21 June 2011

Breastfeeding Positions - What's your favourite?


So the key to a good latch whilst breastfeeding is often your position and making sure you are comfortable. If you aren't comfortable you won't be able to feed for long enough and this may unsettle your baby making it harder to feed successfully.

My fav position to feed Logan in was the good old front hold position whilst supporting him with the arm on the same side he was feeding from. I found this really comfy and with a pillow propped under my arm for extra support I could sit there for ages. I also found a nursing pillow to be quite handy for that little bit of extra support and something which I would recommend to other breastfeeding mothers.
Courtesy of abc.net
I always found that there was one side Logan prefered to the other and this side was always easier for Logan to latch on to for some reason. So for the first few weeks of breastfeeding I tried the rugby hold (baby tucked under your arm - see diagram) on the side he didn't prefer and this helped a lot.

The easiest position of all for me had to be when you were lying on your side. Your baby needs minimal support and you could prop your head up with a few pillows and just chillax, bliss! This was also the best position for night time feeding as minimal effort is required and after you put your baby back in his cot you can drift back to sleep.
Here is a little diagram of how a baby actually breastfeeds and show a good proper latch. It's called breastfeeding for a reason not nipple feeding so it does give you a good idea of what should be happening.
Courtesy of gomestic.com
Ok so what do you do if you have twins or multiple babies! Well to start with you could be expressing your milk and putting it in a bottle if you need the rest as feeding multiples will be tiring. Or you could feed them at the same time from different breast for twins (see diagram below) or alternative hours, so one baby feeds on even hours the other on odds! I know it sounds like a lot of hard work and no doubt it will be and I have never fed twins etc myself so there's just a few little suggestions there. If anyone has any other great suggestions please do share.
So there we have it, a few different positions to feed your baby in whilst breastfeeding. I really hope this comes in handy for someone and please do share your favourite breastfeedind positions!

Courtesy of breastfeedingplace.com


2 comments on "Breastfeeding Positions - What's your favourite?"

Lynn @ More4mums on 16 July 2011 at 19:59 said...

A really helpful post - I always preferred the lying down as it gives mum a rest as well !

The Breastest News on 16 July 2011 at 20:13 said...

Thank you :)

Yes that was my fav too for the same reason. I always found it hard to stay awake though. Especially with all the sleepless nights!

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