RN Nursing · Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding · Practice question
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?
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"Try to place the nipple, the entire areola, and some breast tissue beyond the areola into her mouth."
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✓
"You should place your nipple and some of the areola into her mouth."
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"Babies know instinctively exactly how much of the nipple to take into their mouth."
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"Your baby's mouth is rather small so she will only take part of the nipple."
Answer & explanation
Correct: "You should place your nipple and some of the areola into her mouth."
Proper latch technique is fundamental to successful breastfeeding and prevention of nipple pain and injury. For an effective latch, the infant should take the nipple and as much of the areola as possible into the mouth, not just the nipple alone. When only the nipple is drawn into the mouth, the infant compresses the lactiferous sinuses inefficiently, leading to inadequate milk transfer, nipple trauma, and pain. The correct teaching is that the mother should aim to place the nipple and a good portion of the areola into the infant's mouth. Ideally, all or most of the areola is included depending on its size. The response stating to place the nipple, the entire areola, and breast tissue beyond the areola is more tissue than is typically achievable or necessary and may not be anatomically possible for all women. The notion that babies instinctively know how much nipple to take in dismisses the nurse's role in educating the mother and does not address the actual technique needed for a proper latch. Suggesting the baby will take only part of the nipple because her mouth is small is incorrect and would encourage a shallow latch, promoting nipple soreness and poor feeding outcomes. Guiding the mother toward a deep latch with nipple and areola inclusion reflects current evidence-based lactation practice.
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