Breastfeeding a newborn is tricky business. I’ve been through the ringer with this, believe me, over the course of breastfeeding five (now six) babies. I’ve had engorged breasts, mastitis, low milk supply, adequate milk supply, nipple bruises, fissures and pain, and just about every other breastfeeding problem you can imagine. My sixth baby Bracey was born 10 weeks prematurely so although he is 17 weeks old, he’s more akin to a seven-week-old in terms of his maturity. Since nursing is so challenging and there is a plethora of conflicting advice regarding what to do, I wanted to try to sift through all the information and come up with a set of straightforward instructions for breastfeeding a newborn baby. So with all that said, let’s get going. 

Select your Nursing Chair 

The first step when it comes to breastfeeding a young baby successfully is to settle comfortably into the right breastfeeding chair.  The best chair for nursing mothers (weather you call it a breast feeding chair or glider) is one that provides proper support for your lower back, upper back, and arms.  Aside from selecting a proper nursing chair for breastfeeding, focus on your body’s position. While holding your back straight, keep your neck and upper back relaxed. You’ll tend to strain these areas a lot while holding, burping, and gazing down at your baby. Breastfeeding takes a lot of time, figure between seven and ten hours a day during the early weeks, so having your body in a comfortable position that minimizes muscle strain is key.

How do I Choose a Breastfeeding Chair?

When looking for a glider chair for your nursery, my recommendation is to opt for practicality over style, although many models these days combine the two. As stated, you need a chair that has arm rests, is deep and comfortable, and offers good lower and back support and ideally, a foot rest. You’ll be spending a lot of time in this chair and you’ll want to be extremely comfortable. 

[amazonapi title=”recliner nursery glider chair”]

What is the Best Feeding Position for a Newborn?

After selecting your nursing chair, the second step when it comes to breastfeeding is getting your baby into the right breastfeeding position. Different breastfeeding positions for newborns are popular among mothers, yet the easiest and most comfortable feeding position for newborns for most new mothers is the horizontal cradle hold.

Cradle Position for Breastfeeding a Newborn

What is the cradle position for breastfeeding?  The cradle position is the classic breastfeeding position that involves holding your baby horizontally while cradling them in your arms. With a small baby, you’ll want to place a cushion or breastfeeding pillow on top of your lap to get the baby close to your breasts. You then want to position the baby’s mouth near your nipple but tuck their head back a bit, which will encourage your baby to open their mouth wide.

How to Get your Newborn Baby to Latch 

The key to breastfeeding successfully is a proper latch. Once you’ve reviewed your breastfeeding chair and breastfeeding position, patiently focus on getting your baby to correctly latch onto the breast. In order to get your baby to latch, try teasing your baby’s mouth with your nipple by rubbing it back and forth to get the baby to open wide, and then pull your baby onto your breast with their mouth as wide open as possible. If your baby’s mouth is too narrow, they will suck improperly and this can cause nipple fissures, blisters, and bruises (I’ve had them all).

Breastfeeding Latch Trick

When your baby has an incorrect latch, do not rip the baby off your breast. Rather, try this breastfeeding latch trick: break the suction by placing your pinky finger in a glass of sterile water and inserting it between the baby’s mouth and your breast. Once the latch has been broken, dry your breast with a clean, dry cloth (a baby can’t latch onto a moist breast) and encourage your baby to latch on again. Do not allow your baby to keep breastfeeding if you are experiencing significant pain after a few seconds (most breastfeeding hurts in the early days and weeks but you should not be in extreme pain). Once your baby learns to latch, you’ve overcome one of the biggest breastfeeding challenges.

What is a Shallow Latch when Breastfeeding?

A shallow breastfeeding latch occurs when the baby does not have enough of your breast tissue in their mouth and clings onto just the nipple or part of it rather than getting the whole aureola into the mouth. In addition to being painful and the cause of blisters and fissures, a swallow latch is not an effective way for your baby to nurse. If you feel that your baby has a shallow latch, break the latch and try again. 

Deep Latch when Breastfeeding

The way to get a deep breastfeeding latch is to try to get the baby to open their. mouth as wide as possible with the goal of having the baby’s mouth around the whole aureola. Baby’s do not suck the way we would through a straw. They suck with an open mouth.

Deep Latch Breastfeeding Tips

To get a deep breastfeeding latch, tease your baby’s mouth with your nipple, fold your baby onto your breast when they open their mouth wide, and encourage your baby to dip their head back.  

Listen for the Breastfeeding Swallowing Sound 

When they begin breastfeeding, babies suck to encourage the milk to flow into the breast. This flow is also called the “let down.” With Bracey, it sometimes takes me a few minutes to get the let down. Bracey tends to suck a bit and then hang out and wait for it. That is perfectly fine and part of the process of nursing. What you do want to be on the lookout for, though, is non-nutritive sucking aka the human pacifier problem. While some sucking is fine — it stimulates milk production and soothes the baby —  when overdone, it can wear your nipples out!

How Do I Know my Baby is Breastfeeding?

The way to make sure your baby is breastfeeding is to listen for the sound of the baby drinking milk. That way you know your baby is feeding. When this sound lightens, burp your baby, latch them on again, and make sure that they do not want to drink more milk. Always try to empty one breast before moving onto the other breast since that way your baby gets more of the richer, more nutritious hind milk. 

How Much Water Should I Drink while Breastfeeding?

One of the primary causes of low breastmilk supply is dehydration. Drink, drink, and then drink some more. Put a water glass in your bathroom and every time you go to the bathroom, drink a glass of water. Aim for at least two liters of water a day. And make sure to take care of yourself by eating healthy foods and trying to get enough rest.

Water Bottle for Breastfeeding 

In addition to keeping a glass in the bathroom so that you remember to drink, invest in a fun water bottle that you keep by your side during nursing sessions and during the night. It’s very easy to forget to drink when you’re taking care of a young baby, so getting organised around drinking water will help you stay hydrated. 

Cirkul Bottle

Find a good quality, aluminum water bottle that you keep with you at all times to stay hydrated while pregnant. One option is the cirkul water bottle, which allows you to turn a dial and switch from drinking water to drinking flavoured water, which comes in a host of all-natural flavours. 

[amazonapi title=”cirkul water bottle”]

Hope this article and video help you and please check out my other how-to videos on breastfeeding and my series on Baby’s First Year.