The Latch Revolution

THERE ARE NO LAZY BABIES!

Low vacuum explained

Why long feeds don't always mean babies are feeding well.

Some babies feed for an hour.

They click.

They lose suction.

They fall asleep.

Then they're hungry again.

It's easy to assume they're simply sleepy or "lazy."

But what if they're working incredibly hard just to maintain a feed?

In this third episode of the Stop Guessing Series, Johanna Sargeant IBCLC and Katie James IBCLC explore one of the most commonly overlooked feeding challenges—low vacuum.

Together they explain why understanding function, rather than simply watching the latch, can completely change the way we assess babies with sucking difficulties.

In this episode

• What low vacuum looks and feels like during a feed

• Why clicking and losing suction matter

• How babies compensate when they cannot maintain an effective vacuum

• Why looking beyond milk transfer helps identify the real challenge

Continue the learning journey

Download the free Clinical Observation Framework for Babies with Sucking Difficulties.

Inside you'll receive:

✓ The companion observation framework

✓ The complete Stop Guessing Series

✓ Clinical reflections

✓ Invitation to our live Clinical Q&A



Clinical reflection

Think about a baby you've described as "sleepy" or "lazy" at the breast.

Could they have been working much harder than they appeared?

Coming next

Episode 4

It Feels Like Teeth



About The Latch Revolution

The Latch Revolution creates practical education for healthcare professionals supporting babies with feeding difficulties.

We believe better observation leads to better questions, and better questions often lead to better support.

WHY WON'T THIS BABY FEED?

High palate clues

Some babies seem to struggle with everything.

The breast.

The bottle.

The dummy.

Even your finger.

Parents often describe a baby who gags easily, feeds for long periods, starts well but gradually begins to struggle, or suddenly plateaus in their weight gain.

In this second episode of the Stop Guessing Series, Johanna Sargeant IBCLC and Katie James IBCLC explore how a high palate and oral sensitivity can quietly affect feeding, and why these babies are often misunderstood.

Rather than focusing on the palate alone, they explain how to recognise the wider pattern of compensations and observations that help build a more complete clinical picture.

In this episode

• Why a high palate is only one piece of the assessment

• The feeding behaviours that often point towards oral sensitivity

• How finger assessment can reveal valuable clinical information

• Why listening carefully to the mother's story is one of your most powerful assessment tools

Continue the learning journey

Download the free Clinical Observation Framework for Babies with Sucking Difficulties.

Inside you'll receive:

✓ The companion observation framework

✓ The complete Stop Guessing Series

✓ Clinical reflections

✓ Invitation to our live Clinical Q&A



Clinical reflection

Think about a baby who seemed to struggle with breastfeeding, bottle feeding and dummy use.

What clues might have suggested that oral sensitivity or a high palate was contributing to the bigger picture?



Coming next

Episode 3

Your Baby Isn't Lazy



About The Latch Revolution

The Latch Revolution creates practical education for healthcare professionals supporting babies with feeding difficulties.

We believe better observation leads to better questions, and better questions often lead to better support.

STOP CHASING TONGUE TIE - Look at the whole baby

Why feeding assessments need a whole-baby approach.

When a baby is struggling to feed, it's tempting to look for a single explanation.

But what if feeding difficulties are rarely caused by just one thing?

In this first episode of our Stop Guessing Series, Johanna Sargeant IBCLC and I (Katie James IBCLC) introduce the clinical observation philosophy that underpins our work with babies experiencing sucking difficulties.

In this episode

• Why isolated symptoms rarely tell the full story

• The five areas that guide every assessment

• Why curiosity is often more valuable than certainty

• How better observation leads to better support

Continue the learning journey

Download the free Clinical Observation Framework for Babies with Sucking Difficulties.

Inside you'll receive:

✓ The companion observation framework

✓ The complete Stop Guessing Series

✓ Clinical reflections

✓ Invitation to our live Clinical Q&A

Clinical reflection

Think about the last baby whose feeding "didn't quite make sense."

What observations might you revisit if you stepped back and looked at the whole picture?

Coming next

Episode 2 - Why Won't This Baby Feed? - Hidden Clues of a High Palate

About The Latch Revolution

The Latch Revolution creates practical education for healthcare professionals supporting babies with feeding difficulties.

