It’s been awhile since I shared what some of our clients have been learning about on my comfy couch…

Today’s videos were all about breastfeeding, the first teaching a young expectant mother “Techniques and a Good Latch”.  One of the most important things I’ve learned about breastfeeding is that you can never have to much good information about the subject, however there is a lot of misinformation out there so do your research.

Did you know the most common reasons given for not breastfeeding or given up quickly?  Yes, you guessed them, “It hurts so much, I was too sore, I just couldn’t do it or I didn’t have enough milk to feed my baby.”

Well this video showed that a slight difference in the way the baby latches can make a difference in whether you are going to be successful in breastfeeding.  If the baby is not latched correctly you can get sore within a couple of days to the point where you will give up.

There are actually 4 positions that you can try to latch your baby:  clutch (like a football), cradle (like it sounds), lying down (the baby lies next to you and the cross-cradle position, which is best for newborns.  The baby lies across your chest while you hold their head with the opposite hand of the breast you are feeding on and you can support the breast with your other hand if needed.

Others things you can try are:

• Sitting up straight with a chair that gives you good support
• Having your knees higher than your hips
• Using a breastfeeding pillow for extra support
• Making sure the baby’s face and body are in the same direction
• Lining the baby’s nose up to your nipple

If you do end up getting sore nipples, you can your use another position to help alleviate the soreness where the baby has been latching to the hardest and apply a nipple cream like Mother Love or Earth Mama.

Of course, if you know someone who would benefit from this information please share this post along with this link for a full list of all of our services at the Pregnancy Resource Center of Statesville.