Fluff thread--why the hate on cross-cradle?

[erigeron]

(I'm not looking for anyone to validate my choice of feeding position... it works for us, so I'm going with it. This thread is just for fun since I'm stuck here with a semi-sleeping baby in the carrier.)

It seems to me that the "experts" disapprove of the cross-cradle position... Ina May says she thinks it's unnatural and nobody would come up with it unless they were taught it; Dr Sears leaves it out of his book entirely. (There may be other experts that praise it... those are just the two books I happen to have kicking around.) This is perplexing to me. The football hold is difficult because I have to sit forward to have somewhere for baby's feet to go, and she still (at 2 1/2 months) doesn't have good enough neck control for the cradle hold, maybe partly because she has to crane her neck around my ginormous boobs--which is why I like cross-cradle, I can support her head!

What do you ladies think? What feeding position(s) do you prefer?

[tooraloora]

I had no clue what the cross cradle hold was until I looked it up just now. Turns out it's what I figured out worked with my DS when he was a newborn, so I guess it isn't that unnatural.  When he was born, people kept pushing the football hold, but it was too awkward for me. Now that he's older, cross cradle is out. At the moment, he prefers to nurse upside down, sitting on my head while I'm reclining. I'm not sure what the name for that one would be, but regardless, to say we disagree on this position would be putting it mildly.

[Viola]

I think cross cradle is natural, personally, although I used it more for getting my kids latched on.  I had carpal tunnel with my first pregnancy, and then tendonitis in my wrists after the birth, so just holding her there wouldn't work.  But most mother's I've seen breastfeed will start that way.  You aren't going to really be able to latch on with the cradle position easily at first, unless maybe your breasts are on the smaller side.  

[HopefulJo]

I used the cross-cradle hold for a long while; I had no idea it wasn't recommended. The cradle hold gave me no control of a floppy newborn head to help with latch-on. As he got bigger, I switched to the cradle hold, mostly because my arm & wrist would get really tired during nursing sessions. I only used the football hold if I'm feeding on one side, pumping on the other.

[AnkaJones]

I never really used the cross-cradle hold much, but I have to say if I were to pick one of the standard positions as "unnatural" it would so not be the cross-cradle.  It would be the football hold.  OMG, I spent like a half hour trying to get the pillows right so my babies feet have somewhere to go!  But they really push it in hospitals, probably because they have a million pillows and people to help.  Then you go home and you're trying to move pillows all over while still healing up.  Yeck.

[Sorry to all the football-holders out there... clearly my own private rant]

Anka

[erigeron]

I know! What feels natural about scooping baby up under your arm with minimal support for their butt and letting their feet dangle? Not to me either! I think having baby across the front of your torso makes MUCH more sense.

[tincia]

I loved the football hold after two verticle c-sections, but never used it much other than that. I still need the cross cradle hold to get latched and baby #3 is 5 months. So it's pretty natural to me lol

[Baby_Cakes]

:raises hand: another one who prefers the cradle/cross cradle and who can't figure out the football hold to save her life!  If you seriously need THAT many pillows to effectively feed your baby, it can't be as instinctual as "they" claim!

[Super~Single~Mama]

I always thought football was only for super teeny babies - I figured mine was just too big to make it work!  Lol.  I used the cross cradle to latch, and then settled into the cradle every single time.

I have to say, I LOVED my midwife for helping me figure out what was comfy, and not trying to make me do something that clearly didn't work at all for me (the football hold).

[Heba]

I'm not an expert, but I am a trained breastfeeding counsellor and there are indeed times where I suggest the cross-cradle hold - e.g. where it sounds as if mum/babe may benefit from mum having more control, especially in the early days of breastfeeding.  The approach which seems to me to be the most "instinctual" would be laid-back nursing, which can allow both baby's and maternal natural instincts to kick in, but not even this works for every mum-baby pair.  Sometimes it really is about experimenting to find which positions work best for each pair - and I would never discount *any* positioning!

