By Danelle Day, PhD © 2010
Preface: The information on this page is meant to help breastfeeding mothers who need latch assistance for their nursing baby. Photos and videos are for education and may not be suitable for all work environments.
Nipple Twist Latch Steps:
Preface: The information on this page is meant to help breastfeeding mothers who need latch assistance for their nursing baby. Photos and videos are for education and may not be suitable for all work environments.
Nipple Twist Latch Steps:
1) Pinch the areola right next to your nipple so the nipple can be moved (it may take a second for the nipple to evert if it was otherwise flat). You can use your thumb and first finger, or 2 fingers - whichever is easier for that side and the shape of your breasts. If you have 'puffy' breasts, you can also position the rest of your hand under your breast to lift it up slightly and away from your chest.
2) Turn the nipple up so it is pointing at your face. Do not be shocked if some milk exits. This is normal as you are putting very slight pressure on the milk ducts. There is no need to wipe off the milk as the scent will only help to encourage baby to nurse.
3) Position baby's mouth at the bottom of your upturned nipple, so baby's mouth is open over your nipple/finger and onto the above areola.
4) When you let go, the nipple will land deep into baby's mouth - where it is meant to be for comfortable latch and sucking.
Thank you to Bronwyn Millar for sharing her technique with DrMomma readers via video examples below. [Note: Millar's videos are not currently working due to online bullying of the Peaceful Parenting account and Google losses.]
How to compress the nipple upward to allow it to fall into baby's mouth for a good latch:
This was a great way to get my babe to take the full nipple (deep into his mouth) in order to practice our early nursing technique when he was having troubles post-c/s in the beginning. I also really appreciated your description of the finger/syringe in "if at first you don't succeed"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/breastfeeding-if-at-first-you-dont.html
THANKS!
awesome! I'm due any day and can't wait to try this.
ReplyDeleteI have a question: is it to late to re-train my baby to latch better? She's 6 months now, and we do 'ok'...but it could be better.
ReplyDeleteSara, I don't think it's ever too late, with perseverance!
ReplyDeletecant believe didnt know this for the 1st 5
ReplyDeletethat is awesome!! that would have been a great thing to know when I was trying to nurse my first child.
ReplyDeletethis is so awesome! I remember with my first, it wasn't until I actually saw a technical diagram of the suckling mechanism that it finally 'clicked' how to latch my baby on. Lucky it was only day 3. We really need to share this info to make it easier for our bubbas to drink our elixir!
ReplyDeleteso totally adding that to my favs. great job, bronwyn!
ReplyDeleteWhat a complicated way to get a baby to latch! Why make breastfeeding complicated when it doesn't have to be? So much easier for mum just to lean back a little and let baby attach itself. By self-attaching the baby will naturally take the nipple deeply into the mouth. Go watch the video at www.biologicalnurturing.com in the "For Mothers" tab, and watch the photos on the home page. Oh and read the testimonials as well.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with anonymous about self latching. Search YouTube for the breast crawl. It's amazing and brings tears to my eyes every time. I wrote an article that went into detail about how every single reflex a baby is born with is designed to help them latch on all by himself!
ReplyDeleteAnonymouses, not all babies latch perfectly or at all by themselves! You aren't doing any good to old and new breastfeeders alike by saying that. If people are having troubles they need support and resources like this, not to be told the baby will just do it on his/her own. That is really upsetting to me.
ReplyDeleteWhile the self attachment is a GREAT method.. It's good that people like Bronwyn share their experiences and tips. What works for one person doesn't always work for the next. Women who are just starting breastfeeding often need an arsenal of choices in case their baby doesn't take to one method.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea...I personally never had a latch problem, but know tons of gals that did...My son received 3 hours of sucking practice on my hubby's baby finger, while I was in the O.R....When I got him he was a pro ;)...I will be sure to share this with other new moms...
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping this helps DS or DD number 2 latch right from the get go ... DD#1 and I used a nipple shield for the first 4-5 months; it kept us nursing (no formula in our family!), but would have been better had the lactation consultants at our hospital not been so ready to give me a nipple shield.
ReplyDeleteIt seems this technique addresses exactly our latching issue; we struggled to get the nipple deep enough to trigger her suckling response (and sandwiching the nipple to push it farther in her mouth didn't work for my breast type) BUT I had been able to nurse two or three times successfully (45-60min per latch) BEFORE I was given the nipple shield by the lactation consultants, so I know in my heart that it would have just taken practice and we could have gotten it ... the consultants, hubby, and mother-in-law just didn't have enough patience - they were all terrified she was starving. I knew she wasn't starving; I just wanted all those people to get out of our faces.
