Essentials of Positioning and Latch

Position and latch are the fundamental building blocks of lactation success. As a lactation helper, you must be able to assess them and teach them to parents. With this five-part, in-depth class, you will feel fully confident in your skills in this critical area.

An experienced lactation consultant across multiple settings and Co-Chair of the Virginia Breastfeeding Coalition, Instructor Dalaney Young, IBCLC, BS-MCH, teaches from deep lived experience with hands-on helping. You’ll leave this course prepared to be a keen observer, a great detective, and a flexible, knowledgeable guide for families in helping them achieve the best latch and positioning for their unique baby.

You’ll learn the following:

Part 1: Innate exploration of feeding. Far more than just food, breastfeeding/chestfeeding is a dynamic, bidirectional biological dialogue. Learn why the parent’s body is the baby’s natural habitat, how skin-to-skin promotes lactation success, and how to work with baby’s innate reflexes and abilities.

Part 2: Understanding nutritive latch and teaching it to parents. Learn how to recognize and teach parents to latch baby in a way that promotes maximal milk transfer and parent comfort.

Part 3: Supporting good latch through positioning. Baby-led latching, parent-led latching, football hold, cross-cradle … what do they all mean and when would you use them? After this part of the course, you’ll know for sure.

Part 4: Supporting a good latch. Learn how to help parents achieve an effective, comfortable latch and be able to do it for themselves when you’re not there.

Part 5: Guide to troubleshooting latch problems. All the most common latch issues, discussed with solutions and interventions.

Young’s course includes a rich array of videos and photos to illustrate key concepts, as well as discussion of the newest and most applicable research. Her common sense, engaging style makes the information accessible and memorable – you’ll use this information every day with the dyads you help.