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Latch Tips and Tricks

March 13, 2024/0 Comments/in Breast Pumping, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding tips /by Melissa Portunato

By Jacque Ordner BSN, RN, IBCLC, RLC

As an IBCLC people are constantly asking me for insights to make breastfeeding easier. Today, I’ve got my top tips and tricks to make latching easier and more comfortable!

This advice isn’t original to me, and isn’t original to any other IBCLC or breastfeeding professional. It’s been around as long as breastfeeding has, but it hasn’t been readily passed from mother to mother in recent years the same way it likely was centuries ago.

#1 ALLOW BABY’S HEAD TO TILT BACK Let’s start with a little exercise. Tilt your chin down as if you’re looking at your toes. Can you open your mouth very wide in this position? Now, imagine taking a drink…..can you drink easily and efficiently? Not so easy is it? Let’s try another exercise. This time, look up at that wall about 6’-8’ high. Your head should be slightly tilted back and you should be able to easily open your mouth nice and wide. Imagine raising a glass to your lips in this position. Could you drink well like this? Of course you can! These same principles apply when our babies are nursing! Allowing baby to tilt his or her head back, while supporting it with your hand just at the base of the neck, will make getting those deep latches much easier! To make latching even easier, make sure baby’s chin touches the breast while the nose remains free. Sometimes, this is referred to as the asymmetrical latch technique. Click HERE for more information!

#2 CHECK BABY’S BODY POSITION We also want to make sure the rest of baby’s body is in an appropriate position to support a good latch. Just as we imagined drinking while staring at our toes, now let’s imagine drinking while looking over our shoulders. Difficult isn’t it? We want to avoid putting baby in a position where she might have to drink while looking over her shoulder as well. The best way to do this is to align the ear lobe, shoulder, and hip and place baby belly to belly with mom (or belly to side for football hold). This puts baby in a comfortable, well-aligned drinking posture.

#3 SUPPORT THE BREAST AT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL Supporting mom’s breast can also make latching easier for both mom and baby. This is especially true for women with larger breasts. Young babies do not yet have the strength and motor function to hold a heavy breast at the appropriate height for latching or to maintain that height once they have latched. It can be especially helpful for mom to maintain support of the breast for the duration of the nursing session. We all know moms are great multi-taskers and one way to free up a hand is to use a rolled hand towel under the breast to support it during feedings. Mom can even use the freed hand to help shape her breast to make it easier for baby to latch onto.

The overall takeaway is that the number one tip for a good latch is to think about what makes up good drinking posture. Look at your baby’s neck, shoulders, and hips. Are they in a position that makes it easy and comfortable for your baby to open wide and latch on? What about your breast? Does baby have to turn his head to find the nipple or is the breast supported at the appropriate level? Taking the time to assess and adjust can make for a much easier and more comfortable nursing session! You got this, mamas!

Need additional help getting into the right position? Is pumping uncomfortable? Our IBCLC’s can help! Schedule your virtual CONSULTATION today or email questions to ibclc@spectrababyusa.com.

Working and Pumping: The Struggle is Real

October 31, 2018/0 Comments/in Breast Pumping, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding tips, Exclusively Pumping /by Shay Barnett

What To Know When Returning to Work

Well, it’s sadly that time, when you are headed back to work after maternity leave. Hopefully, your employer offers that necessary benefit. The baby honeymoon is over and now you have some big decisions to make regarding childcare and feeding. If you’ve been breastfeeding up to this point, there is a good chance you’ll want to continue providing baby with your milk. After all, it is recommended to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months if possible, to get the continued benefits such as less frequent illness. Before your actual return, try to be as prepared as possible. Make sure you know your workplace rights; have all the gear you need and have at least a general plan for how you will feasibly pump enough to keep up your supply for baby. Here are the basics to get you started:

Protection under federal and state laws

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law with provisions related to nursing mothers and pumping at work. The guidelines include employees that are not exempt under section 7 of the law. This includes most hourly paid employees. The law specifically calls for providing a nursing mother unpaid (unless all employees are paid for their breaks) reasonable breaks with a private room for nursing that isn’t a bathroom. If your employer is smaller than 50 employees, they may be exempt from this law if it causes them “undue hardship.” For full details check out these great resources here and here. If you aren’t covered under the ACA, make sure to check your state laws. Twenty-eight of fifty states have some kind of provision related to breastfeeding.

Planning and educating yourself

First, figure out what laws you are specifically covered by depending on your employment from the resources above. If you aren’t sure, talk to your boss, human resources, or a workplace lawyer so you can start making a game plan.