I'll try this when I get home this morning; it might help with the change in DD#1's latch since her top teeth came in a few weeks ago...I'll post again after we try it:)
Tonya, we had a similar problem (the suckling response was not working) and rather than a nipple shield (which the LCs at our local hospitals did not advise) they worked with us on teaching our newborn to suck effectively. Here's our story: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/10/breastfeeding-if-at-first-you-dont.html
ReplyDeletenice. i paid 160 bucks to have a lactation consultant teach me a trick. it was worth it at the time, but when my friend paid and got the same trick i felt foolish for not just showing it to her in the first place.
ReplyDeleteWoah that's fantastic! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI've been using this technique all day and there is a big difference for us since my little one's latch had become shallow over the last couple weeks. Actually, the last couple weeks have been the first time nursing was painful for me; so I'm really quite pleased to have this technique to use now!!! Thank you, thank you :)
ReplyDeletehey all, thanks for the love.. i happened to be one of the ones whose baby did NOT self attach. c section and groggy 1st day of a terrible latch left me with 7 weeks of scabs and ulcers. the 'nipple sandwich was also very hard for me so i adapted it and found this way really got my baby feeding on the whole nipple instead of the end. to those who critisize it - you have obviously never experienced nipple ulcers. this method has helped some of my friends, and i think it's a great method for women like me who have large nipples. but it also works for little nipples. and if someone's struggling with latch, why not give them a few tricks to try before they get pushed into bottle feeding like i nearly was.
ReplyDeleteI need the video
DeleteUUGH! I loved finding this but MY BREAST WON'T COOPERATE! or maybe it's my fingers but it won't do it. :-(((( I'm looking for any help whatsoever. Any tricks for breastfeeding while laying down.
ReplyDelete@Anon -- tuck the baby's body close to yours, and make sure his body is down low enough so that he'll still have to tip his head up and extend his head to take a mouthful of breast.
ReplyDelete-Kathy
I used to be afraid of suffocating the baby so I wouldn't lay down to nurse till my 1st was @ 6 months old.
ReplyDeleteNow, by # 3 I am more confident in it. I lay the baby down first at breast level, lay down next to her, (propping my back with a pillow) and pull her face close to me. I put my nipple in her mouth and hold her face there till she starts to suckle. Then I always make sure to tilt her head back to make sure her nose is clear and can breathe freely.
Good luck with this! It takes some practice, but don't be afraid to move the baby up or down to get the right position and hold her close.
I'm a La Leche League leader and although I am no longer breastfeeding anyone, I had to try it! I had a hard time grabbing very much tissue far enough back. I was able to g t only right behind the nipple to twist. I will have to suggest this to women to try, though.
ReplyDeleteI have 4 children, only 1 of them took to breastfeeding easily. The other 3 had lots of problems. It was so stressful and scary when breastfeeding wasn't going well and baby was losing weight/not gaining. It's a welcome treat to learn a new trick that might make all the difference for a mama and baby. Thank you!
Wow.. me encantó la técnica, en cuanto despierte mi pequeña intentaré practicarla ya que hemos estado batallando un poco para que tome bien el pezón. Gracias por compartir!!
ReplyDeleteMy baby's natural latch left me cracked, bleeding, and weeping in pain. Aside from demoralizing me, it reduced my already inadequate milk supply. It took four months of pumping, herbal supplements, yoga, and sessions with an RN/lactation consultant to get to the point where I had re-established my supply, and my baby never got a great latch, just an adequate one. There are a lot of nursing dyads out there and every pair does things a little differently. How wonderful that nature provides moms with the inventiveness and courage to keep working with their babies for the best latch.
ReplyDeletehmmm...my nipples aren't anywhere near that size...i barely have any nipples at all.
ReplyDeletelets hope this works for my 9 month old who has an upper lip tie because breast feeding is becoming unbearable in the last few weeks!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to try this as I'm having major difficulty getting my baby to latch and because of incorrect attachment I now have to feed with nipple shields as it is agony feeding without. My only problem is that my little girl's mouth is nowhere close to being the size you describe in the video so I'm hoping it will work. Thanks for the demonstration!
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent technique...I figured it out by myself with my premmie 12 years ago and it really helped him get a good latch at only 33 weeks.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent technique...I figured it out by accident 12 years ago with my premmie and it really helped him get a good latch and nurse at only 33 weeks gestation. I didn't know it was already a technique, it needs to be taught more often. I used it again with my tongue tie babies too to help them latch well and it worked again. I think it's called the flipple isnt it?
