Source
r/breastfeeding•
Susie_M

Latching in side-lying position?

Hi, everyone!

I am wondering whether any of you has tips or suggestions about how to get my baby to latch deeply in side-lying position. He is six weeks old and in general a good nurser, but he can be a little lazy about opening his mouth wide when latching on. Because of that, I usually use positions that allow me to do the "breast sandwich" thing with one hand and then to quickly shove him on with the other hand.

I have a really hard time doing these things while lying on my side, because I can't use the arm that is underneath me to help him get latched on. I have tried just making the breast sandwich or just shoving him on when I see him open wide with my one available hand, but most of the time, we end up with this pinchy little latch where he is just sucking on my nipple, until I get frustrated and give up.

I keep hearing people talk about how much they love side-lying position, and the few times we have made it work for us have been wonderful. I really don't want to just accept the possibility that this position may not be one that works well for us. Can anyone help? Thanks in advance - this community is the best!

Posted Dec 4, 2014, 11:26 PM UTC

36
FoxenTheSnowNursing a fat and happy toddler!•

Pull your baby lower than nipple level, so he has to tilt his head back and open wide to get it.

4
ibrakeforfrogs•

Side laying was hard for us to get the hang of too. It honestly didn't work until he had better neck control, 2-3 months I think? Use the arm that you are laying on to cradle around and behind him and pull him towards you while using the free hand to "make the sandwich" and pop it in his mouth. After a lot of practice it became second nature to us. Good luck!

3
LowOnHope•

If I'm laying in my right side I will prop myself up on my right elbow. This allows my right hand to sandwich the boob (kinda gotta lean forward to get the height right) then I move him on with my left. The fun part is sliding your right arm out and making sure he stays latched. It's tricky but I've perfected it and it's my favorite thing at our 6 am feed. It's not smooth but it gets the job done.

1
BrieNotBri•

I tried latching her on while lying down and it didnt work. What I do now is sit up on my bed to get her latched on in the cradle position and then slowly lay down. My arm is still under her neck and her body is nice and close to mine. And if she pops of its much easier to get her back on.

1
chamomiles•

He might be a little bit too young for this. But when my daughter was a bit older, I would lay with my lower arm extended diagonally downward (if that makes sense) and then put her head on my bicep. Then you can wrap your lower arm around his body and use it to help pull him closer to the nipple, and free up your upper hand to sandwich your breast. You can also play around with using your upper breast (so your right breast, if you're laying on your left side). It requires a totally different angle laying, but might free up your lower arm as well.

1
moomoo_haha•

So I sort of position myself over the baby so that my nipple is above him. I get him latched here and then lay down and turn him towards me. It is sort of hard to finagle but easier then only using one hand when starting form the side position,

1