Breastfeeding

Here is an alternative way to breast feed your baby that could save you from neck pain and keep you warm in the middle of the night.

Why does no one tell you how hard breast feeding can be? Is it that you are so sleep deprived it all becomes a blur? Well I found it really hard! Within the first week my nipples had been ripped to shreds and the open wounds caused mastitis, a couple of times. I had the most amazing help from the midwives during and after my hospital stay. Burnside Hospital, Adelaide was amazing. They advised me to express the milk to give my nipples a rest from Misaki’s tiny mouth trying to work out how to feed.

Part of the problem was my low supply so she was working really hard and tirelessly to get some milk out. Poor poor darling was losing weight so along with nipple shields to protect my nipples (a god send) I was put on Motilium (Domperidone, another god send) to increase my milk supply and recommended to start supplementing with formula which regrettably I started doing. This was all within the first 6 weeks of her life.

That little intro was just to let you know that you are not alone if you are suffering from any of these issues and midwives or lactation consultants are there to help.

If you suffer from mastitis ultrasound from a physiotherapist can help get rid of it. Antibiotics also help. Blocked ducts which can lead to mastitis can be self treated with specialised massage you can learn from a Women’s Health Physiotherapist. See our blog on Mastitis for more information on this.

So as you can imagine when Misaki latched on to my ripped nipples it hurt like %$&#. I would have my shoulders hitched up to my ears in anticipation of the pain. This is obviously not a good posture and going to lead to significant muscle tension and possible headaches.

“I would see many women for neck pain that they would suffer whilst breastfeeding...”

We are advised to breast feed sitting in a supportive chair with our feet on the ground, back straight, shoulders relaxed and with pillows on our lap for the baby to lie on so that you don’t have to be supporting her weight. Put one hand behind her shoulders bringing her mouth towards your breast so that you stay sitting upright and she is directly facing your breast. This helps tilt back her head which is a good position for swallowing.

It is also important to get her mouth around the areola not the nipple as her suckling of the areola sends a message to our brain to stimulate the let down and consequent milk coming out. Digression aside, this position is fantastic ergonomics for you and your baby and the position I adopt during the day.

The problem with most chairs is that they do not offer you neck support. I see many women for neck pain that they suffer whilst breastfeeding. I advise them on good neck posture and to avoid tilting their head down to look at their baby/ latching on etc. This is text book advice but when it is 3 in the morning and you are exhausted, you want to lean your head back in to a support that most chairs don’t provide. If you are able to put your chair against the wall and lean your head against the wall with a pillow or preferably have your neck supported by a high backed chair, this might offer you enough neck support.

I am going to offer you an alternative that is not in any text book. It may be looked down upon by the breastfeeding establishment however I believe it still can be done successfully with good manual handling. Because I had a baby in Autumn the thought of taking my baby in the middle of the night, from the bassinet in our bedroom to the cold couch in the nursery was not appealing. It was far more attractive to put one pillow horizontally at the base of my back, one vertically along my spine and one behind my head so that I could support my head and lean backwards and half sleep as I was breastfeeding in the middle of the night. I would then place Misaki with my hands in the correct position (mentioned above) and have my knees and hips bent to hold Misaki’s weight.

See the soon to be released Mummyotherapy breastfeeding youtube video to see that my spine is straight, my head is straight in relation to my spine, my shoulders are relaxed because my legs are taking Misaki’s weight and I am warm and relaxed! Just make sure you keep your back straight with supportive enough pillows (like firm memory foam pillows). Soft feather pillows behind your back or neck will not suffice. The pillows need to be really firm to support your back and neck.

If you are out and don’t have lots of pillows sit with one leg crossed so that your leg is raised for your baby to rest on. Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed, back straight and to not look down too much.

Trust me when I say it does get easier for you and your baby. It is such a foreign concept for both of you and you are both learning something incredibly hard. Once you have mastered it your shoulders will relax without you having to consciously tell yourself to do it and you won’t have to be looking down at your gorgeous baby because she will know where to go and how to stay on so this will prevent neck tension.

Besides neck muscles getting tense from apprehensive shoulder hitching the pectoralis muscles commonly get tight with all mothers due to all the breast feeding, carrying and nuzzling we do. This can lead/ coincide with neck and upper back joint stiffness which makes it harder to regain a good posture. See your physiotherapist about any of these issues.

“I lost the guilt as soon as I saw her putting on weight...”

If you can’t breast feed please don’t feel guilty. Formula fed babies turn out just fine. I lost the guilt as soon as I saw her putting on weight. This is just my personal story but my milk supply has increased. It must have been, because she was escalating up the weight charts and drinking less formula, so I would encourage you to persist as well as formula feed if you need to and see what happens. Another message re formula feeding is hold them close to you as if you were breastfeeding so you get those shared endorphin release from touch. They also advise to alternate sides as there is a primitive reflex with sucking that causes their hands to open and close which helps develop their hand strength and fine motor skills. This probably explains why Misaki would grasp and scrap my skin with those sharp finger nails!

Anyway that is my story. I invite you to share your story below as it is something that is not shared enough.

Summary

Breastfeeding can be really hard but there is help out there so please don't suffer in silence.

Breastfeeding can cause neck and back pain if not done correctly so make sure you are well supported in a good chair with pillows and that you hold good posture.

Try my alternative breast feeding position which helped me avoid neck pain, allowed me to semi sleep and keep warm in the thick of Winter.

Melli Tilbrook is the Director and a Physiotherapist of Mummyotherapy