Hello, All.
       I find the cross cradle hold to be very helpful in getting many
newborns onto breast appropriately.  Newborns tend to bobble their head all over the
place.  They also have a tendency to lunge at the nipple and slurp it in as
soon as their lips touch it.  I show moms how to hold the lower back of baby's
head to control it so baby can't slurp his way onto the nipple. *But* I stress
that this is a *latch-on* position, not a *nursing* position.
       In cross cradle hold, the same-side hand supports the breast.  I find
that moms tend to hold that arm out to the side like a "wing."  I explain that
if they keep that arm out like a wing for 10-15 minutes, they are going to
get sore shoulders.  Then they start to hold their bodies "funny" in an effort
to relieve the aching.  This causes the breast to change position.  Sometimes
it rests too much on baby's chin and he gets tired from fighting the weight on
his jaw.  Sometimes mom kind of pulls back a bit in her chair and then the
nipple gets pulled more towards the front of baby's mouth.  This alone can cause
nipple soreness, but if baby also then clenches in an effort to keep the
nipple in the mouth, the soreness gets even worse.
       So I tell moms that they should only maintain the cross cradle hold
until the baby has started sucking vigorously.  Then they can pull baby in
closer to their body with the arm that's behind baby, and quickly let go of the
breast and move that arm into the traditional cradle position.  Once that arm is
in place, they can move the other arm around to the front of baby and use the
hand to support the breast.  I show them how to accomplish this maneuver
quickly, and point out how much more comfortable they are sitting now.  (If mom
tries to switch arms before baby is sucking vigorously, baby is likely to be
distracted by mom's motion and come off breast.)  I find that when moms
consistently control baby's head so that he can't latch until he has his mouth open wide
enough, then in usually just a couple weeks, baby has enough "aim" control
and knows to keep his mouth wide and mom can then use the traditional cradle
hold as her "latch-on" position as well as her "nursing" position.
       Now I know that some moms with very heavy/large breasts have trouble
with the switch maneuver because the weight of the breast pulls the nipple out
of baby's mouth in that couple of seconds while mom is switching arms.  I have
discovered a nice product that I sell in my office called the Breast Billow.
It is a sling for large breasts and supports the weight of the breast.  I
have seen it be a great help to moms whose wrist gets tired supporting a large
breast and in cases where baby gets tired because the breast tends to rest on
baby's chin in spite of mom's best efforts to support the breast.  I don't have
any stock in the company, so I won't make any money if some of you decide to
start carrying it.  I only mention it as another "tool" that can make
breastfeeding easier for some moms.
       By teaching moms the cross cradle as a latch-on position and then
showing them how to switch to the traditional cradle for the rest of the feeding,
you might avoid some of the concerns about moms only being able to accomplish
the (one) position they learn in the hospital.
       Dee

Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA

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