Best positions to have a happy breastfeeding experience
We have already spoken of the benefits of breastfeeding, as well as the importance of approaching it naturally. While you may from the first moment your babies latch onto your breast properly moved by that rooting reflex innate to virtually all mammals, it’s normal to need an adaptation period. There is not a single formula applicable to all cases, but several ways that will facilitate finding the perfect method for each of you and your babies.
Be patient, flexible and, above all, do not feel guilty if the process does not evolve as you expected. Beyond what you have been able to hear or read so far, whether you decide on breastfeeding, mixed or artificial, your babies will develop correctly, because artificial milk, increasingly perfected, will ensure an adequate supply of nutrients.
Now let’s go on to describe the best positions to breastfeed.
The cradle hold
One of the most common, since it can be done anywhere.
- Technique: the mother sits with her back straight or slightly reclined back will position the baby on her lap, placing her head on the forearm and face facing the chest. In turn, the feet will be directed towards the other breast.
- For greater comfort, place a cushion on the back of the mother, a stool under her feet so that the knees are raised slightly above the waist and a breastfeeding cushion under the child.
- The baby’s body must remain in close contact with the mother’s abdomen.
- With the free hand, the mother can hold the breast, help the baby open his mouth or stimulate him if he falls asleep.
Football hold
Ideal for twins, premature or low birth weight babies, sleepy children, restless or anxious. Also for mothers with large breasts or who have undergone a cesarean section. It is also one of the best positions to learn to breastfeed, when the baby has a blocked nose or in cases of high milk flow. It is also recommended to drain the ducts of the lateral region of the chest and prevent or cure possible obstructions or mastitis.
- Technique: the mother, sitting or semi-reclining, will place a pillow on her back and another at her side. Place the baby on the latter, under his arm, on the side of the breast hell be nursing from. With that same hand, support his head and use the other to cup the breast.
Side-lying position
Side-lying position facilitates nighttime rest and is adequate when still feeling postpartum discomfort.
- Technique: the mother will lie on her side, resting on her elbow, with a double pillow under her head and her upper leg bent. The baby, on its side, will face her.
- With her free hand, the mother can hold the baby, help or caress him.
Straddle position
A vertical position that helps large-breasted or cracked women and babies with difficulties in latching -for example, those with a short or retracted lower jaw, cleft palate or with Down syndrome. It is also recommended when the milk let-down is forceful.
- Technique: the child will straddle the mother’s thigh while she is holding him, very close to her, with the forearm on the side that breastfeeds.
Laid-back position
Ideal at the beginning of breastfeeding, and also when latching difficulties arise, since it facilitates instinctive behaviors, both in the mother and in the baby, favoring the spontaneous attachment to the mother’s breast. The baby directs the search and the latch; the mother helps guide her movements with her position.
- Technique: the mother, laying back comfortably on her back at an angle of between 15 and 65 °, will place the baby tummy-to-tummy onto her body, making sure that there is total contact.
Choose the most comfortable position(s) for you. And, remember, there will be nothing that enhances both the well-being of your babies and your own happiness.
We hope this article has been useful for you. You will find further information at the website of the Unidad de la Mujer. You can also contact us at the number (+34) 917 303 673
