Dear all:

I just googled Suzanne Colson's name to make sure I wasn't misspelling it and read on of her articles entitled Breastfeeding Nemesis.  From the gist of this article, I'd say she is not in favor of having a SPECIFIC chair for breastfeeding.  Much of the talk I went to and the gist of this particular article is about letting mothers find the positions that are most comfortable.

Basically, I "discovered" positioning similar to what is now commonly considered THE biological nuturing position many years before Suzanne Colson did her wonderful descriptive work on positioning in the breastfeeding groups at Realbirth where women were given mats on the floor and pillows for their backs.  No chairs at all.  

What happened was that the women would end up leaning back against  the wall and would bring their knees up.  A well placed thigh can make a really good resting spot for a wrist, especially with cushioning of a rolled receiving blanket underneath.  They would then go home to their straight backed chairs and were more uncomfortable.  I've talked to many other lactation consultants that work in private practice who have also "discovered" leaning back as well merely by watching women carefully and discussing with them what feels most comfortable.  Perhaps I am misinterpreting Suzanne's Colson's work, but I do distinctly remember that she did not profess to have the one true perfect position, she described the positions that made mothers feel more comfortable and did say that mothers differ in the positions that are comfortable for them, including sometimes sitting up.  

Although Suzanne Colson seems relatively antipillow, I have no problem with mothers using props to make themselves feel comfortable.  We could all squat on the floor, but in every culture I have ever worked in, there is some form of a stool or a chair and some form of cushioning for sleep.  Even monkeys, chimps, oraguntans and gorillas use tools.  Many mammals will dig holes or build nests out of materials that make their resting spots more comfortable.  In terms of a chair that works well for the position she describes -- I did see a mother who had some very expensive wooden designer chair that she had bought at an auction that was built as a breastfeeding chair.  It sloped back so that she was reclining at about a 45 degree angle in a rather womb-like position and absolutely perfect for the position that Suzanne Colson describes in her work.  

If you watch the Rebecca Glover DVD, she talks about sitting with an "upright back and a flat lap".  Those mothers are not sitting upright, they are leaning back against futon like sofas.  

Now that Realbirth has closed, I am still doing one group where we have mats on the floor and bolsters behind mothers backs.  I have some lightweight beach chairs that are cushioned.  The backs can be adjusted to any angle.  I have another group with a sofa and "therapy chairs" in my husband's office.  I do use pillows to help mothers lean back comfortably OR EVEN SIT UP.  Because sometimes sitting up DOES WORK.  

My physical therapist actually said that there was much more to positioning than just the angle of the back.  The tilt of the pelvis and the angle of the legs in relation to the back can be very important as well.  So, I try to look at the whole body and help the mother discover what feels like a good position for her whole body, not just one part.  I recently had my eyes checked and it reminded me of what I do -- do you see better with this or that.  I always ask with every tiny adjustment is it better now or was it better before.  

Best, Susan Burger

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