How do you encourage your baby to latch-on?

Newborns come equipped with an instinctive reaction called the rooting reflex, which is a primitive survival skill originating deep within the brain stem. To see it in action, hold your breast with your nipple stroking bub’s cheek and brushing onto his bottom lip — this encourages a newborn to open its mouth. And when he opens his mouth as wide as a yawn (like a baby bird), then quickly and firmly bring your baby’s mouth over the coloured part of your breast. Bring your baby to your breast — do NOT bring the breast to the baby, because this creates a poor latch-on. Once suckling, bub’s top and bottom lips should be flanged right back, like a fish mouth, to create a suction seal (against your breast their lips look like the right side of the letter ‘K’). Your entire nipple and most of the coloured areola area should be in baby’s mouth, with his chin on your breast — not centred like a ‘bull’s-eye’ though, you will be able to see some of the top of your areola.