Latch and Positioning for bigger baby

[electriclady]

This may be a silly question, but I need some advice on positioning while bfing my 13.5 lb 10 week old. He's big enough now that his legs hang way off my body in cradle hold (our preferred position). This isn't a problem at home when we're just sprawled on the couch, but it's awkward when NIP and I'm sitting in a normal chair--feels insecure and also just kind of silly to have his legs flapping around like that . My breasts are pretty small so he needs to be really tummy-to-tummy in order to get a good latch. And he's not big enough yet to be able to sit up in my lap and nurse. Any thoughts?

[skycheattraffic]

I nursed DD sitting up in my lap starting around 14 weeks or so with my one arm alongside her body for support before she could sit up. I also leaned back a bit when possible to use my body to support her more. I probably would have tried earlier but DD didn't take to the breast until 10 weeks old so that wasn't an option. You could practice at home, laying down flat at first on the couch with baby on your tummy and as you get more comfortable, slowly moving closer to vertical. I found the "sitting up" position very helpful around 4 to 5 months when distractibility came up and DD refused to nurse cross cradle (cradle didnt work for us). Of course there's nothing unsafe or unstable about nursing in public with his legs dangling but I understand the awkwardness and potential personal space problems in crowded places. I recommend gently learning the lap position because it's a really good one for the long haul. To this day it's the only way DD (18 months old) will nurse except for bedtime/naptime.

[Quinalla]

As my DD got bigger, she tended to nurse sort of half turned into me (head fully turned) with her feet tucked into the chair/recliner, so her knees would be bent with her feet tucked next to my legs and I usually held her cross-cradle as that was more intuitive for me, but I think it would work for cradle too. Nursing with the baby sitting up facing you can work great too, but yeah usually works better as they get a little bigger, but its worth trying now.