In this article, we will consider what postures for breastfeeding are best used by newly minted mothers. Since the physiology of one woman can be very different from another, there is no universal option. What suits a lady with a big breast will be uncomfortable for a woman with a small neat bust.
In Soviet times, in special books and booklets one could read that there is the only true pose for breastfeeding. The woman had to sit on the bed. There is a bench under her feet. A pillow could be placed under the back. It was believed that this option is ideal for the convenience of mom and baby. Doctors also claimed that in this situation, the outflow of breast milk improves. Doctors insisted on this situation. It was believed that it is the prevention of stagnation.
The fact that mother and baby can sleep together, or about lying down was out of the question. The child slept exclusively separately. They fed him hourly and drank some water in breaks.
Today, doctors consider this approach to be fundamentally wrong. Scientists have long proven that milk flows from the breast, regardless of position during feeding. The following components positively affect this process:
- The baby is given breasts on demand.
- Mother and baby sleep together.
- In the process of feeding a woman changes position.
- Mom does not support breasts while feeding.
If you ask a consultant for GV today about which posture for breastfeeding is better, you can hear the answer: "Any convenient for mom." Next, we will talk about the problems that a woman in labor faces and solving them with the help of a correctly selected position.
Baby at the chest - rest for the woman in labor
Childbirth and the postpartum period are incredible stress for the female body. The woman’s body is working for wear. For some time, endorphins, the hormones of happiness that are produced by the mother when looking at the newborn baby, help the mother not to fall from her feet. Endorphins give a huge surge of strength for some time, and it seems to a woman that she is able to fly, or at least move furniture in the room. However, this period quickly ends and a feeling of wild fatigue sets in.
To cope with this condition, women in labor offer a joint sleep with the baby and feeding on demand. This gives a lot of advantages and the opportunity to relax as it should. A woman in labor does not need to get up to her baby. The woman disappears feeling of anxiety for the baby, and she can calmly fall asleep. A few hours of sleep next to a warm lump of happiness will make the newly made mother happy and rested.
Many young grandmothers, or other older relatives, sometimes make a terrible mistake. They suggest taking the baby from mom for a while so that she can rest calmly. Should not be doing that. Mothers have too strong maternal instinct. She will not be able to sleep if the child is not nearby. Do not deprive mommy of the joy of staying with the baby 24 hours a day. It also has a positive effect on the amount of milk. Doctors also advise mother and baby to sleep naked. So to say, "body to body." This increases the release of prolactin, which is responsible for the production and quantity of breast milk.
Feeding after cesarean section
After a cesarean section, all women in labor experience severe pain. This continues until the seams are tightened. Also, the pain is experienced by the mothers who gave birth on their own, but during the process there was a rupture of the perineum. In this case, obstetricians stitch. Until the wounds are healed, the newly minted mother cannot sit. Accordingly, the notorious Soviet posture of proper breastfeeding is not available to her. In both cases, the mother will have to feed the baby lying on its side.
Correct breastfeeding position to eliminate lactostasis
As a rule, women in labor instinctively choose for themselves several comfortable poses and use them. From the point of view of GV consultants, this is not true. It is necessary to use more positions in order not to encounter the problem of lactostasis. This is stagnation of milk in some milk fractions, which are not properly released.
If, nevertheless, the nursing mother is faced with this trouble, then she needs to radically change her position during feeding. Stagnation, as a rule, is formed opposite to that share, which is well worked out by the crumb.
Important! To solve the problem, you need to position the child so that his chin looks towards the seal. The baby in the process of eating the most qualitatively liberates this particular area. Next, consider the most common postures for breastfeeding.
Lying position
Let's start with the classics. This is the most comfortable position for breastfeeding. As mentioned above. Mom can sleep well next to her baby. Moreover, the newborn is still quite weak and sucks for a long time. It’s very important for a little man to feel the heartbeat of his mother, which he heard in his tummy. It soothes the baby. But if you put him in a crib, he will begin to cry and get nervous.
Think about exactly where in the house it will be convenient for you to feed the little one: on the bed or on the couch. The latter option is convenient in that there is a back. Mom can, if necessary, leave the sleeping baby and not be afraid that he will roll. On the other hand, in this case, it is also worth putting pillows.
The child is located on the mother’s hand
Mom needs to lie on her side, the head of the baby in her forearm. The body of the crumbs should be parallel. Hand mommy supports the baby for the buttocks. This is a convenient position for breastfeeding.
A woman in labor does not need to reach for her baby, because this often creates inconvenience: her mother’s elbow is numb, her back begins to hurt a lot. It is better for a woman to put a pillow under her head. But, do not place it too high otherwise pain in the neck will appear.
