Breastfeeding positions

[aliphil]

DD is 8 weeks and I mostly feed her in clutch hold, but she's getting long enough to push off the back of the chair if I'm not careful. I can do cross cradle if I have to, but find it really hard on my arms and hands, even with a bf-ing pillow. Can anyone suggest other positions to try? Some of my friends do cradle hold, but I can't see how you move the baby to latch on at the right moment without having a hand behind her neck/shoulders.

And no, I can't feed lying down, and the laidback breastfeeding thing didn't work for us either. Anyway, I'm more after positions I can use when I'm out as well.

This is quite a good video on how to get a latch in cradle hold without getting your hand behind head/shoulders.

Thanks, that makes it clearer. But how do you keep the baby on?

In theory, they should keep themselves on if you hold then in fairly firmly, but I'm having awkward baby-staying-on issues myself at the moment (I posted a new thread shortly after you to that effect!) so I'm not really the best person to advise...

They tend to hold themselves on as their head control improves.

BF just gets easier, honestly.

I latch DS on with a cross cradle hold, then move my other arm in to change to a cradle hold.

DD tends to slip off just enough to start chewing on the nipple, owowow. I am hoping that once they've sorted out her tongue tie (if she has it; I have so often been told it's not likely/doesn't matter that I'm starting to doubt my own sanity let alone knowledge of DD) this will improve.

Thanks for the tip, belindarose; I might try that later.

Hi there. Just to say try and persevere with laying down and feeding. it really is very relaxing for you and baby wen you get the hang of it. Can you find a bf counsellor who can actually see you breast feed? I always had an aching back as I had to get into some rather awkward positions to feed! I wsh you well and congratulations in bf ing for so long x

Maybe once she's latching on and staying on better I'll try lying down again. At the moment it's not relaxing for either of us as she keeps coming off and I can't get her back on without propping myself up. I have very big boobs and when I lie down the nipple is really close to the mattress, which probably doesn't help. Also, I just don't find lying on my side comfortable at all; even when I was very pregnant I was lying half on my stomach.

I agree with PPs that it does all get easier as they get bigger. This may or may not work for you, but could you feed lying down, but from the upper rather than the lower boob?