Why Laid Back Breastfeeding Could Be the Game-Changer You Need

Laid back breastfeeding, or biological nurturing positions, can be an absolute game changer for mothers and babies when it comes to finding comfortable and sustainable breastfeeding positions.

Although positions like cross-cradle, cradle or rugby ball hold are often go-tos for health professionals and new parents, as an IBCLC I strongly believe that laid back breastfeeding can revolutionise breastfeeding and help it feel more instinctive and relaxed.

As an IBCLC I strongly believe that laid back breastfeeding can revolutionise breastfeeding and help it feel more instinctive and relaxed.

What is involved with laid back breastfeeding?

The basics are that rather than sitting upright, the mum leans back for the duration of the feed. Ideally she needs to be reclined enough that, were she to let go of her baby, gravity would hold the baby in place, and they wouldn’t slide down or off her body.

By leaning back, the mother opens up her torso, and makes a comfy, nurturing slope for her baby to rest on. This might mean sloping back into the sofa, leaning back against the headboard in bed, or sloping back in a hard backed chair in a cafe or restaurant. 

By leaning back, the mother opens up her torso, and makes a comfy, nurturing slope for her baby to rest on.

Positioning baby for laid back breastfeeding

The baby is then placed tummy down ‘on top’ of the mother’s body in an upright position. Every part of the baby’s body will likely be in contact with the mother, immediately giving the baby lots of stability, and initiating their feeding instincts.

Sometimes it might help to use your leg to stabilise your baby too, straddling them either diagonally, or on the same side as the breast you’re using, deepening on which feels better for that feed.

The baby will begin to wriggle and bob their way to the breast. This bit can take time and patience. Babies may get a little vocal, and even frustrated, especially if they’ve not done this before, but bear with them… it’ll be worth it! Parents are often amazed at how clever their babies are at moving to the breast on their own, and how using these positions really shows how capable babies are at latching on their own.

As long as the mother is reclined enough, gravity will hold mum and baby together, so the baby shouldn’t need holding as such. Instead baby is given free movement on the mother’s body to navigate their way to the breast. Mum can think of her arms instead like rolling bars, to stop baby moving too far and rolling off her body.

Your baby will navigate to the breast, using their hands, and legs to move on their mother’s body. Once they get to the breast, they’ll begin to lick and mouth the nipple before latching, they may do this a couple of times until they feel they’re in the right place. They may initially face plant the breast a bit, give them a second and they’ll likely adjust themselves. 

At this point the mum might like to bring an arm up to cradle her baby and give some support to the head and neck, but maybe not.

Small adjustments can help

Research tells us that using laid back breastfeeding results in less nipple pain for mothers, but if the initial latch isn’t comfortable, you can try adjusting a few things, without necessarily removing your baby from the breast.

You could try…

-leaning back a bit more, this will left your nipple a bit higher, and also open up more of your body which might help your baby snuggle in really close

-adjusting your baby, have they ended up with their hands stopping them getting in really close, or could you adjust their position to help them be on top of your body?

-some breast shaping, this can often help the latch feel more comfy, and you can gently relax the shaping as the feed gets going.

Hopefully feeding is comfortable, and you can see/hear your baby doing lots of swallows. Try not to worry too much about what the latch looks like. As long as the feed is working we’re all good, and feel is much more important than appearance.

To recap…

-Mother leans back, and places her baby on top of her body in an upright position 

-In time, baby will wriggle and bob their way to the breast

-Gravity will help hold mother and baby together, and work with them, rather then trying to pull the baby away from the breast which can happen in other positions

-Every part of the baby’s body is likely to be in contact with the mother, so the baby feels totally stable

Laid back feeding can be adapted to wherever the feed needs to happen. The key is to thinking about the baby being upright, rather than across the mother’s body.

I hope this helps you have the confidence to give laid back feeding a go!