Dear SDBFC,

My little guy is 7 weeks old and suddenly won’t latch right.  It feels like his tongue is flicking my nipple instead of being underneath covering his gums.  He also won’t open his mouth very wide to get the whole nipple in.  It’s causing me a lot of pain.  What can I do to encourage proper latch?

Sincerely,

Christina S.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Christina,

While I am not sure why at 7 weeks your little one’s latch started to become uncomfortable, the symptoms you are describing sound like your son's jaw and tongue could use a little unwinding. This is when I often refer the baby to a CranioSacral Therapist.  Since breastfeeding requires that a baby has full range of motion with his tongue, jaw and neck, some babies may require a little extra assistance to relax these areas and their central nervous system. One technique is CranioSacral Therapy (CST).