Breastfeeding positions and latch techniques.
I'm sitting here with lactation consultant Alison Edgecombe,
and she's here to teach us how to hold the baby, I guess,
when you're breastfeeding.
There's different techniques, right?
So--
There is.
--talk to us about some of them.
Yeah, sure.
There's lots of different ways to hold the baby.
Right.
Look, and when it's your first baby, it can be very scary.
For a lot of people it's the first baby they've often
had much to do with or held.
Yes.
So they're just trying to learn how to hold the baby first.
That's right.
And just having that confidence in handling
the baby can be the first hurdle to overcome.
OK.
So be confident.
Be confident.
The more firm you are with the baby, the more secure
the baby will feel.
You're the mum.
You are the mum.
That's right.
You've got this.
Right.
And for dads, too.
The dads are often quite shy and unsure as to how
to maneuver the baby.
Right.
I remember my first time when my milk came in, I had twins.
And I didn't know what was going on.
And I was, like, Brendan, get something!
Do something!
Get a baby!
So I know it can be quite overwhelming.
So look, what I always advise the dads to do,
if you've always got a hand behind the baby's head
and a hand under baby's bottom, right, then you
can basically move the baby around whichever way
you need to.
Right, supporting the neck.
That's right.
Always supporting the baby's head and neck.
Right.
In terms of breastfeeding, the most common position
that we use is called cradle style.
Right.
So it's across in front of you, and you may
cradle the baby in this arm.
I love that we've got a prop.
Give it up for the prop.
This is Dolly.
Oh, Dolly.
Sorry.
Hi, Dolly.
So Dolly may lie down on her side and rest in that arm,
or you can support the baby in that arm
as well, which is the most common position that most
people--
Keeping back straight?
As long as mum's comfortable and sitting in a good comfy chair--
Yeah.
--you can feed in whichever position
is comfortable for you.
Even with a pillow to help--
Pillow.
Look, often in that first few days,
when mums still have a bit of a tummy,
I find the pillows in front can--
you can't get them in close enough to you.
And they can get in the way a little bit.
So while you're learning, we often
just discourage use of the pillows.
Right.
They're a bit more helpful once the babies are
a little bit older and heavier.
Yeah.
Another position that mums may find helpful
is the football hold, or sometimes it's
called twinstar, because if you have twins,
you hold two babies that way.
And you do use a pillow to rest the baby on.
Right.
Some people find that a lot more comfortable and easier
for them to see, as well, at times.
It's just a bit harder to be more discreet in public,
feeding this way.
Yeah.
But there's nothing--
And I think if you've got larger breasts
it might work better as well.
We do find the girls that do have larger breasts find
it a bit easier to see and be able to handle
the baby in this position.
Yeah.
Yes.
There's also a Thompson method of feeding, which is around
at the moment and popular.
And that is essentially, the baby just rests in the arm
and finds the breast by itself.
So look, in our experience that works really well
when the baby's a little bit older.
The first few days, you may need to just guide
the baby a little bit more.
But that's what we will help you with when you are in hospital.
Excellent.
Thank you so much, Alison, for those tips.
I hope that's helped you keep it locked right here at Mums
At The Table.
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