ReplyDeleteNice but the second video is blocked :(
ReplyDeleteIt continues to be flagged on YouTube as 'obscene' even though it is a breastfeeding help video. :(
DeleteI'll have to try this. My boy was 5 1/2 weeks early and spent 3 weeks in the NICU and was bottle fed. Now he's used to the bottle and breastfeeding is a fight everytime I try. Any other tips would be appreciated
ReplyDeleteThat looks really cool. I just tried it, but I can't get the nipple to turn up without grabbing both sides with two hands. Maybe my breast tissue is too firm and inflexible? Trying different angles helps a bit.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Sarah, if your breasts are tighter/firmer and you do not have a flexible, stretchable nipple-areola complex, you will have difficulty using this, or not be able to use it at all. It is an amazing visual help to so many mommies, but if you have a hard/firm/inflexible breast/areola/nipple, you need to do the opposite: you need to grab your breast around your areoala and pull back in towards your chest wall, which will likely provide a better latch-shape.. wish I was there to help ya!! It is my specialty of specialties: to latch babies!!
Deletewww.roneldreyer.com I am a Lactation Consultant in Abbotsford, British Columbia who has great success with all the techniques I use to latch babies. The secret is to SHAPE your areola/nipple for your baby, whatever it takes for you to do.. which is the principle of this video. Experiment!
THANK YOU for this "small" piece of advice. I had no idea I had "firm breasts" until I read Sarah's comment and then your response. I immediately un-latched my 2 month old and re-latched him while pulling back instead of squeezing or twisting, and WOW, what a difference it made (if only I had known this with my first child)! I wish I lived in British Columbia to schedule an appointment for more tips, my nipple has always come out looking like a tube of lipstick no matter what I did. Other LC's have told me that it was fine. :/ Thank you again for offering up free advice! :)
DeleteTHANK YOU for this "small" piece of advice. I had no idea I had "firm breasts" until I read Sarah's comment and then your response. I immediately un-latched my 2 month old and re-latched him while pulling back instead of squeezing or twisting, and WOW, what a difference it made! If only I had known this with my first child! I have always had the "tube of lipstick" nipple after feedings no matter what I did, and LC's have told me that it was fine. :/ I am so excited to perfect this new way of latching and have successful and satisfying feedings! Thank you again, I am so grateful you took the time to offer up free advice!
DeleteJust wanted to let you know I used this with my 5.5 mo son who had to stop nursing for a little over a month. I desperately wanted to get back to nursing but he was SO used to the bottle and was having difficulty latching and wanted the quick feed that a bottle supplied. This really helped him get the nipple in deep enough so he could get a good suck which, led to a full belly. :) Thank you so much for the trick.
ReplyDeleteThis worked for me with my one week old. After a very physically and emotionally difficult struggle to breastfeed without pain with my son five years ago, I was starting to feel that same panicky feeling with my daughter. Although it took a bit of coordination to get it, once we did, it helped right away, getting my not flat but not gum drop nipples far enough back in her mouth.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Wish I had found this MUCH sooner. We've been through 4 nipple shields and lots of pain. This is working!
ReplyDeleteI've read a dozen articles, watched a dozen videos, talked to a dozen lactation specialists and nurses.... Nothing really seemed to help me and my baby establish a good latch. I believe right now she is underfed and have been really worried I'd have to stop breastfeeding. I literally just tried this latch on the second breast and immediately noticed a change in sucking and swallowing. I'm simply amazed. All this time with worry and struggle and all I needed was this video. I was on the verge of giving up and am so glad I found this. Lactation specialists, nurses, even doctors could stand to learn this trick and strip breastfeeding mouthed from ever worrying about a bad latch. Thank you so much for sharing this, I am extremely ecstatic that I've finally got it right!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteYou have NO IDEA how much this technique helped me with my baby who had been refusing to nurse for seven weeks. I tried EVERYTHING and in my searching I came across this technique. It's so hard to get your boob in the mouth of a baby who is actively refusing to nurse, and this did the trick. Once I flung it in and it went far enough in that it triggered all her reflexes and holy smokes, after dealing with breast refusal for 7 weeks, we were nursing! She is almost two years old and we are still nursing. I can't thank you enough for showing this technique and I have referred many other people to this site who are struggling.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who you are but I love you!! I tried everything to get my son to latch deeply!! I actually just latched him on without crying. My poor cracked nipples will now be able to heal!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!!!
The problem is that you are misrepresenting how big a baby's mouth is. If it was as big as that cup I could do it easily...but it's not! My baby has a tiny mouth and so this technique doesn't seem to help me.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how big or small a baby's mouth is, the technique is the same. Turn nipple up. Position baby's mouth. Allow nipple to fall. Thankfully, this has helped thousands each year. <3
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