IT TAKES THE WHOLE BODY TO FEED, NOT JUST THE MOUTH
Did you know that babies begin crawling right after birth? In an ideal environment where the baby is immediately placed on the parent's stomach with the baby’s head in the middle of their chest, babies can navigate their way to the breast by doing a “breast crawl”. The crawl is actually a physiologically reflex response that is as automatic as blinking and breathing. Babies involuntarily use their reflexes to navigate their way toward the breast.
This brings up a great picture of how babies also use their entire bodies to breastfeed and latch. While breast crawling, babies are pushing their bodies upwards, following the smell that mimics amniotic fluid, it is the Montgomery glands on the areola of the breast that are secreting fluid to help serve as a guide. Babies reach the breast and slightly lift their head, coming up and forward to latch and suck.
WHOLE BODY SUPPORT
The same is true even after birth. A baby will begin rooting when hungry, another one of the involuntary newborn motor reflexes. For this process babies need room and allowance (no hand on the back of the head) to tilt the head back, creating a wide open gape and getting a deep, asymmetrical latch. When tension is present, it could mean not getting the head and neck to fully tilt back, not seeing a wide open mouth before latching, and uncomfortableness when feeding making the baby stiffen up or constantly pop off the breast.
Babies latch and feed better when they feel stable. Stability begins when mom and baby are placed in sync with optimal positioning. It helps to position the baby with lots of contact, stomach to stomach, avoiding restriction from hand placement behind the head, placing a hand on the base of the baby’s neck, ensuring feet/legs are flexed, hands-free to move, and space for the jaw to open wide. When stable, babies can focus on feeding!
Some causes of tension affecting stability and/or comfortability:
Positioning in utero
Birthing situations (Interventions, Induction methods, timing, injuries, etc)
Restrictions during feeding that are environmental (clothing, blankets, mittens, swaddling,
Oral restrictions
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Often compensations are met with resistance to effectively and efficiently breastfeed comfortably. Compensations are additional actions used to achieve the same results that under normal conditions are not needed, but because of tension, restrictions, and dysfunction, may be utilized. When tension in the body is present and not resolved, the parent may experience pain, soreness, nipples that have changed shape or color, plugged ducts, or low milk production. Baby may have a preference to turn one way, which may appear as breast refusal, rigid or stiff body, clamping or biting, leaking from the mouth during a feed, or falling asleep at breast before finishing feed. Another one some families may not consider is the growth and development of the face and jaw.
Lactation professionals are able to access these reflexes and see how they impact oral function and comfort for mom and baby. A member of the lactation team can investigate the root of why compensatory measures are being used and come up with a plan to give resources to address them.
