Breastfeeding is not a subject of one, but of two, the mother and the son or daughter. Neither your body nor the baby is passive, the milk comes out thanks to the action of a hormone, oxytocin, and the baby will have to learn sucking movements to get all the milk it needs, not just the one that drips.
Although certainly it has a lot of instinctual process there is also a place for learning. Curiously, seeing other babies breastfeed makes it easier for the mother and the baby himself to have a suitable position. About this we want to talk to you about the different postures that you can or can adopt to breastfeed.
Breastfeeding is instinctive or learned
Different studies speak that if the newborn at the moment of birth, before washing, weighing and even before cutting the cord is placed naked on the naked body of its mother, and he is left with her for two hours without interruption, almost all crawl to the chest. They are able to locate the nipple and suckle spontaneously in the correct position. This first shot in these circumstances has a variable duration of about 20 minutes.
In the same way, it has been observed that many newborns are unable to breastfeed properly if they are under the influence of epidurals administered to the mother during delivery, or if separated from the mother between 20 and 40 minutes after delivery.
When the two factors coincide, almost no newborn can suckle in the correct position. But as we told you before, it is a matter of mutual learning.
Recommendations on postures and positions
What am I going to tell you! You will be breastfeeding for many hours a day, so find your most comfortable position so you don't suffer back pain and that the shots become eternal. Have at hand everything you think you will need, tissues, telephone, book, remote control, cushions, water, footrest ... and everything that comes up.
It has been discovered that Babies suckle better when the mother is leaning back or stretched out. The important thing is that the mother does not bend over the baby, he has to grasp the breast well, that his suction is correct, with the mouth wide open, the lips everted, the tongue under the nipple and with the nose and chin touching the chest. Let your baby nod, find and pick a breast and tap repeatedly with the chin until it latches on by itself.
Sitting posture and rugby position
In the sitting position the baby is stretched out in front of the mother in contact with her body, sucking on one breast and with her feet towards the other breast. It is the most common.
If your baby refuses to suckle through one of the breasts, you can do a variant of this position by placing the baby in reverse. Namely also stretched and turned towards the mother, but with the feet towards your back. If the baby feels placed in the same way, but on different breasts, he may accept the nipple that he previously rejected. It is also known as the rugby position.
Both the stretched and rugby positions work perfectly well if Instead of sitting, the mother takes a semi-reclined posture.
Breastfeeding stretched
This posture in which mother and baby are stretched out and parallel, whether reverse or not It is very useful for mothers to breastfeed at night or to rest for a while. If you put the reverse baby it is less common, but many women are comfortable with it. It can be useful in case of obstructions or acute mastitis located in the upper part of the chest.
The important thing is that you know that there is no single correct posture or position for all mother-child binomials. Each couple will have to find the postures that best suit their mutual preferences, the physical characteristics of both, and the baby's evolution.
Finally we want to recommend you this article about correct feeding during breastfeeding.