Do You Need Any Breastfeeding “Tools?”

Many breastfeeding mothers assume that a special “breastfeeding pillow” that positions baby horizontally, high in the lap is an essential tool for achieving a good latch with a newborn.  These special products are sold by the tens of thousands in every baby superstore and baby boutique. They come in darling fabrics with seemingly clever innovations.  They can be fun to buy, especially since they seem to be a product that supports breastfeeding.  However, lactation consultants are increasingly discovering that these pillows, or even regular bed pillows used on the lap to support baby, are often more of a problem than a solution.  With the discovery that babies need to have their chests and shoulders held firmly against their mothers, which usually places baby at an angle, and with the new understanding that babies latch more instinctively when they approach the breast from below it, we can now see that pillows in the lap can directly hinder instinctive latching.

Mothers often place babies on pillows in their lap “for support,” but allowing the pillow to support the baby usually results in mothers not holding their babies tightly enough against them, so that the babies are no longer positionally stable, even though they are “supported.”  This means the baby is likely to drift away from his mother, which can result in a shallower latch.  Pillows can also cause problems by creating a valley between mother and baby, into which the baby is likely to roll, turning downward so he has to turn his head to get to the breast.  Pillows can also result in a mother hunching over her baby instead of leaning back comfortably with the baby’s weight supported largely by her stomach.  Even more crucial to successful breastfeeding, unless a mother has a very long torso, a pillow raises the baby above her natural nipple height, so that the mother ends up lifting her breast to meet her baby.  In order to keep the nipple at the right height, she has to hold the breast throughout the feeding.  Eliminate the pillow, lower the baby to nipple height, and you have a hand free!

Having explained that breastfeeding pillows are not necessary, it is important to point out that pillows placed on your side that support the arm that is holding baby can be very helpful in the early months when he is so small and the arm supporting him can get tired after long feedings.  Of course, a pillow is still not absolutely necessary.  Some mothers just move close enough to one side of a sofa that they can use the armrest or they use a chair that has armrests at the right height. A pillow placed behind your back may also help by making a too-deep couch or chair more comfortably “shallow.”  The important thing to remember is that pillows are best used to support you, not your baby.  You are the best support for your baby.

One item that may make a big difference in your comfort, depending on your height and the height of your furniture, is a low, slightly inclined footstool.  This can raise the height of your lap, making it easier to keep your baby at a comfortable level.  Raising your knees makes it easier to keep your baby snuggled closely against you.  It can also help to relax your lower back, which might otherwise tire after several hours of nursing.  There are footstools designed just for this purpose, marketed for breastfeeding mothers, and they are not usually very expensive.  Some glider ottomans have built-in footstools below.  It is not necessary to buy a special product, though; you may have something around the house that would do: several phone books, the rung of a coffee table, or a small waste basket on its side might be just right.