Breastfeeding with sling, biggish boobs, Ergo, close carrier/caboo, ring sling or another?

[herecomesthsun]

I never really got to grips with bfing in carrier last time. I had a Premaxx pouch sling (which seems to be no longer recommended anyway) and a Baby Bjorn, that we never really got on with. Friends have enthusiastically recommended the Ergo, and I see the NCT seems to recommend the close carrier on its shop website. I was a bit put off by the carriers that mainly consist of large swathes of fabric for about £50, that you are supposed to knot around you, as the potential for somehow dropping the baby through it seemed too great. However, maybe I am being too faint hearted here.

Oh and the Moby also is apparently a good one.

I have read through various thread on bfing in slings though the Mumsnet archives. I also am a bit concerned that, at a 34-36 H-J, it is going to be a bit hard to position the DC so that it can latch on! The ideal sling wearing position is apparently with the baby's head in a "kissable" position, so quite high on the chest. I however have awful memories of 5h mammoth feeding sessions last time and it would be so nice to be able to walk around the house and just have a tiny bit more freedom.

Any advice or suggestions very much welcomed.

I can feed my DS ( with 36H boobs) in my bobasling.

If I were you I'd see if you've got a sling library near you (just google) and go along - often they're run by sling consultants (yup, there are such things!) and they should be able to help you. The great swathes of fabric are really secure, I promise you, and not as complicated as you might think!

Marks spot as interested too!

I have a close - it's pretty secure (although with DS, I found it less so as he got past 5 months). I also have a manduca (like an ergo) which is good for outings.

i feed my daughter with a MaiTai (dont know if thats how you spell it) and a thin scarf around places - scarves help alot

I've been carrying my two around in 'large swathes of fabric' for 3 years and not come close to dropping anyone yet! There is a bit of a knack to it though - as PotteringAlong says, if you can get help in person at a sling library or sling meet it should help a lot.

The Close Carrier is pretty good. I think it is easier to get a good fit on a wide variety of body shapes with a stretchy wrap though, albeit that it looks a lot of scary fabric at first. Most stretchies including the Close will start to get less supportive around 4-9 months though (depending very much on size of baby). They can also be hot in summer - the Close and the Moby are both quite thick, although the Wrapsody stretch is thinner, and more supportive.

The Ergo is great from 5 months or so, but the newborn insert thing that you have to use to use it from birth isn't so good - very hot in summer and indoors (it's like a piece of duvet). There are several other carriers of the same buckle type as Ergo too - Manduca, Boba etc.

As a nearly-qualified sling consultant I would say breastfeeding a newborn in a sling is doable but not ideal. It is possible, albeit relatively unlikely, that a newborn that you are not giving your full attention feeding (e.g. walking around the house with them in a sling) could choke. If you do want to try, I'd say the easiest thing is a ring sling. As they get older (~5 months+) it is much easier as you can feed them upright.....used to feed my first in the Ergo like this all the time, including walking down the road in central London, and no-one would even know I was feeding. Especially if you are big in the chest, it is safer to have a newborn upright, with head between your boobs, than in a cradle position, even if not feeding. It is easier to ensure that they have a clear airway and their chin is not going on to their chest/or them curling up (which can squish their airways and make it harder for them to breathe). There are some guidelines on safe sling use here fcs.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf/Babywearing/TICKS_final.pdf

Another style you might not have seen is a wrap conversion like the Hoppediz Hop Tye. It is made out of the same fabric as woven wraps, but is shaped which makes it easier for a beginner to tie. It is very adjustable top and bottom which makes it lovely and snuggly too.

wow, very helpful comments, thanks everyone!

Babys slings are great when you know how to use them. There are so many advantages for modern day parenting to using ring slings and with a wide range that is diverse it can get all confusing. Good websites will give you fantastic advice and show you how to use your ring sling correctly, I found comfybabyslings.com very useful and responded quickly to my query