[erigeron]

Laid-back nursing... there's another position I just don't get. I'm not averse to leaning back a little when holding her cross-cradle, but I've tried where I'm flat or nearly flat on my back and she's lying with her feet towards my feet, and it's so weird. Baby can't hold head up and faceplants into my boob=uncomfortable for her. Boob is squished/sticks to the underneath skin=uncomfortable for me. She can't position herself readily at a breast as big as her head--she needs help. Maybe this position works better with older babies and/or smaller breasts? I don't know. All I know is that it doesn't work at all for us. I get rather annoyed at those people who claim it's the solution to all breastfeeding problems, the best and most awesome position for everyone.  (Not that you were suggesting that!) Because really, there is no best and most awesome position for everyone since everyone is different.

Now I kind of want to make a poll as to people's favorite nursing positions. I'm just curious about the percentage breakdown.

[AnkaJones]

Originally Posted by erigeron 

Laid-back nursing... there's another position I just don't get. ... I get rather annoyed at those people who claim it's the solution to all breastfeeding problems, the best and most awesome position for everyone.  (Not that you were suggesting that!) Because really, there is no best and most awesome position for everyone since everyone is different.

Now I kind of want to make a poll as to people's favorite nursing positions. I'm just curious about the percentage breakdown.

I guess the trick is to be laid back about how you breastfeed!!! 
 

[tooraloora]

Originally Posted by erigeron 

Laid-back nursing... there's another position I just don't get. I'm not averse to leaning back a little when holding her cross-cradle, but I've tried where I'm flat or nearly flat on my back and she's lying with her feet towards my feet, and it's so weird. Baby can't hold head up and faceplants into my boob=uncomfortable for her. Boob is squished/sticks to the underneath skin=uncomfortable for me. She can't position herself readily at a breast as big as her head--she needs help. Maybe this position works better with older babies and/or smaller breasts? I don't know. All I know is that it doesn't work at all for us. I get rather annoyed at those people who claim it's the solution to all breastfeeding problems, the best and most awesome position for everyone.  (Not that you were suggesting that!) Because really, there is no best and most awesome position for everyone since everyone is different.

Now I kind of want to make a poll as to people's favorite nursing positions. I'm just curious about the percentage breakdown.

That's our position pretty frequently at night. We started it shortly after he started getting some head control. Well, actually, by "we" I mean "he." He got his tummy time laying on top of me back then. One day he lifted way up, and then plopped his face down on my breast, latching on immediately and went to town. Any time he wants to nurse when we're in bed he still climbs on top of me. I can't imagine it would have worked for us before then, though. 

[savithny]

My breasts end up in my armpits if I lean back in "laid back" style, and a baby trying to latch on that way would smother in my armpits!

Cross-cradle all the way as the best way *I* found to manage my large breasts (which were, for a time, 36G or 36H while nursing my first!).   Only way the poor kids could even have a chance of aiming correction.

[cameragirl]

When I had DD, they really pushed the football hold in the hospital. My mom nursed for for years, including my younger sister until she was 3 1/2. She thought the football hold was the funniest thing ever, and the opposite of natural. I had instinctively used the cross cradle position when I nursed DD for the first time.

[bobbinbopbop]

I was taught this in the hospital with DD. For us this is the one that works the best though I do occasionally do football hold to vary it up a bit. I do feel like she spit up less when I do football hold but  I can't typically get her positioned as fast as she want's that way and she gets frustrated.

[AnkaJones]

I just found a use for the football hold -- PLUGGED DUCTS!!!

Blech.   anything to get the baby in the right position at that point, no?

Anka

[reneenetrop]

Originally Posted by tooraloora 

I had no clue what the cross cradle hold was until I looked it up just now. Turns out it's what I figured out worked with my DS when he was a newborn, so I guess it isn't that unnatural.  When he was born, people kept pushing the football hold, but it was too awkward for me. Now that he's older, cross cradle is out. At the moment, he prefers to nurse upside down, sitting on my head while I'm reclining. I'm not sure what the name for that one would be, but regardless, to say we disagree on this position would be putting it mildly.

LOL! I haven't tried this, but you have made me want to!!