Breastfeeding is an art to learn and polish and need some basic techniques to improve on. Ideal mom is an expert in these techniques and will love to add unique identity of her own with experience. Breastfeeding techniques consists of Breastfeeding Position and Attachment.
Positions of breastfeeding divided to sitting back and lying down positions. When it comes to breastfeeding of new born it’s advisable to use sitting back positions rather than lying down positions. That’s because early postnatal period is a little bit tiresome period where mother tends to get sleepy and there will be risk of Mother rolling over your new born baby. So if you use lying down position please make sure to have a bystander who is monitoring mother’s alertness.
Main three positions of sitting back Breastfeeding are 1.Cradle position
2. Cross-cradle position 3. Football hold
Let’s explain you these 3 positions.
1. Cradle position
In cradle position you hold your baby on your forearm(right) supporting his back while his head lies near crook of your (right) arm. You hold baby tummy to tummy grabing bottom of your baby with same hand(right). Then you offer your breast(right) from free hand(left) to baby.
2. Cross-cradle position
In Cross-cradle position you hold your baby on your forearm(right) supporting his back resting babies head on hand(right). You hold baby tummy to tummy with babies bottom at crook of your arm(right). Then you offer your breast(left) from your free hand(left).
3. Football position
In Football position you hold your baby supporting his back on your forearm (right) as in Cross-cradle position. But you hold your baby underarm to feed him from same side breast(right). You should keep baby’s head at the level of breast(right) and use your free hand(left) to offer your right breast to baby. This is a good position for large/sagging breast.
Let’s learn lying down positions which are 1. Side-lying position and 2. Laid back position
1. In side lying position you just lie down on your side(facing right) and keep baby next to you turning to your side(tummy to tummy) while his mouth is at your nipple level. You can support your breast from your left hand. This is a very comfortable position if you have had a Caesarian section. But this position needs supervision of a bystander.
2. In laid back position you lay back facing upward with some rest to your head and neck. You keep your baby on your tummy (tummy to tummy) with baby’s mouth at your nipple level. Then baby will latch on to your breast. This is also a relaxed and easy position but the disadvantage is that you have less control.
In any position you keep your baby; positioning of baby is a must according to these simple 4 basic concepts.
1. Supporting babies core(back)
2. Maintaining baby’s Head, Neck and Shoulders in one plane
3. Keeping baby tummy to tummy oriented for easy access to breast
4. Align baby’s mouth at nipple level of feeding breast
After get in to a good position according to above basic concepts, you need to assist the attachment of baby to the breast. These are the simple 4 basic concepts to correctly attach baby to whole nipple areolar complex.
1. Keeping the chin of baby on breast just adjacent to areolar area at nipple level (By doing this you can touch baby’s upper lip by nipple. By this baby tends to open his mouth as a reflex)
2. When fully opened position of mouth, insert as deep as your nipple areolar complex into his mouth
3. If you insert enough,
3.1 Baby’s cheeks become fuller(convex outwards)
3.2 Baby’s lips turn outwardly
3.3 areolar won’t be visible from below and minimally visible from above
A good attachment makes feeding session more efficient by attaching baby’s mouth to whole nipple areolar complex. The breast milk produced by mammary glands(alveoli) are stored around areolar area where ducts are dilated to form milk sinuses like a milk pool. When the baby suck around areolar area using upper palate and tounge the milk will be ejected from nipple(where the duct openings are). When the attachment is good baby will get more milk. If the attachment is poor( when baby only takes nipple in) the baby will get less milk, get tired in the process and refuses milk. Other than that baby will bite on your nipple and you will get cracked nipple which is very painful leading to infections such as breast abscesses.
To prevent that you must make sure that your positioning and attachment is correct in each time you breastfeed. And that becomes a good habit you and your new born baby.
