Causes of clicking while breastfeeding
UPDATE: I’ve since rewritten this blog post to provide more indepth information about each of the causes of clicking. If you read this post and find it lacking, I’d encourage you to hop over to this post “ Causes of clicking during infant feeding | An in-depth look at noisey breast & bottlefeeding”
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For today’s post I wanted to switch it up from the long, in-depth blog posts and quickly discuss a question that I received:
“I have a quick question. If I hear clicking when my baby is nursing, what does that mean?”
In short, clicking is heard whenever there is a loss of suction. This can happen both at the breast or on the bottle, and may or may not be seen in conjunction with more obvious signs of “breaking the seal” such as leaking.
Though I would argue that clicking sounds aren’t normal, I wouldn’t say it’s always a problem.
For example, if your baby makes the occasional clicking noise or if it's during a time of intense breast fullness, there's generally nothing to worry about.
Despite the question above asking what it means when one hears clicking sounds, I think the implied question is “Why is my baby making clicking noises?”
There are many reasons possible causes for clicking.
Poor positioning/latch
A strong, forceful letdown
Engorgement
Poor tongue mobility/function (Such as tongue tie)
Inability to maintain a seal due to weak muscles or restricted lip (lip tie)
A weakness of the tongue
High arched or bubble palate
Submucosal cleft
Ear Infections
Thrush
Body tension or physical conditions such as Torticollis
As you may see, there are a lot of possibilities for your baby’s clicking. In many cases, when clicking persists despite position changes and after engorgement passes, the clicking is due to something structural.
I often find myself asking if there’s any clicking present during feeding when parents complain of pain, slow weight gain/weight loss (baby), and low supply.
The reason?
Babies need a proper seal to maintain vacuum pressure to transfer milk effectively and efficiently.
Many times parents are told that clicking is typical, or that there are no issues with their baby’s noisy eating, even though they sound similar to the baby below.
The baby in the clip to the right is NOT feeding efficiently at all. Continued poor feeding is often very stressful for babies (and parents) and can lead to long term feeding aversions. Clicking may be the only noticeable sign of dysfunctional feeding, especially when babies are gaining weight or having appropriate diaper output.
If your baby is making clicking noises that persists or if they leak, gulp, gasp, pant, pop off or grimace and fuss while feeding (bottle or breast), please download this DIY Oral Assessment worksheet. Once completed you will have a better understanding of your baby’s functional strengths and weaknesses. The sooner we find solutions to make feeding easier for your baby, the better. I can be reached at (210)763-0548, or you can book an appointment here.
