Feeding posture
Release time : 03/05/2025 09:30:01
Feeding is a hard job. Correct feeding posture is of great benefit to both mother and baby.
It not only ensures that both mother and baby feel comfortable, but also prevents mother from experiencing breast pain. It also keeps milk flowing and makes the baby's sucking more effective.
For new mothers, the initial breastfeeding process tends to be somewhat awkward, requiring constant adjustments and changes until they are both comfortable and scientific.
1. The baby should be positioned on their side, with their arms under your body, facing you. Their nose should be at the same height as your breasts, and their legs should be stretched behind you. This description is a common nursing position known as the "Obama-style" cradle position.
2. Mother holds the baby's shoulders, neck and head with her hands.
3. With the other hand in a C-shape, hold the breasts (see picture), guiding him to find the nipple. The mother should lean slightly forward at this time so that the baby can approach the breasts.
This is the best for a cesarean mom because it avoids baby bumping your belly.
Additionally, if your baby is small or has trouble latching on to the breast, this position can help you find the nipple for him.
The rugby hold is also suitable for larger breasts, flat nipples or twin moms.
For comfort, you can place a cushion on your legs.
In a semi-reclining position, 1. The mother places the baby on her own belly, with the face turned towards the mother's breasts, and can place a pillow behind the child.
2. Use a pillow to raise the upper body behind your mother's back and lie down reclining.
3. The mother holds the baby's back with her arms and rests her hands on the pillow behind the baby so that the baby's mouth can hold the mother's nipple.
Most suitable: This method is suitable for the first few days of delivery. The mother still has difficulty sitting up, but feeding the baby in a semi-reclining position is most suitable.
Side reclining posture: 1. Mom lies on her side on the bed, using a pillow behind her back to raise her upper body, and reclining.
2. Lay the baby against the mother's abdomen so that the baby's face faces you. The mother's lower arm rests under her head, and the other hand holds the baby.
3. Keep your baby's mouth and your nipples at the same level.
Most appropriate: This method is suitable for early feeding and also for mothers who have had a cesarean section.
If you had a difficult labor, were uncomfortable while sitting, or had trouble nursing at night, you might prefer to nurse lying down.
The Cradle Pose: 1. The baby's head rests on the mother's arm, with the belly inwards.
2. The mother's hand supports the baby's buttocks, facilitating physical contact.
(Using a cushion or armrest to support the arm can keep the muscle of the arm from being stretched.)
The baby in the crib position is often most suitable for a full-term infant born by natural childbirth.
A woman who has had a C-section may feel that the pressure on her belly is too much.
The correct way to feed with a bottle is to place the baby on your lap, with the head in the crook of your elbow and the back supported by your forearm.
Don't position your child on their back; instead, keep them in a semi-recumbent position. This ensures that breathing and swallowing are safe and easy, preventing choking.
Before feeding, drop a few drops of milk from the bottle onto the skin on the inside of your wrist to check the temperature of the milk.
Milk should not be too hot or too cold.
You should check the flow rate of milk in advance.
Loosen the lid of the bottle slightly to allow air to enter the bottle to replenish the space after sucking out the milk.
If you don't do this, negative pressure will form in the bottle, making the bottle flat, and the child sucks very hard.
At this time, the child may lose his temper, be angry, or don't want to eat any more milk.
When this happens, you can gently pull the pacifier out of your child's mouth to allow air to enter the bottle, and then continue feeding.
You can gently touch the child and approach the side of your face to induce the child's sucking reflex.
When the child turns his head towards you, insert the pacifier into the child's mouth.
The child will suck on the nipple at once, just like sucking a person's nipple, and suck the entire nipple into the mouth.
At this time, you need to be careful not to poke the pacifier too deeply to avoid choking the child.
Let the child take it at their own pace.
Sometimes the child may stop during the feeding process, look around, play with the bottle, etc. These are all the joys that the child deserves.
From the time when children first learn to breastfeed, children should be made happy while nursing.
When feeding your baby with a bottle, you need to pay attention to the following points: 1. Changing your arms when your child is halfway through a nursing meal will give your child a new perspective and you can rest your arms.
At this time, you can also call and pat the child on the back to make him burp.
2. Be sure to check the temperature of the milk. You can drop a few drops of milk onto the skin on the inside of your wrist to feel the temperature of the milk.
In order to ensure the outflow of milk and avoid vacuum in the bottle, the bottle cap can be slightly loosened before feeding the child.
4. Sit down well with the child in your arms, stimulate the child to cause a sucking reflex, and then feed the child.
Gently touch the child, near the face on your side, and the child will turn his/her head to face the nipple.
5. Make sure the nipple is full of milk by making the bottle slightly tilted.
If there is air in the nipple, it could choke a child.
6. After feeding, gently and decisively remove the nipple from the bottle to prevent the child from inhaling air, at which time the child will also release the bottle.
7. If the child refuses to release the bottle, you can gently place your little finger in their mouth and allow them to release it.
Common mistakes in breastfeeding include not waiting for the baby's mouth to open enough before engaging their lips with the nipple.
The baby's mouth is tightly shut, not relaxed and outwardly flipped.
