Breastfeeding Positions

4 tips to attain Proper Breastfeeding Positions:

1. Baby's body has to be parallel to mother's breasts
2. Baby is held close to mother
3. Baby is supported at the head, shoulders, body and buttocks.
4. Baby is in eye to eye contact with mother

There are various ways that a mother can breastfeed baby according to both mother's and baby's comfort. Below are the common recommended positions in breastfeeding.

 

That being said, babies are born with primitive reflexes & one of those said reflexes is the Moro Reflex which is normally present in all infants/newborns up to 4 or 5 months of age as a response to a sudden loss of support, when the infant feels as if it is falling. It involves three distinct components:

1. spreading out the arms (abduction)
2. unspreading the arms (adduction)
3. crying (usually)

Hence, the process of trying to position an infant in positions like "cradle hold, football clutch" (as above) might induce the Moro reflex in an infant, causing the infant to cry or show sudden signs of anxiety of which may not be helpful in latching.

I strongly recommend mothers to try this position especially in the neonatal period, while you can comfortably rest in this position and ensure positional stability for optimal latching for your infant.

Biological nurturing promotes release of primitive neonatal reflexes by maternal positioning and extended baby-holding. The mother semi-reclines back with the baby prone in close frontal apposition to her body. It is this specific position of the mother which will release the most primitive neonatal reflexes (PNR) for pre-feeding responses. Twenty PNRs for pre-feeding have been identified.

Mother and baby pairs who practice full biological nurturing positions released 15.9 PNR compared to only 11.6 PNR in the partial or non-biological nurturing pairs. Biological nurturing posture maximises the baby's sensory input and maintains positional stability as a result of the prone body position of the baby acting as a gravity pull towards the mother.

This is a natural position for mothers to assume after birth - semi-reclining with their baby on their chest. We now know that it is this position in particular which is the stimulus for baby-led latching. (which is an innate, interactive process) 

Hope this was helpful.