With breastfeeding, a latch refers to how the baby fastens onto the breast. Getting a good latch is important. In fact, how your baby latches is actually more important than how you hold your baby. Get tips to help your baby have a good latch.

A good latch means that the bottom of your areola (the darker area around the nipple) is in your baby’s mouth and your nipple is back inside his or her mouth, where it’s soft and flexible. A shallow latch happens when your baby does not have enough of your breast in his/her mouth or is too close to the end of your nipple. A shallow latch can make the nipple sore, cracked, and bleeding.

The steps below can help your newborn latch on to the breast to start sucking when he or she is ready. Letting your baby begin the process of searching for the breast may take some of the pressure off you and keeps the baby calm and relaxed. This approach to learning to breastfeed is a more relaxed, baby-led latch. Sometimes called biological nurturing, laid-back breastfeeding, or baby-led breastfeeding, this style of breastfeeding allows your baby to lead and follow his or her instincts to suck.

Keep in mind that there is no one way to start breastfeeding. As long as the baby is latched on well, how you get there is up to you.

• Create a calm environment first. Recline on pillows or other comfortable area. Be in a place where you can be relaxed and calm.
• Hold your baby skin-to-skin. Hold your baby, wearing only a diaper, against your bare chest. Hold the baby upright between your breasts and just enjoy your baby for a while with no thoughts of breastfeeding yet.
• Let your baby lead. If your baby is not hungry, she will stay curled up against your chest. If your baby is hungry, she will bob her head against you, try to make eye contact, and squirm around.
• Support your baby, but don't force the latch. Support her head and shoulders as she searches for your breast. Avoid the temptation to help her latch on.
• Allow your breast to hang naturally. When your baby's chin hits your breast, the firm pressure makes her open her mouth wide and reach up and over the nipple. As she presses her chin into the breast and opens her mouth, she should get a deep latch. Keep in mind that your baby can breathe at the breast. The nostrils flare to allow air in.

If you have tried the "baby-led" approach and your baby is still having problems latching on, try these tips:

• Tickle the baby's lips with your nipple to encourage him or her to open wide.
• Pull your baby close so that the baby's chin and lower jaw moves in to your breast.
• Watch the baby's lower lip and aim it as far from the base of the nipple as possible so that the baby takes a large mouthful of breast.

Signs of a good latch include the following:

• The latch feels comfortable to you and does not hurt or pinch.
• Your baby's chest rests against your body. Your baby does not have to turn his or her head while drinking.
• You see little or no areola (the darker skin around the nipple), depending on the size of your areola and the size of your baby's mouth.
• When your baby is positioned well, his or her mouth will be filled with breast.
• The baby's tongue is cupped under the breast, so you might not see the baby's tongue.
• You hear or see your baby swallow. Some babies swallow so quietly that a pause in their breathing may be the only sign of swallowing.
• You see the baby's ears "wiggle" slightly.
• Your baby's lips turn outward like fish lips, not inward. You may not even be able to see the baby's bottom lip.
• Your baby's chin touches your breast.

Below are some common latch problems and how to deal with them.

• You're in pain. Many moms say their breasts feel tender when they first start breastfeeding. A mother and her baby need time to find comfortable breastfeeding positions and a good latch. If breastfeeding hurts, your baby may be sucking on only the nipple, and not also on the areola (the darker skin around the nipple).

  Gently break your baby's suction to your breast by placing a clean finger in the corner of your baby's mouth. Then try again to get your baby to latch on. To find out if your baby is sucking only on your nipple, check what your nipple looks like when it comes out of your baby's mouth. Your nipple should not look flat or compressed. It should look round and long or the same shape as it was before the feeding.

• You or your baby feels frustrated. Take a short break and hold your baby in an upright position. Try holding your baby between your breasts with your skin touching his or her skin (called skin-to-skin). Talk or sing to your baby, or give your baby one of your fingers to suck on for comfort. Try to breastfeed again in a little while.
• Your baby has a weak suck or makes tiny sucking movements. Your baby may not have a deep enough latch to suck the milk from your breast. Gently break your baby's suction to your breast by placing a clean finger in the corner of your baby's mouth. Then try to get your baby to latch on again. Talk with a lactation consultant or pediatrician if you are not sure if your baby is getting enough milk. But don't worry. A weak suck is rarely caused by a health problem.
• Your baby may be tongue-tied. Babies with a tight or short lingual frenulum (the piece of tissue attaching the tongue to the floor of the mouth) are described as "tongue-tied." The medical term is ankyloglossia (An-ke-low-GLAH-SIA). These babies often find it hard to nurse. They may be unable to extend their tongue past their lower gum line or properly cup the breast during a feed. This can cause slow weight gain in the baby and nipple pain in the mother. If you think your baby may be tongue-tied, talk to your doctor.

