I am glad this topic came up. I have a lot of issues to be raised about it.

I'll agree, the cross cradle hold can help a mother learn to position her
infant at the breast. I find that it takes two hands, so it is not an ideal
long term position. I even try to move out from it in most feedings, to end
up with the cradle hold, (even though in the early days the cradle hold ends
up being two handed because the mother goes on to support the breast in a C
hold).  During the transition from cross cradle to cradle, breast support may
be lost, and baby may slip off nipple....so it's tricky, but if breasts
aren't too heavy or are supported with a cloth roll, it ends up being more
comfortable
( you get comments like, "oh, I like this!" " this feels good!" )

The problem with it is, I find that most mothers who contact me with  sore
nipples at 4-6 weeks have been using this hold, and have not gone to a cradle
hold. Babies like more control of "their" breasts by that age, and mother's
hands on the back of the neck interfere with normal baby squirms and
adjustments to milk flow. Baby is just not relaxed in this position, and baby
tries to control the flow by pinching nipples. So her nipples hurt. The
un-relaxed baby tends to feed with gulps and sputters.

Quite often, the mother, whose nipples hurt, has been told to "check the
lower lip", and when she does, baby pinches the nipple to hold on so she
won't take the breast away while she pokes around and interrupts baby just at
the beginning of a feed. .
so here she is a month out, using both hands and arms, and she is very tense,
her nipples hurt, and baby is a fussy baby. Breastfeeding isn't supposed to
be so complicated. I think positioning is very important, and mothers need a
LOT of help in the beginning, and a lot of help is they are experiencing any
discomfort. The cross cradle hold can be helpful, but it is not a good way to
feed for very long. It is a temporary hold IMHO.

Fritzi Drosten, RN, IBCLC
Piedmont, CA

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