Clare Byam-Cook says

This is an extremely common problem and is usually caused by poor technique rather than the baby not opening his mouth wide enough. But if you have large, flat or inverted nipples, latching can be more difficult, even if your baby does open his mouth really wide. I am not a fan of the ‘nose-to-nipple and wait until he opens his mouth wide’ advice (see below) as I think this makes latching much harder. Instead, I recommend that you help your baby by shaping your breast so that it fits better into his mouth –using the same principal of trying to fit a large parcel into a small letter box!

To do this, lay your baby on his side on a pillow so he is level with your breast, with his mouth (not his nose) opposite your nipple. Slide your hand underneath your breast and place the balls of your thumb and second finger level with your nipple and on the outside of your areola at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. Then, gently squeeze your breast until your nipple protrudes and you can fit it more easily into his mouth.

Note: This simple technique which will help most babies latch on is demonstrated on my DVD and described in much greater detail in my books.

Note: The ‘nose to nipple’ theory
I find it extraordinary that mothers are told to hold their baby ‘nose to nipple’ rather than ‘mouth to nipple’ as I think this advice actually makes it harder for a baby to latch on quickly and painlessly. Mothers are told to brush their nipple against the baby’s nose and then wait until his mouth ‘gapes wide open’ before allowing him to latch on.

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I am totally against this advice for the following reasons:

• Many babies don’t know that they must open their mouth really wide and these babies become very agitated and upset if they are made to wait until they do.
• Some babies physically can’t open their mouth wide enough to latch onto a large breast
• Lining your baby up with his nose (rather than his mouth) in front of your nipple makes it much harder for him to latch on
• If he does manage to latch on, he has to pull your nipple away from his nose towards his mouth and this pulling creates sore nipples.
• Bending the nipple slows the milk flow so feeds last longer
• Your breast may empty unevenly and this can cause mastitis