Only expose the nipple, not the areola.
I didn't actively teach the baby the correct breastfeeding technique.
After flipping over the baby, their body is not pressed tightly against their belly and they can still be shaken.
What are the risks of improper breastfeeding positions? They may lead to middle ear infections. Middle ear infections are common in infants and toddlers, and recent studies suggest that improper breastfeeding positions can also cause these conditions in children.
As children's ear development is not yet mature, the eustachian tube is relatively short and the contractile strength of the muscles in the pharyngeal recess is weak, allowing fluid from the nasopharynx to easily enter the middle ear. Therefore, children are much more likely to suffer from otitis media than adults.
It is precisely due to the anatomical characteristics of infants' ears that improper nursing postures, such as holding the child in a cross-cradling position or allowing them to lie down to feed, along with issues like opening the teat too wide or making it too steep, can easily lead to milk flowing into the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, thereby triggering otitis media.
Affects the development of children's teeth. If the mother's feeding posture is wrong, baby sucking exercise will play an abnormal role in guiding the growth and development of tooth bones.
For example, during feeding, if a baby's chin is excessively extended forward, it is likely that the baby's chin will overdevelop forward and develop into a "ground cover".
If it is artificial feeding, first of all, the bottle should be placed in the correct position to prevent the infant's chin extension caused by insufficient chin advancement when nursing, or the occurrence of "ground cover" caused by excessive chin advancement.
To use a simulated bottle, the nipple should be of the right size.
Simulation bottle can satisfy the psychological requirements of infants to breastfeed, and sucking will involve the muscles around the mouth, which can promote normal development of upper and lower jawbone.
If the nipple is too large, sucking motion may cause less muscle activity around the baby's jawbone and may result in underdevelopment of the lower jaw.
Avoid feeding for extended periods, and do not let the baby suck on a bottle or sleep with a bottle in place to prevent pressure on the developing jaw.
Causes of vomiting in infants include the baby's stomach not being positioned downward like that of an adult or child, with its capacity being small and holding less food. Additionally, the baby's gastric muscles are not fully developed, leading to vomiting easily.
Parents who are not familiar with their baby's gastrointestinal characteristics may accidentally increase the likelihood of vomiting during feeding.
When breastfeeding, there are several important considerations: 1. It is essential to ensure that the baby gets full at each feeding session, and it is important to feed the baby until they are satisfied.
When breastfeeding, each breast should be fed for 10-15 minutes.
Try to keep baby alert while breastfeeding.
If your baby starts to doze off before he is full, scratch the soles of his feet, rub his cheeks, or pull the nipple away a distance.
Try to keep your baby full so he can last until the next feeding time.
2. Once the baby is awake and fed at the designated feeding time, wake him up again.
Moms should let their babies sleep through the night instead of allowing them to sleep during the day and then cry at night.
When it's time for the baby to feed, open the door and let the curtains be pulled back so the baby can slowly wake up.
If the feeding time has passed and the baby is still sleeping, pick up the baby and hand it over to someone who loves the baby, such as the baby's father, grandfather, grandmother, or other relatives and friends, who can gently wake the baby.
They would softly talk to the baby, kiss him or help him out of a few clothes, slowly waking him up.
3. Follow the "feeding-play-sleep" cycle model, do not let your baby sleep after they've finished eating in the daytime.
If you play with your baby after feeding them, they will be happy because they are just full and feel satisfied.
When your baby gets tired from playing, they are more likely to sleep soundly and for longer.
When the next feeding time arrives, the baby wakes up just as it is about to be fed.
Many people have adopted the cycle of "feeding, sleeping, playing."
This cycle pattern can leave the baby feeling hungry when they wake up, making it impossible to play happily. The baby may also feel a bit tired because the sleep is not deep or long enough.
When a baby wakes up, if they are half-starved and half-tired, they will cry very loudly. At this time, the mother is likely to feed them before they have had breakfast, which results in the baby developing the habit of eating snacks throughout the day. This is a vicious cycle.
The only feeding occurs at the end of the day, around 10 or 11 PM. The feeding-play-sleep routine is not followed.
After a whole day of activities, the baby was already tired. After nursing, his mother should carefully pat his back and burp him, put on a clean diaper, and then stop playing with him and send him to bed directly.
4. What if the baby wakes up early and it is not yet scheduled for feeding? At this time, try to divert your baby's attention until feeding time.
For example, if he wakes up 1 hour earlier than the scheduled feeding time, pat him on the back and burp to see if he is uncomfortable, change him a clean diaper, take a bath, and play with him.
But parents, please show some favors and don't stick to your schedule.
This schedule is to keep the atmosphere at home calm and quiet, not to cause controversy.
If the baby wakes up early and you have spent some time trying to divert his attention, but it is still not time to breastfeed, you should use your brain and recall that if it has been more than two or three hours since the last breastfeed, you can make a little flexibility and breastfeed the baby directly to keep his baby full. This is only half an hour or an hour away from the scheduled breastfeed time.
The medical part covered in this article is for reading and reference only.
If you feel unwell, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately, and the medical diagnosis and treatment will be subject to offline diagnosis.