

How does this impact breastfeeding?

✨️Feed volumes:
Colostrum is the gold coloured, nutrient-dense milk that is produced in the first few days. If you were to actually see the volumes produced (and you will if you hand express or pump), they might seem relatively small. But it's exactly what your baby's tummy can handle and it meets their needs perfectly. As your baby grows (and providing baby is feeding well at the breast), your milk supply adjusts accordingly. Your body is incredible at providing just the right amount of milk for your little one!

✨️Frequent feeds:
A small tummy = frequent feeds in the early days and weeks- every 2-3 hours (and sometimes more). This is normal and crucial for their growth and development.

✨️ Trust your instincts:
If your baby is latching well, having plenty of wet & dirty nappies and seems content after feeds, it's likely that they are getting enough milk.
Trust the process, trust yourself🤱

Remember, every baby and breastfeeding dyad is unique. Seek guidance and support if you have any breastfeeding issues/concerns 🩷

💡Breastfeeding is a right-brained activity, meaning you'll often need to use your intuition over logic💡

Sometimes breastfeeding is hard because we try to impose too many rules on ourselves and our babies.

Breastfeeding works best when baby leads the way. Watch your baby, not the clock. It never hurts to offer the breast if you think your baby could be hungry or in need of comfort.

Trust your mama instincts and trust your baby! ❤

#

Today is a HARD day.

I see you, mama.

I see that you got very little sleep last night and you're exhausted.

I see that every feed seems endless and that there is no clear line between when one stops and the next one begins.

I see that you are anxious about all the other things that need to be done around the house.

I see that you are touched out and craving a few minutes alone.

I see that you just want to stop.

But please don't quit today...not on a bad day.

Give yourself until tomorrow, when the clouds may part and you are not so overwhelmed by today's storms.

Bad can be like a brief moment of happiness...it is here and gone before we know it.

Don't quit on a bad day ❤

REACH OUT FOR HELP AND SUPPORT IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH BREASTFEEDING

⏰️ Babies don't know the clock, and feeding times can vary so much from baby to baby and feed to feed ⏰️

A baby who is feeding very efficiently might take in a lot of milk in a short space of time. Conversely, a baby who is not feeding very efficiently might take in a relatively small quantity of milk over a long period of time.

This is why it can help to work with a lactation specialist who can 1. reassure you that your baby's feeding patterns and your milk supply are ok or 2. identify any issues that might be going on and help you make a plan.

In general, the best advice is to feed baby from one side until they are no longer actively swallowing, and then offer the other side. Let baby take the lead!

Painful and cracked ni***es are NOT a normal part of the breastfeeding journey.

Ni**le pain is the number one reason lactating parents give up. We've heard mums describe 'toe curling' or 'tear inducing ' pain when breastfeeding and this should not be endured under any circumstances!

Swipe for more information

Seek help and support if you're struggling with ni**le pain and trauma

Cluster feeding is real, and it can be exhausting, both physically and mentally.

It helps to know that cluster feeding is completely normal and it will not last forever!

❕️Seek help and support if your baby is looking to feed constantly throughout the day and/or if you're struggling❕️

Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2023 from Sarah and Lisa at The Perfect Latch! 🤱🎉

This week, we honour the invaluable practice of breastfeeding, recognising its crucial impact on maternal and child health, as well as its role in building a healthier and more sustainable future for our planet.

Let's advocate for better support systems, education, and awareness, ensuring every mother can make an informed choice 💗

✨️ How long your baby nurses for at each feed is very individual and can vary not only from baby to baby but from feed to feed ✨️

✨️ Some babies are done and dusted in less than 30 minutes. Others take their time and can spend a lot longer at the breast. See above ⬆️ for some factors that can influence nursing times ✨️

*Seek help & support if nursing sessions are very short or very long i.e if baby regularly nurses for just a few minutes or for more than about 50 minutes at a time.*

✨️When latching, think CHINS! A great way to remember some factors involved in getting a deep latch✨️

We don't often think of the chin as an important factor when latching a baby onto the breast, but the chin is actually fundamental in getting your baby to open their mouth wider. Having your baby's chin make contact with your breast under your ni**le will help them tilt their head up and back to encourage that lovely gape we want to see immediately prior to latch

❤Skin-to-skin is often advocated in the early post-partum period but mums and babies can benefit from bare skin snuggles well beyond this stage ❤