Tips for feeding with massive boobs

[allthefires]

Found it so difficult first time round and hoping for a better experience this time round.

The embarassment of the midwife propping up my boob with a rolled up muslin was enough to put me off but I tried.

Everytime he fed I felt like his whole face was covered by my breast.

Feeding out and about was impossible and I really need advice on this.

All tips greatly appreciated.

[HalleLouja]

Hi I used the rugby hold last time but am using more traditional hold this time. My wedgie cushion is great too. I didn't use one last time but love it now as it gives me a spare arm to deal with toddler!

[midori1999]

I am fairly huge (36HH now) and at first I could only feed laying down, but we practised like mad and have since mastered the rugby hold (with the help of numerous pillows) the cradle hold, the cross cradle hold and a position a bit like the rugby hold I suppose, where I sit up and DD sits next to my hip supported in a 'sitting' position.

Have you also looked at Biological Nurturing? I didn't have much success with it, but you might do. Google will give you the info.

[allthefires]

Thank you. Yes it was rugby hold I used. Just couldn't do it out and about.

Will google now

[mololoko]

for me the my breast friend cushion was worth its weight in gold and meant I could feed one handed. much better than any other breastfeeding cushion I've tried.

public feeding still tricky. feeding lying down is a godsend too.

good luck, I really struggled first time and DS has been ebf for 6 months and counting this time so it is do-able.

[midori1999]

I'm an idiot I think, I thought you were asking for suggestions on positioning in general, but now I think you meant more for out and about? Biological nurturing wouldn't be much good for that, I don't think...

I use the cradle/cross cradle hold for when out and about, but at first I could only manage it on one side. My nipples are fairly high up even though my breasts are large, I'm not sure if that makes it easier for me?

[allthefires]

I meant all positions in general!

Having looked I think BN will be good for home.
I have two v neck pillows and a dream genni. But now I want a breast friend! Will it still hold around waist even though Im quite big?

Anyone used a sling to feed and with big boobs?
My nipples are low like flaming udders

[JessPankhurst]

Hi,
I have tried many different positions but most of them require me to push down on my Breast to clear her nose. At home I tend to use a Breast feeding pillow laying her on it across my side that way tends to be the easiest to keep me from smothering her. However out and about I tend to lay her across my Tummy and wear two tops so I can be a bit more discrete and I use a blanket if anything is left on show. In bed I have started laying on my side to feed her. I couldn't do this to start with because after C Section it was too painful. Hopefully this helps a little I can if you have any problems I can try to help via my experience but obviously we are all different. It was hard work but we take each day as it comes and now it has been over 3 months. To be honest I am only just starting to feel confident and happy with it but the growth spurts are a challenge now.

[narmada]

I have mahoosive boobs (38 G or something) with nipples that kind of point down a bit as a consequence. Best advice I ever had was from a LC who said don't try and do the whole tummy to tummy thing - she showed me how to position my baby so her head was a bit tipped back and DD was more flat-on-her-back than you would usually expect a BF baby to be. She was, I suppose, lying more in the position you'd associate with bottle-feeding albeit with her head less raised up. It worked for us.

[shuckleberryfinn]

Im a 34k. I understand. At first I did prop my boob up with a cloth, found side lying worked well till she got a bit bigger (was 5lb4). Out and about well I wear really cheap vests cos they stretch low, one up one down and you manage to keep everything discreet. I'll also admit to sitting cross legged on the floor and feeding her lying across my legs with my nipples hanging down (oh my god, I sound so sexy!) that would be the hands free version. Shes 19 weeks now and feeding is definately easier.

[CardyMow]

36G normally, 38J at moment. YY to cross legged, but I have the comfy armchair that is big enough to sit cross-legged on. And also YY to the bottle feeding position. I did find that for about the first 12 weeks I had to 'push' my boob 'in' so one nostril was free, but after that it got much easier.

[howabout]

I am 34Gish after birth usually. I think narmada has described brilliantly what I did with other 2 re positioning as I was struggling to put it into words. I also second "pushing" boob in at the top especially if at least to start with you have v full as well as v large breasts. I found breastfeeding pillows largely unhelpful as they were just one more thing to try to manoeuvre into position, especially when I couldn't see below my massive boobs. I also have a wide comfy armchair I can sit cross legged in or put my feet up on the matching footstool.

