20/08/2026
If your baby has reflux, colic, painful breastfeeding, a shallow latch, clicking during feeds, slow weight gain, constant feeding or a suspected tongue tie, it might feel like you’ve been handed a list of completely separate problems.
But feeding is a whole system.
How your baby latches, uses their tongue and jaw, creates suction, coordinates sucking, swallowing and breathing, and transfers milk can all affect what feeding actually looks like.
Sometimes the thing labelled “reflux” or “poor weight gain” is worth looking at through a feeding lens too.
That’s why I look beyond whether a baby can latch. I want to know whether feeding is actually functional.
If breastfeeding is painful, your baby is feeding constantly, clicking, struggling to stay latched, coughing or spluttering, unsettled during or after feeds, or not gaining weight as expected, there’s more to assess than just the latch.
I’m an IBCLC specialising in breastfeeding, infant feeding, milk transfer, tongue function and feeding difficulties.
Follow for evidence-based breastfeeding and infant feeding support.