Breastfeeding positions when you have a busted/bruised tailbone?

October 28, 2012 4:34 AM

Breastfeeding positions when you have a busted/bruised tailbone?

Lil' Peanut has made her world debut, but I severely bruised if not outright broke my tailbone while pushing. This is making breastfeeding a bit challenging since sitting is pretty painful right now.
Laying down has been the go-to option but she doesn't always get a good latch in this position, especially if she's all snarfily rooting impatient.

I figure if anyone has the creative position advice, it'd be other MeFi moms :)

posted by romakimmy to grab bag (13 answers total)

If side laying doesn't work, you can try the hover. Lay baby down and get on all fours over the babe and dangle your breast in the baby's reach. Hope you're feeling better soon! Congrats, Mama!
posted by PorcineWithMe at 4:39 AM on October 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Can you lay propped up in bed? Like half sitting, with baby's weight on your belly?

Congrats!!!
posted by kestrel251 at 4:54 AM on October 28, 2012

Congrats! I suggest propping yourself up on a v-shaped pillow in bed, with loads of other pillows to help make you comfortable. Something else that made my tailbone more comfy when I was laid up was sticking a sheepskin under the fitted sheet on our futon.

Good luck!
posted by mgrrl at 5:21 AM on October 28, 2012

I'm just getting over a bruised tailbone from a fall so I feel your pain (or, felt it). They make cushions with a notch cut out in the back for just such an occasion (google coccyx cushion), it's not perfect but it helped a lot. It made long drives tolerable. Good luck and congratulations on the youngun!
posted by Red Loop at 5:23 AM on October 28, 2012

If the latch is hard to get side lying due to an over abundance of floppiness on the part of the baby and/or the boob, you can try placing a folded towel under the boob to support it and make it easier for baby to latch. If it's a matter of you can't see what you are doing, what I found to help was to keep a finger next to my nipple until the baby's mouth brushed across it, then I moved my finger away as the baby latched. If it's a matter of comfort, you can try more of a half side lying position by resting on pillows on your side so you're at more of an angle and placing the baby on an angled pillow so you are more diagonal than flat. I would not do this last if you were planning on napping, though, but my LC recommended that position if I had problems keeping the baby latched in the full side lying position.

Congratulations on your little one!
posted by zizzle at 6:33 AM on October 28, 2012

Can you do a sort of modified football hold - use pillows to prop the baby up to the right height, and then instead of sitting square on your bum next to the baby, shift your weight and lean towards the baby to take the pressure off your tailbone? And try putting pillows under your opposite thigh (the one on the other side from the baby) to support you in this position, and if you need to, pillows under your elbow as you're leaning over the baby. (I've had to do something like this when I've had hemorrhoids after delivery and couldn't sit square.)
posted by flex at 6:37 AM on October 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Google "laid-back breastfeeding" and "biological nurturing." The idea is to use natural body mechanics instead of awkward, back/neck straining (and tailbone-pressuring) seated positions. One variation is to lay back semi-reclined in bed or on the couch with your upper body at about a 45 deg angle. The baby lays vertically to you, instead of crosswise, and her weight is supported by laying on you instead of by your arm/back muscles holding her. Get a ton of pillows of every variety to get yourself supported in this position! I found the nursing pillows weird and useless, though.

Also, a lactation consultant could be worth the money here.
posted by yarly at 7:44 AM on October 28, 2012

Would sitting on a Boppy-style pillow help?
posted by deadcrow at 7:50 AM on October 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh and for the latch - I think the concept of a newborn latching well on its own is mythical for many babies. The descriptions of a "good" latch describe the way older babies with stronger and bigger jaws nurse. I spent the first 6-8 weeks usually stuffing my boob into the baby's mouth the whole time instead of expecting him to get it on there on his own.
posted by yarly at 7:51 AM on October 28, 2012 [1 favorite]

Can you stand up to nurse? Not all the time, obviously, but throw it in the mix.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:00 AM on October 28, 2012

I have not breastfed a child, but I have used those tailbone pillows. Highly recommended. You'll be able to sit again comfortably.
posted by zippy at 8:38 AM on October 28, 2012

These are good ideas. What would be even better is bringing in a lactation consultant or a post-partum doula who can help you in your environment figure out a good method.
posted by amanda at 8:45 AM on October 28, 2012

Get a donut or coccyx cushion; I think the donuts are flat out easier to deal with in terms of positioning. (If you have a Boppy to hand, try that but I don't think it will be supportive enough.) They are sometimes called Maternity Cushions for this and hemorrhoid reasons.

You may find a Boppy for the actual baby additionally useful, so you have less weight being supported by your skeleton and ultimately, arse.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:46 AM on October 28, 2012