I wouldn't get too ung up on feeding out and about as you probably won't be too far from home for the first couple of weeks and by that time all being well baby and you will have probably got your positioning coordinated and certainly while out and about I would recommend the less paraphanalia the better - ie bf pillow not that portable

[Niccc123]

There are also some advantages of having huge knockers. We were stuck in traffic for 3hrs on Saturday. I managed to feed DS while DH drove by sitting next to his car seat and dangling a boob over the side. He latched on and I fed him off to sleep! So it's not all bad!

[MadderHat]

34H cup here (was 38G initially, but have lost weight). I use a cross cradle hold - it's the only one which ever worked for me. I prefer a widgie cushion, nice and firm and brings her up to the right height, but out and about I would use my coat and jumper rolled up. She lies across me, feeding from one side with her body tucked around the other side. Instead of lying straight across me, her legs and bottom are closer to me (knees tucked under my armpit now she's grown a lot, she's 11 months) and head further out so that she gets her nose clearer. I always support my feeding breast with the hand on my feeding side but I don't have to pull my breast away from her nose, mainly I'm making sure that the weight of the breast doesn't pull it out from her mouth and ruin the latch and make me sore. My other hand holds a book.

[moonstorm]

They baby will also get bigger, so relatively they won't feel so big. I hated the rolled up towel, but used to support the breast with my hand (if needed).

Feeding lying down when in bed was easier (and I can shuffle slowly onto my back when feeding if stiff from lying in one position).

[upsydaisysexstylist]

Hi, 36H here and nipples could certainly not be described as gravity defing, but after tricky start with ds1 have fed both mine to 3 and 1 and counting. I find cradle hold easiest with opposite hand supporting breast so weight of it does not alter latch. At home sitting with feet up on settee and leaning slightly back meant I could hold a book with the other hand. Second the 2 tops for out and about and also putting cardi on wrong arm when feeding, if you are hoiking boob over low cut top. Best thing I did though was buy properly fitted v expensive v pretty underwired bra when ds2 was 6 mnths for those rare occasions when I don't have to feed out and about .

[MamaChocoholic]

36K here . and quite, um, dangly . having spend the first time trying to lift my boob up to where it "should" be, then position my baby with the other arm/hand, the best advice I had this time round was to leave my boob where it was and just put my baby to wherever the nipple was. this meant in the early days rugby holds with a cushion on the sofa or cross cradle sitting anyhow, then position a cushion under the arm holding the baby for support.

feeding lying down, I used to use the top boob (if that makes sense) when lying on my side, with the bottom one, I'd need to lean back a bit to lift the nipple high enough.

in the early days when out I used the cross cradle hold with vest/top combo to feed discreetly. as they get bigger, I can feed when out by sitting cross legged, baby across my lap, and leaning forward, boob covered by loose t shirt. I did manage feeding in a ring sling but not a stretchy wrap.

[ducksinarow]

MamaChocoholic, describes perfectly what I did. Additionally, when my babies were small, I found that I had to make sure that before I started I would pull the nipple (as with big boobs in big bras they can get a little flattened). Next, I would hold baby in a cross cradle hold, but not with the second hand "supporting" the boob by lifting or moving the boob, instead I would simple, make the "c" shape around the areaola and (against most advice) I would then gently push down with my thumb to keep the skin away from the baby's nose, so I was effectively pointing the nipple to the baby's mouth at the same time, if that makes sence. This was only needed for a couple of weeks or so.

So forget trying to move boob to baby with rolled up muslins etc. Just position your baby, in line with where the nipple hangs naturally. For me this meant that the baby was not tummy to mummy, but more in a cradle hold position to start. I found that cushions on my lap or anything raised the baby too high (shows how low my boobs dangled).

I found the rugby hold the best one to feed when I could, but the cross-cradle hold was easiest out and about.
Hope it works out for you this time, do get a proper lactation consultant locally to help if you can, to find what position is best for you, it made a big difference to me.

[shuckleberryfinn]

Oh, I forgot. I feed in a ring sling. It was hard to master at first but I can either be discreet or hands free. It's hard to explain how I do it but the babyhead and boob come over the top of everything. You just have to fiddle I guess. Took me weeks to master, at first I thought it was impossible due to my stoopid K hooters but with determination you can do it :o