Infantino Elevate Pillow

Do you have a baby that falls asleep easily at the breast? Is latching uncomfortable or even painful from time to time? Do you find yourself having to keep baby roused constantly at the breast for them to eat? Are you noticing that your feeding sessions are longer than they should be? Does breastfeeding feel like a full time job? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I might just have the tool that could help both you and baby!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had parents in my office with baby going through a feeding session and mom makes a comment that is something similar to this: “Why is baby feeding so well here?” “Why doesn’t he/she feed like this at home?” “This feed is going so smoothly here.” or “Wow, this feed is so much more comfortable!” I very frequently have parents refer to my office as “the magic room.” I always smile at these comments. I wish it was magic that helps these babies to latch deeper and more comfortably for mom. Although, in reality, a lot of times it comes down to proper positioning and latching techniques. Whenever parents make these comments, the first thing I ask them is “What are we doing differently here that you are not doing at home?” We will then go through a list of how we are fine tuning or tweaking small measures to make a big difference. Most parents are surprised to hear and see that just a few simple adjustments can make a huge difference when it comes to keeping baby awake at the breast, making feeds more efficient, and making these feeds more comfortable for all involved.

One of the main mistakes that parents are making is positioning. Parents usually tend to support baby with a bed billow or a pillow that holds baby straight across moms chest. Unfortunately, this is uncomfortable for both mom and baby. Having baby latch onto a breast that is directly in front of them only allows baby’s mouth to open so far, thus resulting in a more shallow latch, longer feeds, and more pain at the breast. Let’s think about this. Imagine you are taking a drink of water out of a cup. You can even perform this action so you can really visualize it. Without thinking, we naturally lift our chin up at an angle to swallow the water. This stops the water from dribbling down our fronts, allows us to open our mouths wider to create a better seal around the cup, and is the more natural and comfortable way to drink. Babies need this exact same latching position! When we latch babies, we need to have them at an angle against the breast to ensure that the mouth opens wide and the latch will become nice and deep thus allowing baby to pull the nipple all the way back to the soft palate which is soft and squishy. This will result in a comfortable latch and better, more efficient milk extraction from the breast. Look at this picture and notice the difference between the baby on the left with the lifted, angled head.

This baby has taken in the nipple a lot deeper, all the way back to the soft palate, thus creating a nice deep seal onto the breast and a comfortable experience for mom. The baby on the right, however, is latched straight onto the breast. This is what happens when we use our standard support pillows that hold baby flat against our chest. The latch is more shallow, the nipple is resting against the hard palate of baby’s mouth (OUCH!) and the nose is pressed uncomfortably against the breast. When parents feed like this, it is common for the nipple to be misshapen, creased, beveled, or blanched upon release. No wonder! Look how much more squished that nipple is in baby’s mouth!

One of the most favorite tools in my office is this pillow. I compare it to a book. You can “flip the pages” to lift baby to the beautiful angle that we need. It’s a fantastic pillow for just about any position. It’s a great tool to use to get the ideal latch. I can’t tell you how many times I have recommended this pillow to my families and how many of them tell me that this pillow has absolutely changed their feeding experiences. It is kidney bean shaped to mold against the body, machine washable, and folds up and ties for easy compact travel.

Like I stated before, I always smile when families call my office the “magic room.” A lot of times the “magic” comes from this neat little pillow. If you are concerned about your baby’s latch, I can’t recommend this pillow enough. Here’s to plenty of “magic feeds” in your future!