Breastfeeding Positions – Side-lying

Lying on your side to nurse

The last breastfeeding position that I want to talk about is the position of lying down on your side.  I don’t particularly find this an easy position to start with to nurse a newborn baby, as you cannot see what you’re doing very easily.  I personally think that it works better to use this position once you have mastered some of the other positions discussed in other posts, or as your baby gets a bit older and knows what to do.    It is also a great position to use during the night to get your rest, but you may want to practice it during the day when you are more alert and can see what you are doing.

To use this position, here are some tips:

• Ensure that you are both lying on your sides facing one another.
• For younger infants, it helps to put a rolled-up blanket behind your baby’s back to keep the baby’s body properly aligned with the ears, shoulders, and hips in a line.  The rolled-up blanket also keeps the baby tucked in closer to your body.  You can also put your bottom arm around your baby against your baby’s back or the towel to keep the baby close to your body.
• You want to get comfortable by placing a pillow between your knees or even behind your back.
• Your baby’s mouth should be positioned at the height of your nipple.
• When your baby opens his/her mouth open wide as though yawning, you will pull your baby onto the breast.

This is the last main breastfeeding position that I wanted to discuss.  I hope that these blogs with the photos and instructions will make it easier for you to get started, and understand what the different positions are.  If you want further information on breastfeeding positions and instructions, check out: these books.