To unlatch a baby from the breast, gently slide your finger into the corner of their mouth to break the suction before pulling them away. This simple technique protects your nipple from damage and keeps your baby comfortable. Roughly 58% of breastfeeding women experience nipple injuries, and improper unlatching is one of the contributing factors.
The Finger-in-the-Corner Technique
Babies create a strong vacuum seal when they breastfeed, and that suction doesn’t release on its own when you move them. If you pull your baby straight off the breast, you risk stretching and tearing delicate nipple tissue. The correct method takes about two seconds once you get used to it.
Wash your hands first. Then slide your pinky finger (or index finger) into the corner of your baby’s mouth, between their gums. You’ll feel the suction release almost immediately as air enters the seal. Once the vacuum breaks, gently guide your baby away from the breast. Some parents find it easier to press down slightly on the breast near the baby’s mouth instead, which also lets air in and releases the latch.
The key is to always break the seal before moving your baby. This applies every single time you unlatch, whether you’re repositioning, switching sides, or ending the feeding entirely.
When You Need to Unlatch and Relatch
A shallow latch is the most common reason to unlatch and try again. When a baby only has the nipple in their mouth rather than a good portion of the areola, feeding becomes painful and inefficient. Signs of a shallow latch include your baby’s mouth being barely open, most of your areola still visible, their chin not resting against your breast, and pain that persists beyond the first few seconds of latching on.
If you notice any of these signs, break the suction with your finger, reposition your baby so their nose is level with your nipple, and let them open wide before bringing them back to the breast. A deep latch means your baby’s mouth covers a large portion of the areola, their lips are flanged outward, and their chin presses into the breast. You may need to unlatch and relatch several times in a single feeding session during the early weeks, and that’s completely normal.
Unlatching During a Fast Let-Down
Sometimes your milk flows faster than your baby can handle, especially in the first minute or two of feeding. If your baby starts choking, gagging, gulping loudly, or pushing away from the breast shortly after latching, an overactive let-down is likely the cause.
Break the suction with your finger, sit your baby upright, and let them recover for a moment. You can catch the forceful spray with a towel or cup. Once the flow slows, relatch your baby. Feeding in a more reclined position, where your baby is on top of you and gravity works against the flow rather than with it, can help reduce the force of the let-down over time.
What to Do When Your Baby Bites
Babies with emerging teeth (or even firm gums) sometimes clamp down during a feeding, usually once their initial hunger is satisfied and they start to lose interest. La Leche League International recommends watching for the warning signs: a pause in sucking and a tensing of the jaw. When you feel it coming, quickly slide your finger between the gums to break the seal and remove your baby from the breast.
Your instinct will be to pull your baby straight off. Resist that urge. Pulling away while the jaw is clamped can cause real nipple damage. Pressing your baby closer to the breast for a brief moment is another technique that works, because it encourages them to open their mouth wider to breathe, giving you a chance to slip them off safely.
Unlatching to Switch Sides
Many parents switch breasts partway through a feeding, either because the baby has slowed down on the first side or to keep milk production balanced. The process is the same: finger in the corner of the mouth, break the suction, then move the baby.
This is a natural moment to burp your baby if they seem uncomfortable. Hold them upright with their back straight (not curled) and gently pat or rub their back for a couple of minutes. Not every baby needs to burp at every feeding. If your baby seems content and relaxed, you can skip it and go ahead with the second breast.
Signs Your Baby Has Unlatched on Their Own
Babies often release the breast themselves when they’re full. Their jaw relaxes, their hands unfurl, and they may turn their head away or simply fall asleep. When this happens naturally, there’s no suction left to break and no technique needed. You can gently slide them off.
If your baby keeps unlatching and relatching repeatedly during a feed but still seems hungry, that’s worth paying attention to. It can signal a fast let-down, a shallow latch they keep losing, or sometimes a tongue tie that makes it hard for them to maintain suction. A lactation consultant can watch a full feeding and identify the specific issue, which often has a straightforward fix.
Protecting Your Nipples Between Feedings
Proper unlatching is one of the best things you can do to prevent nipple damage, but soreness still happens, especially in the first few weeks. After unlatching, check the shape of your nipple. If it looks pinched, creased, or comes out shaped like a new lipstick (angled rather than round), the latch was too shallow, and you’ll want to focus on getting a deeper latch next time.
Expressing a drop of breast milk and letting it air-dry on the nipple after feeding provides natural moisture. If you’re already dealing with cracks or sores, keeping the area from drying out with a purified lanolin or a hydrogel pad between feedings helps tissue heal while you work on improving the latch and your unlatching technique.