How to Latch-on and Other Helpful Tips

I had problems breastfeeding Aiden when he was first born, he wouldn't open his mouth wide enough so we hardly ever got a good latch. I worked with nursing consultants in the hospital to get him started but it was frustrating for all 3 of us. I have three other children, all whom I tried breast feeding with, but was unable to continue past the few months due to sore nipples and lack of a good milk supply. I knew I wasn't doing something right because everyone kept telling me that if I was doing it right, it wouldn't hurt. I was determined to figure it out and breastfeed this child for as long as possible.

Two things that helped me was discovering the proper latch-on technique and learning how to express breastmilk with a pump and by hand. Once I had mastered these things I had no further problems nursing my little boy. I was able to continue breastfeeding for 10 months and after that I continued to pump up to 40 ounces of breast milk a day that went into bottles for him along with his solid foods.

I have included these videos to help other moms who may be struggling like I was in the beginning. Hope you will find some useful information here that will help you. I encourage all of you to not give up, once you get this down, it makes all the difference in the world. You can have a good milk supply, breastfeed your child without pain, and continue breastfeeding for as long as you and your child want. The World Health Organization has changed their recommendation now to 2 years instead of 12 months because babies continue to receive benefits from their mother's milk after the first year.

How to Latch-On

How to Use a Breast Pump

How to Express Breast Milk by Hand