Can I nurse while lying down? Could it cause ear infections? Could I land up suffocating my baby?
Often, mothers are told not to nurse in the lying down position by well-meaning but ill-informed family members and/ or medical professionals.
- Breastfeeding in the lying down position doesn’t ‘cause’ ear infections.
- Breastfeeding in the lying down position won’t cause you to roll over your baby or suffocate them, as long as you are following safe co-sleeping principles
Lying down and nursing is the best way for mothers to get rest while their baby nurses. A mother that nurses lying down is more likely to nurse long term because it is less exhausting.
Keep in mind that even when the mother is sitting up to feed, the baby is in the same position as when side lying and nursing.
Some links that should help you make a decision on whether it is safe to nurse lying down or not and how to go about it:
Ear Infections:
https://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/ear-infection-nursing/
Co-sleeping guidelines:
https://www.llli.org/the-safe-sleep-seven/
Tutorial:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/tut-layingdown.htm
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aHxJX5Tfw1s
Important tips:
- Bring the baby close to you (Don’t inch towards the baby as this may cause you to get into an uncomfortable position which may cause aches and pains)
- One doesn’t even need to change the baby’s position when offering the other breast, just bend over a tiny bit – https://kellymom.com/ages/newborn/bf-basics/lactation-yoga/
- Some mothers bend one knee/ both knees and rest one hand underneath the pillow to make themselves comfortable.
“We now know that many breastfeeding mothers choose to bed-share precisely because they get more sleep, manage their milk supply better, and attach more intensely with their babies.”
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7119782
Wish to speak with a member of our team who is a certified lactation professional and also an experienced breastfeeding mother, click on this link.
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Disclaimer
We understand and acknowledge that parents and babies can be of various genders on a spectrum of LGBTQI+. Families come in diverse flavours. However, in our articles, for the sake of simplicity and convenience, we will be referring to the breastfeeding parent as the mother and using the female pronouns- ‘she’ and ‘her’ for babies. Babies can be nourished and nurtured in different ways and while we have used the terms breastfeeding and nursing, we recognize that parents can opt to chest feed or finger feed.
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