Watching Baby's Self-Attachment by Liz Brooks

Note from Sylvia: Here is a wonderful story about baby's innate ability to latch. As you read remember that this is what happened with this baby -- not all babies go through the Mad Baby Phase as this one did. Dr. Tina Smillie describes wonderfully that it is Mom's job to calm and soothe the baby (gentle stroking, mommy voice, etc.) so it can self-attach.

A Lactation Consultant's Favorite Moment:

Watching Baby's Self-Attachment

Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC Wyndmoor, PA, USA

I saw a Mom of a 10-day old. Her baby had not fed at breast, at all, since Day 2, in the hospital. Mom had been pumping (8 times a day -- 10 minutes tops -- 5-6 ounces at each pumping session!) and bottle-feeding. Mom thinks her heavily swollen breasts were hard for baby to latch onto .... baby got red-faced angry .... Mom got tense and anxious .... out came the bottle (but at least Baby has had 100% breastmilk).

So, I FIRST described to Mom the typical process of self attachment, a la Tina Smillie's fan-tab-u-lous new DVD "Baby-Led Breastfeeding." Mom is topless, Baby is in diaper only, and placed skin-to-skin. Baby may fuss and chew at hands, and bob around a bit. Baby may then "lunge" to one breast; or Baby might "bob" over there. Touching the nipple with the cheek helps the baby to zone in on the target. Tongue explores the nipple, often the fist is kneading the nipple and seeming to be in the way. Baby's head bobs up and down a few times ... the hand figures out how to get out of the way ... Baby self-attaches, prone position -- maybe after a few test-drives -- with a wide-mouth latch, body resting at a 45-degree angle (if Baby is nursing on the right, her toes are hanging over Mom's left hip bone).

Oh. My. God.

You should have seen it work.

That baby self-attached -- just like in the video -- just precisely as I had "scripted" it might happen. I really did feel like I had one of those magic wands they all think we IBCLCs carry. The whole process took about 4 minutes.

This baby was "mad" at the breast at first. But I told Mom we both have to just keep our hands off of her (other than Mom encircling her baby, Mom's own hands on baby's back, and her arms acting as a sort of bumper.) Baby was trying to attach on the left, but wasn't quite there yet; Mom was leaking like mad on the right. So, Mom put baby closer to the right breast (without "positioning" her), and after one or two bobs Baby was on, and suckling comfortably for 20 or 30 minutes, and transferring 2.5 ounces.

The hardest part was the "Mad Baby phase" -- for both Mom and IBCLC! But it really only lasted about 45-60 seconds. And I kept reminding myself of what I learned in Nikki Lee's talk of a few years ago: the baby is where it is supposed to be, with access to something it knows how to use. This is a different picture from a baby wailing away, alone, in a crib.

What a wonderful moment to witness!