Breastfeeding Positions – Cradle Hold

The Cradle Hold

The cradle-hold position is one of the breastfeeding positions that you are likely to use as you get more comfortable with nursing.  What I like about it is that you can support some of the weight of your baby’s head  inside the crook of your arm.  I still recommend a breastfeeding pillow (My Brest Friend Light Green Deluxe Pillow), as it just makes it easier to align the baby’s body properly.  You want to ensure that your baby’s ears, shoulders, and hips are all aligned straight, and that your baby is lying on his/her side, tucked in close to your body.  Your baby’s mouth should be located at the height of the nipple, even just slightly below it.  If you are feeding off the left breast, as in the photo, you will use your right hand to support under your breast in a C-position, with your thumb on top of the breast and the rest of your fingers underneath it.  Supporting under the breast ensures that your baby feeds better by maintaining a better latch without sliding off (which can cause nipple damage).  Your baby’s head will rest on your left forearm, with his/her back inside your forearm.  You pull the baby onto the breast when he/she opens his/her mouth open very wide, as though yawning.  This ensures that your baby gets a large part of the areola (the darkened area of the breast around the nipple) and maybe even some of the surrounding breast tissue in the mouth.  The baby’s lips should be flared out.

There are a number of different positions for nursing babies.  You are likely to use this position often as your baby grows older, as it can be quite comfortable.  In the next blog, I will describe using the football or clutch hold.

If you want further information on breastfeeding positions and videos that you can buy that demonstrate nursing, visit this link.