How should your baby lie when you breastfeed?

In general, I'm not a fan of the word should. It can easily generate guilt, feelings of not being good enough, and other things like that.

On the other hand, I am a fan of you as a woman and you as a partner knowing a number of basic things that will help your baby get a good latch on to the breast, prevent sores and cracks on the nipples, and generally support a good breastfeeding process.

So here is some specific advice that applies no matter how old your baby is and no matter what breastfeeding position you use. Because yes, there are a wide variety of breastfeeding positions. It's not about mastering a whole bunch of different ones. It's about finding the positions that work well for you at the time.

For example, there may be a difference in which position is best for you during the day and at night. And then it's about knowing this important set of basic knowledge in relation to breastfeeding positions. When I am asked again and again how the baby should lie, my answer is this:

It is important that you, as a woman, sit or lie comfortably. The more relaxed you are, the easier it is for your milk to flow. If possible, make sure you have a breastfeeding corner set up in your home so that it is always ready with pillows, a stool, water and anything else you may need while breastfeeding.

Siff – HeartMidwife

Sitting breastfeeding positions:

• When breastfeeding while sitting, it is important that you, as a woman, have your feet flat on the floor and good support for your back. If you sit with your heels raised all the way up, you tense your legs, pelvis and often all the way up your neck and shoulders, which is neither optimal for you nor your baby in the short or long term. If you have short legs, a low stool or a couple of thick books can be a brilliant solution for sitting with your feet flat.

• Take a minute or two to get comfortable - even if your baby is crying. Talk to your baby while you do this: “I hear you, I’m getting comfortable, and then you’ll get the breast.” As a mother, you spend many hours a day breastfeeding. It’s important that you take good care of yourself along the way.

• It is important that the baby comes up to the chest and not the other way around. There is a big difference in the size and length of breasts. Some women benefit from a nursing pillow as support under the baby. Others need a couple of large sofa cushions or a folded duvet to help get the baby up to the chest. As the baby gets bigger, less support will be needed under the baby.

• Regardless of the breastfeeding position, baby should lie with his stomach against your body when he is breastfeeding. And with his arms on either side of your breast. If baby lies with one of his arms in front of him or lies slightly with his side towards you, baby will easily pull on your nipple, which can cause tears or sores. And baby will have to turn his head a little to get a grip, which is uncomfortable when baby swallows. Try turning his head to the side yourself and feel what it feels like to swallow.

• Baby should be placed with his nose next to the nipple. This means that baby has to tilt his head back to get a hold of the nipple. This is important for several reasons: It allows baby to yawn loudly and get a lot of the breast into his mouth (not just the nipple), and it also means that there is a little air at the nostrils, so baby can get air at the breast.

• Baby's chin should touch the breast

• As a breastfeeding woman, it can be difficult to see if your baby is latching on properly. It can be tempting to press on your breast with a couple of fingers to get a better look. Some people also want to press on your breast because they are afraid that your baby won't be able to get air. You shouldn't press on your breast. If your baby can't get air, your baby will let go of your breast. When you press on your breast, you block the milk ducts and thus the milk flow.

• If you, as a breastfeeding mother, are in doubt about whether your baby is lying down well, can get air or something else, your partner is the best support. Ask your partner to watch and help you and your baby to lie/sit down well. If you are a single mother, a mirror can be helpful to see better until breastfeeding is well established.

• If your baby has a bad latch, remove your baby from your breast. This is done by placing your little finger at the corner of your baby's mouth. This breaks the vacuum your baby has formed around your nipple, and you can remove your baby and start over with putting your baby on.

Lying-down breastfeeding positions

Here it also applies that the baby should lie with his/her stomach against your body, have his/her arms on either side of your chest, be placed with his/her nose next to your nipple and have his/her chin against your chest. It can be nice to put a pillow or something behind the baby's back so that the baby lies with his/her stomach facing you. It is important that you do not place anything behind the baby's head. He/she should be able to move his/her head freely.

With the above advice, you are ready to try out various breastfeeding positions.

It's okay to use your imagination and experiment. Men often have great and new ideas for breastfeeding positions.

Once you are comfortable with a few different breastfeeding positions, you should consider whether you want to learn more breastfeeding positions. Some people find it nice to have a variety of different positions, while others stick to the same few breastfeeding positions that work well.

Prevent and relieve mastitis

As a bonus, I can tell you that the direction the baby's chin points is the place in the breast that is emptied the most during each breastfeeding. This is important knowledge if you have signs of mastitis. Then it's important to breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed - and ideally, the baby should have his chin pointing in the direction where the breast is sore. For example, if it is the outside of the left breast that is sore, then it would be optimal to breastfeed the baby in the twin position on the left breast.

Now, I wish you good luck in finding a few breastfeeding positions that are good for you.