2023-08-12 05:40:47
Rugby Ball: What Does This Breastfeeding Position Look Like?
The position of the rugby ball refers to the way rugby players carry their precious oval ball under the arm to cross the field at full speed.
In this position, the baby is gently placed under his mother’s arm, his back along her forearm and his head resting on her hand, with support at the neck.
In this position, everything happens on one side of the momsince the arm that carries the toddler is the one that guides him to the nearest breast.
“It is a posture that requires the use and installation of several cushions – or a dense nursing pillow – in order to allow the right support for the arm carrying the baby, and to wedge the back of the mom” explains Carole Hervé.
The latter guides her newborn with the hand that supports her head: she first caresses her child’s mouth on her nipple, and as soon as the mouth opens wide, she directs him to her breast. “The gesture must be lively and precise, in order tobring the nipple deep into the baby’s mouth” insists the expert.
If the mother generally needs to lean slightly forward to wedge baby correctly on her breast, he is then advised to rest backwards for more comfort during breastfeeding.
What are the indications of this position?
This breastfeeding position is offered to mothers in certain special cases:
– Post caesarean: the caesarean scar remains sensitive and fragile for several weeks, which can make certain traditional breastfeeding positions difficult. “Here, the baby is wedged between the armpit and the forearm of the mother, and his feet are behind his elbow: there is theoretically no contact with the painful area and no weight on the abdomen. “explains the lactation consultant,
– For mothers who have very large breasts : because the mother’s “free” hand can compress her breast and facilitate latching on “sandwiched” by the baby. In addition, this position allows the mother to better see the mouth of her child, and to monitor that the suction is done correctly and that the nose is clear.
– For mothers of premature or low birth weight babies: indeed, as the baby is slightly below the breast, breastfeeding requires a little less sucking effort.
– Pour moms of twins : it is one of the breastfeeding positions that allows them tobreastfeed both children at the same time.
The disadvantages of this unintuitive position for baby and mother
The position of the rugby ball, however, has some drawbacks, which make it quite unintuitive, whether for the baby or the mother.
- She can difficult to improvise in any placebecause it requires the use of several pillows, or a nursing pillow, which you rarely keep with you!
- She can’t not be practiced discreetly by the motherbecause it reveals the chest more easily, unless you wear a nursing top that opens on the side.
- When it is often practiced: it can cause tingling or pain in the hand which supports the weight of the baby. “It is not uncommon to see mothers who often breastfeed in this position suffer from tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome” evokes the lactation consultant.
- It makes it more difficult for the mother to look her baby in the eye, especially if her chest is large. However, we now know that the fact of look at your child in the eyes during breastfeeding, stimulates oxytocin secretionhormone of attachment and milk ejection.
- For mothers who alternate each breast during feeding: this position involves a complete reinstallation of the cushions, which can be a bit long. The baby is at risk either get impatient, either to go back to sleep before the second breast.
- Finally, it is a position in which the mother can hardly doze off, which is nonetheless appreciable during or at the end of night feedings.
As you will have understood, the position of the rugby ball is not the most practical or the most intuitive, even if it has some undeniable advantages and is suitable for some mothers.
The analogy with rugby can also make you smile, because instead of the ball there is the infant, and as a rugby player, it is the very young mother who leads a dance… not really orchestrated by the testosterone!
What is the difference with the position of the inverted Madonna?
The position of the inverted Madonna resembles that of the rugby ball, with the difference that the arm which carries the baby, guides it towards the opposite breast, not the breast on the same side. So the baby is in transverse and not wedged on one side of the mum.
BN or biological nurturing: for more intuitive feedings
Defined by Suzanne Colson, an American midwife, the BN (Biological Nurturing®) breastfeeding approach puts the mother-baby relationship at the heart of breastfeeding. “The idea is to reveal as much as possible the instincts of mother and babyletting them both find the ideal position and the most comfortable for them” summarizes Carole Hervé. We generally observe that spontaneously, the baby settles down so that he finds himself curled up on his mother’s belly, his face facing her, buried in the breast while keeping his nose sufficiently clear to breathe. caressing her baby’s face and looking him in the eyesa real moment of sweetness that naturally boosts the secretion of oxytocin.
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