Next, equipping yourself with all the essentials for successful workplace pumping is key. To maintain a good milk supply it is important to have access to the best possible pump. For time management and optimal pumping, look into getting a double, electric breast pump that is hospital strength. Under the ACA, it is also required that your health insurance provide you with a pump (either a rental or single user depending on the model). There are several pump options available and companies that will do all the footwork for you to get you the pump you need with little hassle. Spectra Baby USA is one of these companies with the added bonus of great customer service and lactations consultants on hand as needed. Check out their page for a comparison chart of different pumps to find the best option for you and you can also check their insurance lookup tool that locates a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) company that will work with your insurance policy to get you a breast pump covered by your plan.

Lastly, consider any accessories to purchase to make your life easier as a pumping mom. This includes items like a pumping bra, sterilizing tools, nipple cream, adequate collection bottles, freezer bags, and insulated tote to be able to get your milk safely to and from work. Having the right gear will keep you organized and efficient!

When and how to pump: finding a schedule

In general, you want to pump in a way that would mimic your baby’s current feeding schedule. This generally means that a mom will have to pump every 3-4 hours. For a full-time employee that should be 2-3 times depending on lunch breaks and commute time. How you want to schedule these into your day is completely dependent on what works in your day. Regardless, make sure that you try to actually schedule these times into your calendar to remind yourself and your co-workers. It’s easy to forget or skip a pumping session if you don’t make it a priority and this can negatively impact your supply. If you are short on time one day, don’t stress and just try to get in as many short sessions as you can to keep the supply signal going to your breasts.

The last big consideration is your milk supply as your switch from breastfeeding to the use of a pump. Your baby is much better at extracting milk from your breast than a machine, so if you have trouble initially with the amount you are pumping don’t be discouraged. Keep these basic tips in mind: keep hydrated, eat healthily and frequently, stimulate an adequate let down with massage, heat or thinking of your baby (even look at a picture!), stay relaxed and comfortable and make sure you have the right size breast shield.

With the right preparation, you will manage the transition into a work-family balance well. You rock mama! Keep up the good work providing liquid gold for your child while crushing those career goals.

What To Know When Returning To Work

June 27, 2018/0 Comments/in Exclusively Pumping /by sherley

Well, it’s sadly that time, when you are headed back to work after maternity leave. Hopefully, your employer offers that necessary benefit. The baby honeymoon is over and now you have some big decisions to make regarding child care and feeding. If you’ve been breastfeeding up to this point, there is a good chance you’ll want to continue providing baby with your milk. After all, it is recommended to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months if possible to get the continued benefits such as less frequent illness. Before your actual return, try to be as prepared as possible. Make sure you know your workplace rights, have all the gear you need and have at least a general plan for how you will feasibly pump enough to keep up your supply for baby. Here are the basics to get you started:

Protection under federal and state laws

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law with provisions related to nursing mothers and pumping at work. The guidelines include employees that are not exempt under section 7 of the law. This includes most hourly paid employees. The law specifically calls for providing a nursing mother unpaid (unless all employees are paid for their breaks) reasonable breaks with a private room for nursing that isn’t a bathroom. If your employer is smaller than 50 employees, they may be exempt from this law if it causes them “undue hardship.” For full details check out these great resources here and here. If you aren’t covered under the ACA, make sure to check your state laws. Twenty-eight of fifty states have some kind of provision related to breastfeeding.

Planning and educating yourself

Next, equipping yourself with all the essentials for successful workplace pumping is key. To maintain a good milk supply it is important to have access to the best possible pump. For time management and optimal pumping, look into getting a double, electric breast pump that is hospital strength. Under the ACA, it is also required that your health insurance provide you with a pump (either a rental or single user depending on the model). There are several pump options available and companies that will do all the footwork for you to get you the pump you need with little hassle. Spectra Baby USA is one of these companies with the added bonus of great customer service and lactations consultants on hand as needed. Check out their page for a comparison chart of different pumps to find the best option for you and you can also check their insurance look up tool that locates a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) company that will work with your insurance policy to get you a breast pump covered by your plan.

When and how to pump: finding a schedule.

In general, you want to pump in a way that would mimic your baby’s current feeding schedule. This generally means that a mom will have to pump every 3-4 hours. For a full time employee that should be 2-3 times depending on lunch breaks and commute time. How you want to schedule these into your day is completely dependent on what works in your day. Regardless, make sure that you try to actually schedule these times into your calendar to remind yourself and your co-workers. It’s easy to forget or skip a pumping session if you don’t make it a priority and this can negatively impact your supply. If you are short on time one day, don’t stress and just try to get in as many short sessions as you can to keep the supply signal going to your breasts.

The last big consideration is your milk supply as your switch from breastfeeding to the use of a pump. Your baby is much better at extracting milk from your breast than a machine, so if you have trouble initially with the amount you are pumping don’t be discouraged. Keep these basic tips in mind: keep hydrated, eat healthy and frequently, stimulate an adequate let down with massage, heat or thinking of your baby (even look at a picture!), stay relaxed and comfortable and make sure you have the right size breast shield.