A nurse is assisting a client who is postpartum with her first breastfeeding experience. When the client asks how much of the nipple she should put into the baby's mouth, which of the following responses by the nurse is appropriate?

Correct latch technique is fundamental to successful breastfeeding and prevents nipple trauma, poor milk transfer, and early discontinuation of breastfeeding. The nurse should instruct the client to place the nipple and some of the areola into the baby's mouth. A proper latch requires that the infant take the nipple and a portion of the areola — not just the nipple tip — so that the infant's gums compress the lactiferous sinuses beneath the areola, stimulating effective milk flow. This guidance is the evidence-based standard for latch technique. Telling the client that babies instinctively know how much nipple to take is not helpful because many newborns require guidance to achieve a proper latch, and relying solely on instinct can lead to shallow latching, nipple pain, and inadequate milk removal. Saying the baby's mouth is too small to take more than part of the nipple discourages the mother from achieving the correct latch and is factually inaccurate — even small infants can and should latch onto the nipple and part of the areola. Instructing the client to place the entire areola and additional breast tissue beyond the areola into the baby's mouth is excessive and anatomically impractical; areola size varies considerably among women, and the goal is a sufficient portion of the areola for effective compression, not the entire areola and beyond.