The dangers of side-lying breastfeeding

After giving birth, women need to breastfeed their babies. However, since the body is usually very weak after childbirth, it is generally not recommended to breastfeed the baby while holding it. Usually, the baby is breastfed while lying on the side. Breastfeeding while lying on the side is also good for the recovery of the mother's body. However, if the baby is breastfed while lying on the side for a long time, it will affect the baby's health. It is usually inadvertent to breastfeed while lying on the side for a long time. So what are the hazards of breastfeeding while lying on the side?

The dangers of side-lying breastfeeding

Although lying down to feed is comfortable and convenient, it has some potential disadvantages and risks

1. First of all, from a safety perspective, there are many hidden dangers. Most mothers will fall asleep while lying down to feed their babies, especially at night. Unknowingly, the quilt may cover the newborn's face and cause suffocation. The mother may even block the baby's mouth and nose with her chest during feeding.

2. Secondly, it may harm your health. Male god Cui Yutao also mentioned: "It is not good to feed a baby lying flat on his back or sideways. It is easy for milk to pass through the baby's short Eustachian tube to stimulate the middle ear, increasing the chance of otitis media. In addition, it is not conducive to swallowing and can easily cause gastroesophageal reflux. "

3. It causes the child to not be full from breastfeeding. If the probabilities of the first two are relatively small, the probability of this one is very high. Many children fall asleep while eating while lying down and are not full at all. The mothers also fall asleep and don’t know how much the children have eaten or whether it is enough. This causes children to develop a bad habit of "eating frequently and falling asleep after only a few bites at each meal", especially before bedtime. If they fall asleep before being full, it will directly affect the quality of their sleep throughout the night.

4. Cause mastitis. Continuing from the previous point, once the baby develops the habit of "frequent feeding and falling asleep after only a few bites at each meal", and the mother's lying down to feed the baby easily presses on one side of the breast, it is easy to cause milk duct blockage and subsequently mastitis.

5. Affects sleep. From the perspective of sleep, the biggest disadvantage of lying down to feed is that it may cause frequent night feeding and falling asleep while feeding. Because the baby is used to being able to breastfeed at any time and to fall asleep while breastfeeding, he or she will rely more on this method to sleep at night, which will ultimately result in both the baby and the mother being unable to get a good rest.

Correct way to breastfeed while lying on your side

1. There are many breastfeeding postures, and it is important to choose a suitable breastfeeding posture. The commonly used breastfeeding posture is side-lying breastfeeding. New mothers who have just started breastfeeding are often tired and sweaty, with sore arms and stiff necks. This is often caused by incorrect breastfeeding posture. The correct breastfeeding posture is "three touches": chest to chest, belly to belly, and chin to breast.

2. The mother holds the baby's buttocks with her hands, and supports the baby's head and neck with her elbows. The baby's upper body lies on the mother's forearm. This is the most comfortable position for the baby to feed. The baby lies on his side facing the mother, with their abdomens touching. Keeping the baby's mouth and the mother's nipple on the same plane can ensure good feeding.

3. Like other breastfeeding positions, use your fingers to support your breasts in an "eight-shaped" shape. In order to ensure that the mother and baby are closely attached, a small pillow should be placed on the baby's back. As the baby grows, the various nutrients contained in breast milk are most suitable for the baby's digestion and absorption, and have the highest bioavailability. The quality and quantity of breast milk change accordingly with the baby's growth and needs.