Although there is no wrong or right way to breastfeed your baby, each woman will have a position or positions that work best for them. The main thing to consider with any position that you nurse your baby in is comfort – comfort for not only yourself, but also your baby. For those moms who are still trying to establish which position works best for them, we have put together a list below of some of our favorites and the ones that are most popular with other moms.
Cradle Hold
When you picture a mom breastfeeding, it is the cradle hold position that they are in. To do it, ensure that you are sitting straight upright with your baby laying on its side, with their neck and head positioned on top of your forearm so that your baby’s body is up against your own stomach. Despite it being a popular position, it is not the best one to use with newborn babies, as it does not provide as much support as some other positions do. To help both yourself and your baby to be more comfortable in this position, try placing a cushion or a pillow behind your back and a specialist nursing pillow on your lap in order to help prop up your baby. Although you need to be careful no to position your baby too high when doing this.
Side Lying
For those times when you need to breastfeed in the middle of the night in bed, a side lying position is a great option. This is a particularly good position for those moms who had a cesarean section and are still dealing with the pain and discomfort caused by that. To do this, both yourself and your baby lie next to each other, belly to belly.
Dancer Hand
This is a great position to use if your baby has difficulty latching on or lacks muscle in their jaw area because they were either born prematurely or have a health condition like Down’s syndrome. To do it, hold your boob in your hand, with your thumb one one side and the rest of your fingers on the other side. Then move your hand forward and with index finger and thumb, make a U shape in front of your nipple – the remaining fingers are used to hold and support the breast. Your baby’s jaw should then sit in this U shape, thus allowing them to latch right on to your nipple and begin feeding. Not only does it give lots of support but also provides you with a good view of your baby feeding.
Some other nursing positions that moms may want to look into include laid back, cross cradle hold, rugby ball hold, upright, and dangle.
A certain breastfeeding position may be more suitable than another one depending on what kind of nursing bra or comforting nursing tank that you are wearing when nursing your baby. This is something else that you need to seriously consider when looking at what is the best position to adopt for you and your baby.
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