What’s the best Breastfeeding Pillow? How do you use one? Do you need one?
Which pillow is best for breastfeeding?
Lots of people buy breastfeeding pillows even when they're pregnant or ask me a binary question such as “What is the best breastfeeding pillow?”
But actually what's the best breastfeeding pillow for you?
Whether you need one or not or how to use it is just really dependent from person to person upon your favourite breastfeeding position and your body shape.
Is it worth getting a breastfeeding pillow?
For some mothers, a breastfeeding pillow will be pointless. If your body shape doesn’t suit, if you prefer to feed in a laid-back position or of you have a fast let-down, you may never need a breastfeeding pillow. For some breastfeeding parents the baby needs to be at the level of their lap so a pillow is unnecessary.
Other mothers find the breastfeeding pillow is an essential piece of kit, bringing it with them to cafes and picnics under their pram or clipped round their waist. If you have small breasts, a long torso or if you find the rugby/football hold suits you best you might find it hard to breastfeed without your favourite pillow.
How big should the nursing pillow be?
Whenever you feed your baby, you ideally want your baby to approach the breast wherever your nipple hangs. And although we like to imagine, our breasts are perkily central in front of us, for the vast majority of us the nipple is probably pointing slightly down and slightly out.
There are some pillows designed with different layers that can be built up to varying heights. Alternatively using several pillows or a nursing pillow combined with a cushion from your sofa or pillow from your bed may suit you best.
Click here to watch a short film about how micro-adjustments to position can help you get most comfortable.
CHINS
Wherever you're breastfeeding, whatever you're doing remember CHINS:
close
head free
in line
nose to nipple
sustainable
Close-When you understand that babies are programmed to breastfeed positional stability makes sense. This has its origins in biological nurturing and the concept of breast crawl and the golden hour. Your baby wants to feel their whole body weight is on your body. Babies also love to have their feet stabilised and their legs in a “froggy” position with the knee slightly bent.
Head free-never press or even gently hold the back of your baby’s head, babies tend to be resistant to this and sometimes push back. Your baby needs to feel free to move their head back at any stage, this also enables them to move their chin away from their own chest, coming to the breast chin embedded and nose free.
In line-Make sure head and body are in a line, baby shouldn’t be twisting their neck to the breast, if you are using a classic cross cradle or football hold you should look down at your baby and see their ear, their shoulder, their elbow and their hip all in a line.
Nipple to nose-Baby approaches the breast nose to nipple. Try to resist "posting" your nipple into your baby’s mouth. They will open wider and achieve a deeper latch if they feel their nipple on their nose.
Sustainable- Are you comfortable? Will this be comfortable for half an hour? Will this be comfortable for half an hour, every two hours for the next week (!)
The S is for sustainable. Once you get your baby latched on and your baby is stable on your body
Then get yourself comfy.
Make sure that whatever you're doing wherever you're breastfeeding, you can reach your phone and drink and you've got what you need handy and that you roll your shoulders back, relax, relax, make sure you're not tense!
I see this often in my clients, especially where there has been pain or difficulty latching.
Many parents latch the baby on fairly directively and then they freeze and they are left in a position with high shoulders, tense jaw.
When the baby has immediately latched you might consider your position to be bearable but you may need to be in this position for 20 minutes or half an hour in every two hours of the day so it's really important to check yourself. This might look like consciously rolling your shoulders back and relaxing. Sometimes it's helpful to use a foot stool or put your feet up on a coffee table for instance and lean back.
Some suggestions in this film:
TOP TIP:
Get your baby into a comfortable nursing position first and then as a second step prop your elbows with pillows. This may work better than lying your baby on a pillow.
Alternatives:
Sometimes even more helpful is just a bunch of different pillows or blocks. Sometimes something quite firm like having rolled towel with elastic bands on it to form a firm cilendar or a yoga block may work best because you really need something under your elbow to support you, so you can maintain that good position without having tense shoulders and neck.
Update: I have found a really adaptable adjustable pillow my clients love-
I’d love to hear what worked for your family. How did you get comfortable breastfeeding?
If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this post, please feel free to get in touch.