When it comes to breastfeeding, everybody has a different opinion and lots of free advice for new mums. But breastfeeding is a natural act involving mother and baby which more than advice, needs a lot of patience and practice.
There is no one particular rule to follow while breastfeeding a newborn. But experts suggests that if you want your baby as well as yourself to be more comfortable and then how you sit to breastfeed can be of great importance.
We spoke to Dr Sangeeta Saha, Senior Physiotherapist, Motherhood Hospitals, Bengaluru, to better understand the importance of postures during breastfeeding.
"The posture which the mother follows should be comfortable for the baby as well as the mother. And the mother should be relaxed and should support her breast and body while feeding the baby. There are some simple positions which the new mothers can follow while breastfeeding their kid," shares Dr Saha as she lists the four most crucial positions to breastfeed a newborn.
- Cross over hold – This is a perfect and comfortable position for many infants and mothers. In this position mother uses her right arm and hand to support the baby and left hand also to support the baby. New born babies feel safe in this position.
- Cradle hold – This is a common poster which many mothers follow. Here the mother holds the baby with her hand, where her elbow supports the head and hand supports the bottom of the baby. With the other hand mother can support her breast. The mother has to be careful while holding the baby’s in this position. It is difficult to feed the baby which is less than one month in this position as their neck muscles are not strong.
- Football hold – This position is good for the mother if she has undergone C-section delivery. The mother has to position the baby at her side, under the arms like a handbag. She should support the baby’s shoulder, neck and head with her arm. This position helps the mother to avoid put the weight of the baby on her stomach while breastfeeding.
- Lying position – After C-section delivery few mothers may feel uncomfortable in sitting for a long time. So they can feed while lying on their side on the bed. But there should be enough pillows to support her back, head and knees. Here mother makes the baby lay on her side and covers the baby’s back and bottom with her hand.
Dr Saha adds that if proper positions are not followed during breastfeeding, the mother may face different kinds of pain during nursing baby. Some of the familiar physical challenges of breastfeeding include the following:
- Breast pain
- Neck Strain
- Upper back and shoulder pain
- Hunched posture of shoulder
- Hand and wrist pain
- Low back pain and tail bone pain
So it is important to follow the exercise of correct breastfeeding posture to avoid these pains.
Dr Saha also suggests that mothers should choose a comfortable chair with armrest while feeding their baby. "Use back support pillow and nursing pillow under the baby, underneath the feeding pillow, one more regular pillow to make baby’s and mother’s position comfortable," she says.
badarsk / Pixabay
Another important thing to remember is that during lactation breasts become bigger, so it is important to give breasts ample support while feeding. Dr Saha suggests the following ways in which you can make this process easier.
- Position yourself and your baby correctly to avoid back and neck pain.
- Hold the baby softly and make it comfortable while feeding. If the posture is not comfortable for the baby, it may not drink the milk
- Feed the baby with alternative breast and in alternative positions. Otherwise, mother may suffer from sore nipple problem and musculosketal pain.
- Use a proper fitted nursing bra. Milk flow can be restricted by a poorly fitted bra.
Read:3 exercises to get your breasts back in shape (after breastfeeding)
(All images courtesy: Pixabay)
