For you and the baby, some breastfeeding positions may be more effective than others. When it comes to positioning of breastfeeding using wearable breast pump made it easier that you can milk and at any position. Nursing mothers should be aware of these breastfeeding positions, which range from the relaxed to the football hold.
Avoid these positions when breastfeeding
While producing milk may come naturally, getting it from the breast to the stomach requires some knowledge and lots of practice. The early efforts at nursing for many new mothers and newborns are, at best, haphazard and unsuccessful. However, optimal placement is crucial for assisting your infant in latching on properly, as well as for avoiding nipple pain and other nursing issues.
You’ll discover the ideal nursing position with a little trial and error. You’ll become an expert at nursing your child in no time.
In This Article
How to hold a baby when nursing
Place your infant on one side, close to your breasts, to start. A straight line connecting your baby’s ear, shoulder, and hip indicates that his whole body should be towards your chest.
Your newborn’s head shouldn’t be twisted to one side; instead, it should be parallel to the body. To raise your infant to a height that will make getting him to the breast more straightforward, use a nursing pillow or a standard pillow.
Different positions for nursing
Once you and the infant are situated, try one of these five positions for breastfeeding:
Hold a cradle
Follow these steps to nurse your child while holding them in a cradle:
- Position your infant so that his head rests in the crook of your elbow on the side on which you will be nursing, with the hand on that side supporting the remainder of the body.
- Put your thumb over your nipple and areola, where your baby’s nose will meet your breast, and cup your breast with your other hand.
- Your baby’s chin should make contact with the breast where your index finger is placed. Compress your breast just enough so that the nipple is pointing in the direction of your baby’s nose. Now your infant is prepared to latch.
crossing over hold
Do the following to nurse a child while holding them in a crossover position:
- Hold your infant’s head in the hand that will be feeding them (i.e., if nursing from the right breast, hold the head with your left hand).
- Place your wrist between your child’s shoulder blades, your thumb behind one ear, and your other fingers behind the other. Allow your baby’s natural mobility by cradling his neck.
- Cup your breast with your free hand as though doing the cradle hold.
Football hold
The football hold posture, also known as the clutch hold, is accommodating if you have:
- Had a C-section and preferred not to have your newborn next to your belly
- Big breasts
- A tiny or preterm infant
- Twins
Follow these steps to nurse your child while holding them like a football:
- Position your infant so that they are facing you, at your side, with their legs tucked under your arm (yep, like a football), on the same side as the breast you are now feeding from.
- Use the same hand to support your baby’s head and your other hand to cup your breast as you would for a cradle hold.
Relaxed posture (“biological nursing”)
For mothers with smaller breasts, infants, and babies with sensitive stomachs or abundant gas, a relaxed nursing posture might be very beneficial.
Do the following to nurse the baby in a relaxed position:
- Lie back on a bed or sofa with your head supported adequately by cushions in a semi-reclining posture so that gravity will keep your baby molded to you when you place him tummy-to-tummy on your body with his head close to your breast.
- As long as his whole front is against yours and he can access your breast, your baby may lie on you in any position.
- Your baby may latch on spontaneously in this position, or you can assist by pointing the nipple in the direction of your child’s mouth.
- Once your baby is positioned at your breast, all you need to do is relax and lay back.
Lie on your side.
When you’re nursing in the middle of the night, this posture is an excellent option.
Follow these steps to nurse a child when they are lying on their side:
- Place your infant next to you as you lie on your side, tummies touching.
- If necessary, cup your breasts with the hand on the side you are not resting on.
- There shouldn’t be any extra bedding surrounding the baby in this posture; that might be a suffocation risk. For the same reason, this posture shouldn’t be employed on a chair, sofa, or water bed.
How to get a suitable latch
Now that the infant is in place, it’s crucial that they are securely fastened. The most frequent cause of breast pain, particularly in sensitive nipples, is improper latching. Using the advice below, latch your infant to your breast:
Use your nipple to tickle the baby’s lip lightly.
This should cause your infant to extend his lips widely, similar to a yawn. Aiming your nipple toward your baby’s nose and then downward toward the top lip to open the mouth wide is a tip from some lactation experts. This stops the lower lip from curling inward when breastfeeding. Gently brush the cheek on the side closest to you if your baby turns away. Your baby will turn back to you for nursing due to the rooting reflex.
Put your infant close to your breast.
Let your infant take the lead instead of moving your breast toward the lips or shoving your nipple into a resistant mouth. Before your infant opens his mouth wide enough to latch on correctly, it could take several tries.
Ensure that the baby’s mouth covers the areola and at least a portion of the nipple.
Just sucking the nipple won’t squeeze the milk glands and may result in pain and breaking. However, if the mouth, tongue, and lips are in the proper position, they will massage the milk out of the milk glands.
Confirm if your breast is obstructing your child’s nose.
Once your baby has successfully latched on, you may gently push down on the breast with your finger to move it away from your baby’s nose. Instead of cradling his head, gently cradle it around the neck. You may be able to get a little breathing space by simply elevating your baby. However, as you are moving, you must be cautious not to let go of his grip on the areola.
Not sure whether the infant is being fed?
You should see a firm, consistent, rhythmic action on his cheeks. That indicates that your small feeder is sucking and swallowing effectively.
It’s possible that you’ll need to adjust your child in order to successfully urge him to latch on with both the nipple and the areola in his mouth. To do this, release his hold (see below) and start lip tickling again. It is possible that the latch won’t work properly until after some time has passed; keep going. If those attempts result in a mouthful of milk rather than a mouthful of air, your baby will be happy in the long term.
Releasing your infant
Whether you’re experiencing latching issues and need to re-latch or your baby is completed feeding but is still clutching onto the breast, pulling your breast out of the baby’s mouth suddenly may hurt your nipple. By squeezing the breast close to the mouth or by gently putting your finger into the corner of his mouth, you may initially release the suction.
Avoid breastfeeding positions
Your breasts may not be stimulated to create more milk if your baby is positioned incorrectly, and he may not be receiving enough breast milk, to begin with. Further issues may result from this in the future, by purchasing double electric breast pump it will save a lot of time by finding a particular position to milk, you can milk whenever and wherever you want.
The following nursing positions should be avoided:
You are stooped over your infant: Because a mother is stooped over her child and forcing her breast into their mouth, many latching-on issues arise. Instead, maintain a straight back and lift your infant to your breast.
The baby’s head and body are turned in opposite directions: The last thing you want is for your baby’s body to be faced in one way while his head is towards your breast. (Consider swallowing while cocking your head to one side. Not so simple, is it?
The body of the infant is too far from the breast: If it is, he will tug on your breast when you feed, which may hurt you and might not be enjoyable for your child.