> I found
> that breastfeeding in the rockingchair that my in-laws have in
> their attick was very
> uncomfortable as the arms were in the wrong place.


The arm placement is the key to whether or not a rocking chair will be
helpful in bfing or not - the chair arms must come to the mother's arm at
the level she is holding her baby. For women of short truncal stature, this
will be a different rocking chair than for women with long trunks. Likewise,
women who have unusual length arms (short or long for their height) will
also have a different need. Also, the chair seat depth must be long enough
to come completely under and fully support the thighs - ending somewhat
behind the knee, but not mid-thigh. At 5'10", I am not comfortable holding a
baby in most rocking chairs - the arms are usually too low for me, and the
seat ends mid-thigh (makes my legs go to sleep after a short time). IME,
Boston rockers are most likely to suit bfing, but only if the mother's
measurements match up.

Rocking chairs are highly personable chairs - in early American history, the
husband would make a rocking chair when his wife became pregnant, probably
customizing the seat and arms to his wife. Which reminds me, there is a
special rocking chair from the 1700s where a cradle was attached longwise
off the side of the rocking chair (think of lining up the rockers of the
chair with the rockers on a rocking-type cradle) - then the
mother/father/grandparent could rock the baby while rocking the chair and
doing something else (playing with a toddler, sewing, napping) -I thought it
pretty nifty.

Katharine West, MPH, MSN, RN
Sherman Oaks, CA
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