Taken from our brand new Cornwall Essential guide to feeding and caring for your baby, here are details on one of the most popular breastfeeding positions, the cross cradle.
There are several ways to hold a baby to breastfeed, and we hope you find this guide to them useful – but it is important to note that all of them have things in common:
- The position must be comfortable for you to stay in throughout the feed.
- The baby needs to be held close to your body, facing your breast.
- The baby’s head, neck and body all need to be in a straight line (head and neck not twisted).
- The baby’s nose should be opposite your nipple at the start.
- The baby’s head must be free to tilt backwards as he is brought into the breast.
If you are in a chair or sitting up in bed, you will probably find it more comfortable to lean back onto pillows or cushions. That will make sure your back is well-supported. Your baby can use your soft post-birth tummy as a built-in pillow to rest on while they feed!
Cross Cradle
Useful when you are just learning
2. Use your fingers under the baby’s neck, so the weight of her head is supported, but make sure her head is free to tilt back between your thumb and finger.
2. The palm of your hand supports your baby’s shoulders and you can press on her shoulders to bring her into the breast when ready.
3. Your forearm can tuck the rest of the baby’s body close to you while she feeds.
“ It took me a bit of practice, but we got better and better at it and now it’s easy.
She just snuggles into my tummy and away we go!”
Liz, mum of Jo