I have worked with a number of women with very large breasts and have a
couple of suggestions. Many of these women do better lying on their sides
because it means they don't have to support the breast with their hands.
Another alternative is to use a sling of soft fabric (pantyhose will work)
to support the breast. Then her hand is free to cup the breast near the
areola and help the baby latch. If her nipples seem very soft/mushy try
putting an ice-cold cloth on them briefly to see if that will firm them up
before you bring the baby to the breast.

I've also see some women with very large and pendulous breasts (I can't
quite tell if this is the case for your mother from the description) who
nursed their babies sitting cross-legged. Rather than using a pillow to
bring the baby up to nipple level (as many women with smaller breasts do)
they rest the baby in the hollow formed by their crossed legs to make the
baby lower than usual, but again at nipple level. This doesn't really work
if the large-breasted woman is also fat, but can work well for thinner women
with breasts that hang down.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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