We believe better observation leads to better questions, and better questions often lead to better support.

Season One may be over… but we’re only just getting started.

We’re taking a short summer break before returning in August with a special four-part mini-series unlike anything we’ve released before.

Together we’ll work through feeding case studies, taking you behind the scenes of our clinical reasoning. Rather than simply discussing symptoms or diagnoses, we’ll explore how experienced lactation consultants begin to ask better questions.

What are the clues?

What is the baby’s body telling us?

Why is this feeding challenge happening?

And perhaps most importantly… what are we missing when we focus on treating the symptom instead of understanding the cause?

If you’ve enjoyed the conversations throughout Season One, this series will take you one step further inside the decision-making process we use every day with the families we support.

If you’re a midwife, lactation consultant, speech pathologist, health visitor, doctor, paediatric clinician or anyone supporting breastfeeding families, we think you’re going to enjoy this one.

We’ll see you in August.

Until then…

Thank you for listening, sharing the podcast, leaving reviews and being part of The Latch Revolution.

Enjoying the podcast?

Leave us a 5-star review, subscribe so you don’t miss the new mini-series, and if you’d like to support the show, you can join us on Patreon.

Keywords

The Latch Revolution, oral function, infant feeding, breastfeeding education, IBCLC, lactation consultant, midwife education, breastfeeding support, feeding assessment, sucking difficulties, oral assessment, tongue function, bottle feeding, breast refusal, breastfeeding challenges, case studies, Decoding the Suck, breastfeeding professionals

Years ago, Katie stopped attending births for friends. The boundaries felt clear. But one simple conversation sparked an uncomfortable realisation: Why was she still providing lactation support for them?

In this honest and surprisingly personal episode, Katie and Joh explore the complicated space where friendship, professional expertise and breastfeeding support collide.

Episode Summary

As lactation consultants, midwives and birth professionals, many of us become the unofficial breastfeeding hotline for friends, family members and colleagues.

But what happens when those relationships become blurred?

In this episode, Katie and Joh unpack the emotional realities of supporting friends through breastfeeding challenges. They discuss the pressure of feeling responsible for outcomes, the difficulty of setting boundaries, and the unexpected emotions that can arise when friends seek support elsewhere or make different feeding decisions than we hoped.

Together they explore how their thinking has changed over the years, why some professional boundaries are easier to recognise than others, and how friendship can quietly become entangled with clinical responsibility.

Along the way they share personal stories, professional reflections and a few moments of humour that many birth professionals will recognise immediately.

In This Episode We Cover

Why supporting friends often feels very different from supporting clients

The emotional responsibility many professionals carry

Why friendship and clinical care can become blurred

The challenge of giving unsolicited advice

Managing expectations when support is offered informally

What happens when friends seek support from someone else

Why helping someone and being responsible for their outcome are not the same thing

Feelings of disappointment, guilt and professional self-doubt

The importance of clear boundaries in protecting relationships

How both Katie and Joh have changed their approach over time

Why there is no single right answer when it comes to supporting friends



Want More From Katie and Joh?

Check out our courses for professionals:

Decoding the Suck: Gentle support for babies with sucking difficulties

Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Pregnant or a new mum? Find more support from Katie:

The Feeding Couch – Breastfeeding SOS – for new mums

Newsletter

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Instagram

Katie: @katiejameslactation

Johanna: @milkandmotherhood



We’d Love To Hear From You

Have you ever supported a friend, colleague or family member through breastfeeding?

How did you navigate the boundaries?

Did it strengthen the relationship or make things more complicated?

Send us a message on Instagram or email us hello@thelatchrevolution.com We’d genuinely love to hear your story.



Medical Disclaimer

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners should always seek the guidance of their own healthcare provider, midwife, or lactation consultant with any questions they may have regarding their own situation or that of their clients. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant do not accept responsibility for any decisions made based on this content.

Keywords

lactation consultant boundaries, breastfeeding support, supporting friends, IBCLC, midwife boundaries, doula boundaries, professional boundaries in healthcare, friendship and professional relationships, breastfeeding professionals, lactation consultant burnout, postpartum support, reflective practice, client relationships, birth professional boundaries, breastfeeding counselling, maternal health professionals