Brenda,
These moms do offer a challenge sometimes, but I've worked with some
that do just fine and others that don't.  The latter quit for
similar reasons given by moms who aren't obese.
I have found that a football type hold usually works best especially
at the beginning.  The basic principles are baby facing and looking
slilghtly upward to the nipple; baby "leading with the chin" and
placing the lower jaw as far on to the breast as possible; and
definitely breast support.  If their breasts are proportional to the
rest of their body (and I find they usually are), I often find it
helpful to roll up a towel and place it well under the breast to
help with support.  These moms may also need to press in on their
breast to avoid sealing off baby's nose.  It is true that the vast
majority of moms who are nursing with effective positioning and
latch don't have to worry about baby's nose, but these can be the
exception.  Be sure she presses well away from the areola and
watches that she is not changing anything about what breast tissue
is in baby's mouth, only the tissue away from the latch area.  She
only needs to press enough so she can see a tiny dark space at the
corner of baby's nose.  Most tend to press so the enitre nose is not
touching the breast-not necessary.
"Traditional" cradle position almost never works for these moms, but
cross cradle might if she can "get around" her belly.  Side lying
can be the biggest challenge unless mom's arms are long.  In order
to avoid suffocating baby with her breast she needs to be further
from the baby than a more normally sized mom.  Once baby is old
enough to pretty much do it himself as long as he is in the general
area of the breast, she may find this position easier.  Laying the
breast on a small pillow or folded towel/blanket may help keep it
aimed at baby's mouth.  (This sometimes helps with smaller moms as
well.)
What happens at the point of latch (baby's mouth and mom's nipple,
areola, nearby breast tissue) is the same regardless of what needs
to happen from there on out.  Focus on what needs to happen at the
point of latch and adapt everything else as needed to achieve that.
This is not unlike a mom nursing an infant in a Pavlic harness or
leg casts.  You make whatever adaptations are necessary with the
rest of the bodies in order to maintain an effective "point of
latch".
The biggest challenge I ever had with a very obese mom was one that
also had areolae palced "way off center" and well under the
breasts.  We were working on getting around this, but she wasn't
very motivated to breastfeed in the first place and decided if it
didn't work the very first time, she wasn't interested.  (Just like
some artificially feeding moms do.)
Winnie Mading, IBCLC

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