01/13/2026
Let’s talk about something no one really explains when breastfeeding feels hard:
The suck–swallow–breathe reflex.
This isn’t a “skill” your baby learns.
It’s a neurological reflex — meaning it comes from the brain and nervous system, not from willpower or effort.
Your baby has to:
suck
swallow
and breathe
in a perfectly timed rhythm
…while being held, while milk is flowing, while their neck and jaw are being supported, while their nervous system stays calm enough to coordinate it all.
That’s not small. That’s complex.
That is applied nervous system magic at work.
So when a baby struggles to latch, clicks, gags, pulls off, arches, chokes, or falls asleep at the breast — it’s not because they’re lazy, or stubborn, or because you’re doing it wrong.
It’s usually because their nervous system is working too hard to coordinate those three things at once.
Here’s the part people miss:
That reflex lives at the brainstem and upper neck.
Which means anything that creates tension, compression, or imbalance there — birth, long labors, fast labors, C-sections, forceps, vacuum, even just being folded in utero — can make that rhythm feel harder for a baby to access.
Not broken.
Not damaged.
Just… working harder than it should.
And when a baby has to work harder to breathe, they can’t relax enough to suck well.
When they can’t suck well, they can’t transfer milk.
When they can’t transfer milk, feeding becomes frustrating for everyone.
This is why some babies seem to “hate” the breast.
They don’t hate it — it just feels like too much work for their nervous system.
And now I'm speaking to the mother— this is not your fault.
You don’t fix this by trying harder.
You don’t fix it by pushing through tears and cracked ni***es and exhaustion.
You fix it by helping your baby’s body feel safe, supported, and organized enough to do what it already knows how to do.
That’s where gentle pediatric chiropractic and body-based support can be a game-changer.
Not to force a latch.
Not to “train” a baby.
But to take pressure off the nervous system so that reflex can show up naturally.
Breastfeeding is not about toughness.
It’s about coordination and safety.
And when we support the nervous system, the rest often follows. 💛
