Best breastfeeding posture pictures

Breast milk is the best natural food for babies. For exclusive breastfeeding, the first thing a mother needs to learn is how to breastfeed. Obstetricians emphasize that the correct feeding posture is a posture that both the baby and the mother feel comfortable in. If the feeding posture is incorrect, it will be "uncomfortable for the baby to eat" and may also cause otitis media, dental diseases, etc. For mothers, if they have incorrect feeding posture, they will soon feel back pain. All of these are not conducive to the persistence of exclusive breastfeeding.

Four breastfeeding postures, mothers can switch

Experts point out that there are four exclusive breastfeeding postures: cradle style, olive embrace style (wrapped style), cross style, and side-lying style.

Cradle

(1) Cradle position: This is the most traditional position. Use the inner arm of one hand to support the baby's head, and place the other hand on the breast or nipple. Putting a soft cushion under your baby's crotch will make feeding easier.

Cross

(2) Cross-over: Compared with the cradle position, the baby's body is slightly tilted so that when the baby drinks milk, the angle of the mouth will change to a certain extent, making it easier for the baby to suck the nipple.

Basketball style (surround style)

(3) Basketball position (wrapped position): This breastfeeding position is very suitable for mothers who have undergone cesarean section, as it can prevent the baby from being pressed against the surgical wound in the mother's abdomen. It is also suitable for mothers with very large breasts, very small babies or those who are breastfeeding twin babies. Just like holding a basketball under the armpit, hold the baby's legs with your arms and place them under the mother's armpits. The baby's upper body is in a semi-sitting position facing the mother's chest. Use a pillow to properly raise the baby, support the baby's head with the palm of your hand, and stretch out your other fingers in an "eight-shaped" shape and place them on the nipples.

Side lying

(4) Side-lying position: This position is suitable for breastfeeding at night. The body sleeps on its side with a pillow under the head. The baby lies on his side and faces the mother, with their abdomens touching. In order to ensure that the baby and mother are close to each other, it is best to use a small pillow to pad the baby's back.

Frequently changing the posture of holding the baby to feed the baby can not only effectively unclog the mammary glands but also relieve the fixed posture of the mother's arms to avoid excessive soreness. When the baby is halfway through feeding, switch arms, take a short break, and pat the baby's back gently to burp. Generally speaking, it is best for children to drink milk for about 20 minutes at a time, and it is best not to exceed 30 minutes. The method of letting children sleep with the nipple in their mouth is dangerous and undesirable.

It is particularly important to note that when mothers feed their newborn babies in a side-lying position, they must pay attention to the baby's mouth and nose. Because the baby's head and neck strength are too weak, once the mother falls asleep while breastfeeding, the breast blocks the baby's mouth and nose and the baby does not have enough strength to get around, an accident may occur due to suffocation. After 4 months, the baby has the ability to raise his head to avoid and pull away from the mother's breast, or use body postures to wake the mother up.

Incorrect posture, both mother and child suffer

New mothers who start breastfeeding are usually exhausted and sweaty, with sore arms and stiff necks. This is caused by incorrect breastfeeding posture. The correct breastfeeding posture is "three touches": chest to chest, belly to belly, and chin to breast. The mother holds the baby's buttocks firmly, and the baby's head and neck are supported by her elbows. The baby's upper body lies on the mother's upper arms. This is the most comfortable posture for the baby to drink milk.

(1) Incorrect breastfeeding posture can easily cause otitis media in babies

Because the baby's ears are not fully developed, the Eustachian tube is short, low and vertical, and its physiological muscle wall has not yet formed, so the lumen is relatively spacious. In addition, the Eustachian tube muscles have poor contraction force and open low in the throat, so the fluid in the throat can easily flow into the ear.

Dong Yuli, professor at the Otolaryngology Center of the Guangdong Corps Hospital of the Armed Police Force, emphasized that most babies get otitis media because their mothers or nannies, for the sake of convenience, use improper breastfeeding postures, letting their babies lie flat to breastfeed, or opening the mouth of the milk bottle too large when feeding with formula, or feeding breast milk too much and too quickly, making it difficult for the baby to swallow it in time and choking. These may cause milk to flow back into the throat and enter the ear through the Eustachian tube, causing acute otitis media.

In addition, if the interval between breastfeeding is too long, the child's sense of hunger increases, the sucking is strong, and the air inhaled is too much, which is easy to cause milk regurgitation and the milk is easy to choke into the ear and cause otitis media.

(2) The mother’s arms ache from feeding the baby in the same position

Many mothers suffer from upper body, neck, shoulder and back pain right after they finish their confinement period due to “postpartum cold”. At first they think it is rheumatism, but it is actually caused by poor breastfeeding posture.

First, during breastfeeding, the elasticity and strength of the mother's muscles and tendons often decrease to varying degrees due to changes in endocrine hormones in the body. The supporting force of the articular cartilage and tendons around the joints also decreases, resulting in joint relaxation. In this case, the breastfeeding posture is incorrect. The mother always uses a posture to breastfeed for a long time. The fixed posture becomes muscle stiff, which will put a heavy burden on the joints, tendons and tendons that have been weakened and cause pain.

(3) Wrong breastfeeding posture, the child will become "buckle-toothed"

Normal breastfeeding provides a certain multifunctional stimulation to the teeth and promotes the normal growth and development of the teeth. If the mother's feeding posture is correct, the baby's sucking exercise will have a very positive guiding effect on the growth and development of the tooth bones. For example, when feeding, if the baby's lower jaw is extended too far forward, it is likely to cause the baby's lower jaw to grow too far forward and develop into "overbite". Lan Zedong, director of the orthodontics department of the Dental Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical College, believes that it is best to use the cradle-style holding method when exclusively breastfeeding, which is conducive to the baby's natural sucking. In addition, avoid letting the baby fall asleep with the glass bottle in his mouth for a long time to prevent the glass bottle from compressing the growth of the frontal bone.

Tips: This can make maternal and child products feel comfortable

In addition to the above four correct breastfeeding postures, the following aspects need to be ensured to ensure that both mother and baby get the most comfortable feeling:

The posture is comfortable. Breastfeeding can vary from person to person and adopt different postures. The key is that the mother should know: a good mood, a comfortable posture, and weak muscles all over the body, which is conducive to the discharge of milk.

Maternal and infant products must be kept close together. No matter how you hold the baby, the baby's body should be close to the mother's body during feeding. The baby's head and back are facing the breast, with lips at the same level as the nipple.

Avoid putting pressure on the baby's nose. During the entire feeding process, the baby's head and neck should be kept slightly flexed and extended to prevent the nose from pressing into the breast and affecting breathing. At the same time, the baby's head and neck should not be flexed and extended too much, which may cause difficulty in swallowing.

Correct hand posture. Place your thumb on or below your breast to support the entire breast for feeding. Unless the total milk flow is too fast and the baby chokes on milk, do not use the scissor-style hand support to clamp the breast. This kind of hand posture will push the mammary gland tissue in the opposite direction, preventing the baby from taking most of the nipple into the mouth, which is not conducive to fully squeezing out the milk in the milk sinus.