I don't think there is any one right to hold a baby for feeding
anymore than I think any one position for labor and pushing. No one
way is the only right way for all women.  Considering women have
variable breast sizes, nipple placement, waist/lap heights, arm
lengths, etc. matched to babies of various sizes and abilitites at the
breast we cannot assume that there is only one right way to help
attain the latch that equals milk transfer and complete comfort.  I
find cross cradle is a very natural position for some women and it
comes rather easier than cradle when reclining with a newborn baby for
self attachment, but no one stays that way for an entire feeding, just
long enough for baby to find the way, then get comfortable keeping
baby's weight on mom's body, not her arm.  I teach moms pillows are
for mothers' arms not babies bodies in those early weeks.
However....it is true I loved my nursing pillow for my months old baby
who really liked to lay down to nurse...it was a nice way to trick her
into thinking I was laying beside her on our bed even while I was
really at the keyboard. Haha

The bottom line, if I am seeing a mom, something is wrong. I have
found so far that using a cross cradle hold that supports the baby
very close to mom and lets mom have a bit more control just for the
latch part works well.  But, as soon as the baby is nursing well, mom
brings her arm around and gets comfortable. Always keeping her body in
a natural comfortable position helps too.  Too often cradle really
looks like the bottled fed baby turned over to the side and way to
much space between mom and baby.  I like Dr. Smillie's description of
self attachment that includes positioning and find that it does come
quite natural as a latching position,

I never was comfortable latching my own first few children in a cradle
hold and always felt awkward for the first weeks.  With my later
babies after learning assymetrical latch and cross cradle I realized
it was much easier and I did not feel awkward anymore trying to keep
my baby against me without a stack of pillows to help hold the weight
of a thirteen pound baby resting on my arm.  I think of Dr. Jack
Newman's video, Dr. Smillie's self attachment concept, and Diane W.'s
description and all seem more supportive of the baby's upper body
against mom than the cradle provides.  I am however quite sure that we
are all correct!  There must be many more ways than we use for babies
to be held and latch onto breasts because we are all having success
with the methods we use.  This alone tells me that there is no such
thing as 'the right way' to do much of anything birth and
breastfeeding related.

Take care,
Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC, RLC
Florida, USA

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