Sometimes, a baby's tongue is stuck to the bottom of the mouth by a band of tissue, which means the baby can't open his or her mouth wide enough to get a good latch. Checking for tongue-tie isn't a standard newborn test in the hospital or doctor's office. If your baby isn't latching on well and doesn't seem to be gaining weight, see your baby's doctor or nurse and ask about this. Fortunately, it's a very simple fix. Once tongue-tie is treated by a medical professional, breastfeeding gets better for moms and babies.

Some moms find that the following positions are helpful ways to get comfortable and support their babies while breastfeeding. You can also use pillows under your arms, elbows, neck, or back to give you added comfort and support. Keep trying different positions until you are comfortable. What works for one feeding may not work for the next feeding.

Clutch or "football" hold: useful if you had a C-section, or if you have large breasts, flat or inverted nipples, or a strong let-down reflex. This hold is also helpful for babies who like to be in a more upright position when they feed. Hold your baby at your side with the baby lying on his or her back and with his or her head at the level of your nipple. Support your baby's head by placing the palm of your hand at the base of his or her head.

Cross-cradle or transitional hold: useful for premature babies or babies with a weak suck because this hold gives extra head support and may help the baby stay latched. Hold your baby along the area opposite from the breast you are using. Support your baby's head at the base of his or her neck with the palm of your hand.

Cradle hold: an easy, common hold that is comfortable for most mothers and babies. Hold your baby with his or her head on your forearm and his or her body facing yours.

Laid-back hold (straddle hold): a more relaxed, baby-led approach. Lie back on a pillow. Lay your baby against your body with your baby's head just above and between your breasts. Gravity and an instinct to nurse will guide your baby to your breast. As your baby searches for your breast, support your baby's head and shoulders but don't force the latch.

Side-lying position: useful if you had a C-section, but also allows you to rest while the baby breastfeeds. Lie on your side with your baby facing you. Pull your baby close so your baby faces your body.

Both you and your baby need to be comfortable. Although it takes practice to get a good latch, you should never have to work hard to stay in the right position while your baby is breastfeeding. You can only know which nursing hold works best for you and your baby through trial and error. But whatever the position, you should be relaxed with your baby snuggled close, belly-to-belly with you, so your baby doesn't have to turn his or her head to the side.

Not sure if your baby is positioned right? Here are two easy tricks:

• Look for your baby's belly button. If you can see the belly button while your baby's latched, the baby's not comfortable enough to latch well. Scoot your baby's body inward a little so that the belly button is facing toward you.
• Look around. If you can chat and use your hands without concentrating on holding your position, that's a good position for a latch.

The sensitivity of the skin on your nipples and breasts helps your breasts respond to your baby and know how much milk to make. When the baby is latched correctly, the bottom part of the areola is also in his or her mouth. But a shallow latch, even if it doesn't hurt right away, will start to hurt soon. And your baby has to work harder to get the milk out.

Not sure if baby's latch is too shallow? Ask yourself:

• Are you in pain? If the pain lasts longer than a few seconds, the latch is probably too shallow. Gently break the suction by placing a clean finger into your baby's mouth and help your baby latch on again.
• How's your nipple? When the baby unlatches, look down. Your nipple should look the same or slightly longer than usual. Pain or pinching is a sign of a poor latch.

Both you and your baby should be comfortable both during and after feedings.

• During feeds. A little bit of discomfort at first is okay, but if your baby has been at the breast more than a few seconds and it still hurts, or if you find yourself using the breathing they taught you for labor and delivery to get through pain, that's not good. Take your baby off, look at how you're positioned, and try again. Your baby needs a good latch to get maximum milk, and you need a good latch for comfort.
• Between feeds. You might sometimes feel your breasts getting fuller when it's time for a feeding. Some moms can feel a tingling sensation in their breasts just by thinking about their baby or hearing another baby cry. You may even leak a little milk between feedings. These are normal signs. But if your breasts feel painful, achy, itchy, hot, or burning, or you feel a hard lump that can't be massaged out, call a doctor or nurse right away. These can be signs of an infection. Regardless of the diagnosis, even if you're prescribed medicine, keep breastfeeding if the doctor or nurse tells you to. Why? Continued breastfeeding keeps the milk moving through the breast, which helps the healing process and speeds recovery.

Sometimes, even when you do everything right and the latch looks good, you may still experience pain. Remember, pain is a red flag. So get help from a breastfeeding expert, doctor, or nurse.