Tips for successful breast-feeding
Follow these tips and you’ll soon be breast-feeding with the best of them!
• Make yourself comfortable in a chair that supports your back nicely.
• Hold your child close and try to keep their head, shoulders and body in a straight line.
• Line up your child's nose with your and then give their mouth a little nudge with it!
• When their mouth opens wide, bring your child to your breast (not the other way round).
• You'll know if your child is latched on well if their bottom lip is curled back and the only visible area of your areola (the dark skin around your nipple) is above their top lip. And listen for the sound of them swallowing, too.
• If your child keeps putting their hands in the way, try wrapping them so that their arms are lying at their side.
Don’t panic if your child pauses from time to time - that’s natural. And if you find breast-feeding a bit uncomfortable, it could be because of your position or because your child’s not latching on properly. If it’s your position, you can take the strain off by using a V-shaped pillow to rest your child on. If it’s because your child’s not latching on properly then speak to your doctor or take a look at our breast-feeding problems information for some handy hints.