Breastfeeding and Babywearing Information


Breastfeeding Help

Babies are born to breastfeed! Babies need breastmilk for the normal development of their bodies, minds, and immune systems. Read 10 Things Expectant Parents Need to Know about Breastfeeding and 101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child to learn why.

Just because breastfeeding is natural doesn't mean it's always easy, however, as I learned the hard way! The best time to read up on breastfeeding and find your support network is before your baby is born. Take a breastfeeding class. Attend a La Leche League meeting. Call and interview local lactation consultants. Spend as much time as possible reading through Kellymom, the best breastfeeding site on the Web. Make sure your husband or partner is on board and that they know what you need from them in the way of support. And learn to avoid booby traps that may stand in the way of your success!

Even the best-prepared woman can be thrown off course when the birth and early days of her baby don't go as planned. Almost all problems can be overcome with the right information and support. A great place for on-line support is the Breastfeeding forum at Mothering magazine's discussion board. Kellymom.com and La Leche League also have excellent discussion and support forums.

If you have problems breastfeeding after your baby is born, don't wait -- get professional help immediately from a lactation consulant (preferably board-certified) and call your local La Leche League leader, who will help you for free! It is not necessarily a good idea to rely solely on your doctor for breastfeeding advice. Unless she is a board-certified lactation consultant or has specialized training, her advice may not be current. Doctors and nurses often do not study breastfeeding in medical or nursing school, and are not always qualified to give competent advice on breastfeeding problems. Nor are hospital lactation consultants always the best resource. Many are not board-certified and most are extremely busy and may not have enough time to give you adequate help.

Give breastfeeding time -- even when everything goes well, which is most of the time, it can take a good six weeks for you and your baby to learn how to nurse without needing six arms and four pillows! As with everything in life, practice makes perfect, and you and your baby will get the hang of it together.

* Please note -- the information on this page is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your medical provider or lactation consultant for information on any specific breastfeeding problem you encounter with your baby.

Breastfeeding and Babywearing

Using a baby sling or baby carrier is a great way to nurse your baby conveniently and discreetly. With a little practice, you can even latch baby on and nurse hands-free while going about your day!

Don't worry if you're a new mom and you're overwhelmed by breastfeeding for the first time. You may wonder how on earth you're going to handle nursing in a baby carrier when it seems like you need six arms, three pillows, and a lactation consultant at each shoulder just to nurse while sitting down. Nursing is a skill, and babywearing is a skill, and both are going to take some practice before you can combine the two. Relax, and focus on the breastfeeding first, knowing that it is almost always going to be much easier after the first six weeks are behind you and both you and baby have learned what to do. It's also going to be easier to nurse baby in a carrier once baby is a bit bigger and stronger and not quite so floppy. Practice with your baby carrier and practice nursing in the carrier, but don't stress if it doesn't all come together at once.

Realize that you may need to use a hand to position baby and support baby's head while nursing, especially in the early days and weeks before baby has developed good head control. Pay attention to positioning and ensure that baby has good head support, particularly to ensure a good latch and avoid any trauma to the nipple from baby being improperly positioned or supported.

Always make sure you can see baby's face while she's nursing (i.e., don't cover her face completely), and make sure her body is aligned so that her head is in line with her body and her tummy is parallel to your body (whether she is upright or in a reclined/cradle position). If baby falls asleep while nursing, gently unlatch her and check to ensure her airway is not obstructed: make sure her chin is not tucked to her chest, and make sure her airway is not obstructed by your breast, your clothing, or the baby carrier.

It's easier to nurse in a carrier when you have the right clothes on, so that you're not struggling to pull your t-shirt all the way up to your neck under a baby carrier. You don't have to spend a fortune on nursing clothes -- a button-front shirt and a nursing tank, or any two-layer combination where you can get to the breast from the front or the top without uncovering your tummy, can work. One option is to put on a nursing tank, put on baby in the baby carrier, and then put on a button-front shirt or cardigan last. This combination makes it easy to access the breast, adjust your temperature, and cover the side/belly view during nursing. If you do want to invest in some nursing tops, I've found that the easiest for babywearing are the ones with a crop layer (like an empire waist) that don't require a lot of fabric to be pulled up to allow access.

As far as nursing in public without showing more than you're comfortable doing, the key is to practice at home in front of a mirror before you take the show on the road so you can see what the view from the other person's perspective is. Often times the carrier itself will provide plenty of coverage -- wraps and ring slings are especially handy for discreet nursing as there is enough fabric to provide a built-in nursing cover. But even in a carrier like a pouch, mei tai, or buckle carrier, between your clothing, baby's head, the carrier itself, and a well-placed hand at the breast, it's very possible that outside observers won't know that you're nursing your baby unless they get closer than is usually socially acceptable. Many nursing covers on the market are easy to use on top of a baby carrier -- my favorites have a stiffened opening  at the upper edge so that you can easily view baby from the top while still maintaining privacy.

Here are some resources to help you figure out how to breastfeed with your sling or carrier: