the plus sized pregnancy website has some good info on both nursing and
nursing after a csection;

http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/firstindex.html#Breastfeeding%20FAQs

also, I recommend not using the word "obese", at least not around an actual
fat woman. it has become a clinical term, but not one that fat women and men
approve of or use to describe themselves. "plus sized" is ok sometimes,
although has its own connotations (plus what? and does that make skinny
women "minus sized"?)

there are breastfeeding issues that might be specific to fat moms. first and
foremost, nursing support pillows are way too small, and if used will
usually leave a huge gap in the middle that baby can sink into. some women
find slings too small. nursing clothing is harder to find (but I have a list
of available retailers) and for some, like myself, self-consciousness over
belly and/or breast size make nursing tops (particularly "crop style"
opening) more desirable. also, nursing openings in the clothing might be too
small or TOO HIGH. Motherhood maternity makes some of their nursing tops
with tiny, very high openings. but then, they also sell their mailing list
to Ross ;^)  not all fat women have large breasts, but some do and nursing
bras over size DD or E are very difficult to find - often these are
mail-order only. I recommend the Bravado for up to a size G.

nursing positions might be slightly different - if the breasts are large and
point down, cradle hold might not work the same; and a support pillow might
make the baby too high, but it depends on the individual. having a larger
belly changes where the baby will lie as well.

increased failure rate in fat moms may be due to discouragement; as fat moms
are also discouraged from natural childbirth, especially homebirth. since in
this country fatness is pathologised as a "disease", hcps often treat us as
if something is already wrong with us, and we are set up for more failure.
one friend was urged into a scheduled c-section with the reasoning that her
belly had so much "padding" that they wouldn't be able to monitor the baby
as well. fatness is also correlated with PCOS, so those might be parallel
issues. a woman who is fat may also be more likely to be suffering from
undiagnosed hypothyroid which may affect milk supply.

Michelle DePesa

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