Members of the Facebook group NWL Breastfeeding give their tips on how to breastfeed in a sling

Compiled by Cordelia Uys, July 2021

Varsha:

‘It wasn’t easy at first. I have the ergobaby Omni 360 so only know how to feed in that. I essentially loosen the straps under the arms so baby’s bottom is at the same place on my waist (waist strap is at normal tightness), this way she is sitting at waist height but she can lean back a little. I then bring my feeding boob up to her mouth height and she latches and feeds. She just needs to adjust to the left/right to feed from each boob but that’s easily done or I manipulate my boob to be where she needs it to be. I sometimes put a Muslin under my boob to keep it in position and baby feeds and I have two hands to do whatever I need. Once she is done feeding (she’s normally asleep) and I gently bring her up to my chest and tighten the straps under my arms again if she is to sleep on me, or I undo the straps (the one in between my shoulder blades first whilst keeping my hand firmly on her back so she is still sitting tightly against me and then the one at the left side of the waist whilst holding on to her.) I stand up, the sling drops to the floor and I position her gently on my bed. I really hope this helps.’

Johanna:

‘Brilliant! I think I was able to do something similar with a Manduca with my 4/5mo baby.

With the baby insert in the ergobaby and a younger baby this time, I think the baby still sits very high when I loosen the arm straps. Or my boobs are not that flexible anymore. I like the idea of the muslin under to keep it in the right position.’

Nina:

‘I did the same as Varsha, but also just lowered the sling slightly on the hips.’

Kandice:

‘I had to lower the sling to the lowest part of my hips as I have a short torso and big babies. Works for all 3 kids in an Ergobaby or iAngel.’

Chloe Merali (sling consultant) 

‘It all depends on the landscape! At its most basic level it is matching mouth to nipple, but it definitely depends on breast shape and flexibility (i.e. I could feed from my left side by just lowering baby/ loosening and retightening at that level, but I had to shift baby over to the right hand side to feed from that breast, even though my breasts don't appear dramatically different).

There's a lot of trial and error involved in working out what works for each mother-baby dyad, but some safety tips I like to point out:

• In a feeding/ lowered position, baby is not in the TICKS position, so airway compromisation is more of a risk, especially because their nose is no longer around the hard part of the sternum, but around the soft breast tissue, and therefore can be squashed in more easily.

• With loosened straps, there may be bits dangling from the sling, and could be trip hazards (more of an issue with wrap straps/ tie on carriers etc). 

• As the sling is looser, it's holding baby less well. I like to describe it as 'one handed feeding,' rather than hands free.

As above, plan the outfit! It has to be either one where a breast can come out of a concealed hole, or over the top of the top. Lifting up your shirt will be very difficult!

Basically, the only way to master it is to give it a go! We got to a point where we were basically marsupials and she would just get a breast out and help herself when she was in the sling.’

Genevieve:

‘It’s been quite straightforward so far feeding a newborn in a baby Bjorn. My top tips would be:

1) Don’t forget you need to wear a feeding friendly top/buttoned shirt. You can’t lift a jumper up when the sling is already on.

2) Tell people you’re feeding before strangers automatically peer into your sling!’

Natalie:

‘Genevieve, definitely recommend 2) - we’ve surprised a few people! But I’ve found most tend not to notice.’

Rebecca:

‘Genevieve, do you have the Baby Bjorn one or a different one? How do you feed with the mesh between you and baby?’ 

Genevieve:

‘I have a newborn Baby Bjorn (not sure what it’s actually called) and will use my Ergo 360 later. I haven’t tried to feed in a Baby Bjorn One myself but a friend did say it was tricky..’

Conxi:

‘Rebecca, on the side I feed from, I loosen the middle buckle to allow baby to be positioned a bit lower and close to the breast. If needed I pull the shoulder strap out too.

 I have the Baby Bjorn One Air. Fed all the way from newborn to one year old.’

Lorna Stewart:

‘We had a Connecta and an Ergobaby and I second the rolled up muslin and the loosening of straps. It's also vital to pre-plan wardrobe. You cannot one-up-one-down if your top layer is wedged into the waistband of the sling. Oh and I found a light scarf was good kit - folds small and hides the side boob (I don't think anyone sees much over top of the sling but you can also lightly drape over top to prevent people peering in if it's a super light scarf).

The bit I actually found harder was after the feed trying to readjust baby's position.’

Arielle:

Not a tip as I’ve never mastered it, but I follow the Wrap a Hug Sling Library east London group and Mel has loads of videos and advice on sling wearing, this one is on feeding in a sling - https://fb.watch/v/13eQ5Frtk/

Maree:

‘I used a Beco Gemini and only discovered sling feeding when my baby was quite a few months old so can’t comment on doing it with very small babies. I did just loosen the strap on the side I was feeding on but only by about an inch. That was enough to get his head off my chest and onto boob. As he got older (about 2 years old) I would then start dropping the waistband a bit so his head could drop down to boob level. If he wasn’t in a safe position after the feed (usually only if asleep) and I had to rearrange things I would tighten the strap back up and put my hand between his back and the sling and wiggle the small of his back until his head tilted and airway looked clear. I don’t know If any of that makes sense but hope someone can get something from it!

I also sometimes wiggled the waistband around a touch if required so he would be more face to boob. To be honest you’ve just got to experiment until you feel it’s safe and comfortable. But remember the ‘settings’ on the sling should still be totally safe and meet the tick criteria even when feeding. I unfortunately only managed to transfer from sling to bed a couple of times. Usually he woke up.’

Links:

Video showing one way of positioning a baby for breastfeeding in a sling:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsoBmVDI1IN/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

Breastfeeding in a sling safety information:

https://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/breast-and-bottle-feeding-safely-in-a-sling-3/

NCT guide to babywearing https://www.nct.org.uk/sites/default/files/related_documents/Messager%20Babywearing%20slings%20pull%20out_0.pdf

Why Carrying Matters website:

https://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/why-carrying-children-matters/

Study: The power of babywearing to improve breastfeeding rates:

https://microbirth.teachable.com/blog/242981/babywearing  

Directory of sling and carrier support services:

https://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/sling-pages/

https://www.cordeliauys.co.uk/babywearing