Baby sucks breast while lying on a pillow
A comfortable position when breastfeeding - the baby eats, sitting on a pillow. This is convenient for a mother who does not need to put crumbs on her own hand. The baby at the same time easily reaches the nipple.
Pose "Jack"
At first glance, this situation looks strange and a little funny. Such a position for breastfeeding a newborn is used if the mother is faced with the problem of lactostasis. It happens that the mammary glands fill up too fast and fast and the child can not cope. In this case, stagnation occurs.
In the “Jack” position, the mother lies on one side, and the child has it upside down in relation to her own body. Remember that the chin of the crumbs should be directed to the side where the seal (stagnation) is located.
Overhanging Baby Feeding
This is a good position for feeding with small breasts. The process also takes place lying down. Mom lies on her side. The child lays on the back. Hanging over the baby, she puts a nipple into his mouth.
This is convenient if the mammary gland is not very large, and the outflow of milk does not occur very quickly. Another such position facilitates the work of the crumbs. If it suddenly happened that the baby temporarily sucked the bottle, but they decided to return it to breastfeeding, the baby will not protest against getting food from the chest. In this position, he does not need to overwork. With good lactation, the milk itself enters the mouth.
Classic pose sitting with a baby in her arms
It is used quite actively by all mothers. It is very convenient to do this in a chair when you can lean on your back. The dream of almost every nursing mother is a rocking chair, in which you can even sleep a little while the child is eating. If there is such an opportunity, then it is worth acquiring such a useful thing.
Hand Feeding
Mom should sit comfortably and pick up a thick pillow. It must be placed near the breast with which the woman will feed the baby. Under the lower back, a woman in labor should also put a pillow. Mom takes the baby in her arms. Starts his legs behind his own back. The child needs to turn his stomach to the side and fix his head and neck. Elbow mom should hold the child under the buttocks. The baby’s mouth should be at the level of the mother’s chest. Mom carefully inserts a nipple into it.
Sitting facing mom
This is a posture for breastfeeding a grown child. The child climbs on his knees to his mother. The baby crumbs its legs behind her mother’s back. In this position, you can offer the child any of the glands, or the baby himself chooses the one he likes best. Usually, children choose the one from which milk flows more easily. But, do not let the baby constantly suck from the same breast. Otherwise, milk in the adjacent milk will disappear or lactostasis will occur.
Standing feeding
It completely repeats the previous version, only the baby hangs on his mother, like a monkey. For this situation, it is convenient to use a sling or kangaroo. Then mom’s hands will be free, and she can do simple housework. In addition, in this position, you can hide behind and quietly feed your baby in a public place.
Motion sickness while feeding
This arrangement is ideal when the child is upset and needs to be reassured or put to bed. Mom takes the child in her arms. The child’s head is placed on its own bent elbow. The same hand should support the small under the buttocks. Tummy crumbs should be deployed to the body of mom. A woman puts a nipple into her baby’s mouth with her free hand. While the child is small, it can be supported with one hand. The grown-up baby will have to be held with two hands.
Thigh feeding
The pose is relevant for children who are prone to frequent spitting up. It allows the baby to swallow less air. Also, this situation will help if the lactating mother has hyperlactation and the baby is literally choked with a stream of milk.
Mom places the child upright, on the side, as if sitting on her own thigh. This is another position for which the best solution is to use a sling.
The child has a meal standing
So children who are more than a year old eat milk from the breast. They simply go to the sitting mom and put themselves on the chest to drink or calm down, and then run on to play. Preservation of lactation up to two to three years of life of a baby is an invaluable contribution to his health.
Self-Attachment Technique
Professor of Pediatrics Susan Colson has created her own way of applying to her breasts. In 2008, she defended her thesis on the topic: "Self-attachment of the child to the chest." The doctor suggested that mothers do not use imposed poses, but act instinctively, while listening to their intuition and looking at the baby’s behavior. The doctor spied on the technique when she observed the animal kingdom. After all, no one tells them how to give breasts to babies.
This method of feeding allows the woman to completely relax and enjoy the feeding process. Mom should just lie back on a sofa or bed. You can also sit in a chair. Location is not a big deal. Mother puts baby on her own belly. Now you need to touch the baby's cheek with a nipple. His sucking reflex will wake up and he will instinctively search for his chest. Help him take the nipple normally. Correct capture occurs when it is located below the crumb's mouth.
The process will go better if the mother and baby are partially naked. Tactile sensations are very important to maintain a proper level of lactation. When the baby begins to eat, the mother should cover herself and the baby. Now a woman can relax as much as possible and enjoy the natural process of feeding, because nature herself prompted the correct position for breastfeeding.