# huge saggy boobs causing nursing problems



## mariposita (Sep 13, 2002)

i've got big ones...like 34K big. i'm experiencing difficulty doing certain things because of it (i also had these same problems with ds1 but never asked about it).

-when nursing at night i'd like to be able to nurse on my side instead of getting up and sitty with a nursing pillow, but my boobs are so heavy they fall out of ds's mouth. and because my nipples point down more than out (LOL) he can't ever get on by himself.
-during the day, i have to hold my breast the whole time otherwise the weight pulls it out of his mouth.
-i can't use cradle hold because it brings him up too high and i have to use two hands the whole time (esp. difficult when NIP and we don't have a nursing pillow)
-if i sleep on my side, i get plugged ducts every night from the weight of my own breasts. i don't wear a bra.

any advice mamas? or anyone who has had these problems before? we can totally manage this way, but i figure it's worth asking...


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## cdahlgrd (Sep 4, 2002)

You are a little bigger than me, but I know what you are talking about.

It takes me two hands to nurse my babies until they reach about 5 months old, then they can hold the breast themselves!! So you are almost there.

To nurse at night, put a pillow under your ribs and another one under your head. That will help point your nipple in the right direction. You can actually do some pulling and readjusting to get your tissue where you want it. ANother night position is lay on your back (how far just depends on what works) and put the baby on your arm and let him nurse. Check out the twins nursing pictures. THey will help you TONS!!

You may need to wear a sleep bra for awhile to keep your tissue out from under you and getting pinched (this is just guessing). I had to wear bras at night until my babes were about 9 months and then my system had a major advancement adn I didn't leak anymore. Yours probably will too.

Add garlic and lecithin and flax oil to your diet. They help with the plugged ducts.

To NIP, you probably need a different more supportive bra that will completely support your breast, so you can hold your baby and nurse easily.

Hmmm, let me know of anymore questions.


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## Boof (Dec 1, 2004)

hi!

I'm a 36 I/J so I totally get it... We've been sidelaying nursing from the get-go. It became easier after 6 weeks when his mouth got bigger lol

We lay facing each other and my breast is below his face and I point it up. That way his nose isn't obstructed. it really just took practice. I'm sorry I have no other advice for you.

good luck!


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## alexysmommy (Mar 9, 2005)

i had the same exact problem with my daughter, and am about the same size as you. What works well for me right now, is I dont use a pillow anymore, and instead kind of cross my legs and use my knee to help support his head...i hold my breast with the hand on the same side, and use my other hand to wrap around him and support his head. After i get him latched on i can rest his head on my knee/leg and just use one hand to support my breast. I dont know if that makes sense or not, it took a lot of practice. I was good at laying down nursing my daughter, but he is still too little i cant quite get the hang of it yet. The football hold works well for us too, but without a pillow i just let my breast hang down and let his head rest on my knee. Good luck, I wish I had more advice for you but I am still trying to figure out this big boob thing too


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## DBZ (Aug 9, 2005)

I'm an H so I definately relate. It took time to get a hang of side laying, but now it's one of our fave positions. My breast lays on the bed and DD lays facing me. I position my breast so it is pointing straight at her.

For a football hold I position pillows so I don't have to support her. That way I just have one hand under my breast and the other is free.

For a cross cradle hold I use something as a pillow under her head to bring her up to my breast and then I use my hand to hold my breast/aim my nipple.

Keep practicing. You'll get the hang of it all. We even NIP all the time. Anyone with a half of a brain would know I'm nursing but you wouldn't see skin.

Kara


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## crazydiamond (May 31, 2005)

I'm not as big as you, but I do have the same issues (except the plugged duct problem).

For side-laying, I reach over with my other hand and hold my breast into her mouth. Or, I lay almost all the on my stomach and put my opposite boob in her mouth. Almost like I'm laying over her. It's a bit uncomfortable, but still tons better than sitting up.

The only way I can nurse DD sitting up is to use a Boppy, put her in the cross-cradle position and then hold my breast in her mouth. The cradle hold has never worked for us. It's always been a 2-handed operation and as far as I can tell, will always be. No nursing in a sling for us! When I'm out and about and don't have my Boppy, I have to balance her on my lap and stuff whatever I have with me (jacket, diaper bag, etc) under her to bring her to the right height. Definitely not elegant but it's the only way I can make it work. There's no way I could nurse her standing up or while doing other stuff.

DD's almost 11 mos and _still_ cannot get on the boob herself. It's always me holding it in her mouth, mainly because my nipples, like yours, point downward. I dont' see this changing anytime soon, so I just live with it.

Some mamas can nurse one handed, others need two. But I tell ya, I sure wish I could NAK!


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## Lizafava (Nov 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cdahlgrd*

To NIP, you probably need a different more supportive bra that will completely support your breast, so you can hold your baby and nurse easily.

Can you reccomend a bra for this?? Really, I've been wondering if one like that existed! The only ones I have are totally non-supportive when "the flap is down"









A woman in my baby group uses a breast pillow and loves it for gettting at least one hand free. I haven't tried it, so I dunno.


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## eastkygal (Feb 19, 2006)

My sister is not quite as big as you, but close. She had to use the football hold and lean back in bed to allow her ds to nurse while in bed. When he got a little older she'd scoot him lower than her in the bed and he could nurse. This doesn't require you to sit completely up. Also, have you tried propping your breast up on a thin pillow or folded towel? My sis did this too. She had trouble with her breast smothering her ds, and she did these things with success. I hope this helps. I have to help my dd latch on because my breast are shaped much the same way, I'm a c cup though, but I know what you mean about the latch on problems.


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## CajunMama (Jun 24, 2003)

I'm a 34H so I know what you are talking about. http://store.yahoo.com/breakoutbras/meffiseunwh.html si a good bra that offers support even while nursing.

I have twins so I don't have a hand free. I use lots of PFs, towels, pillows etc to prop up "the girls".


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## Spock (May 15, 2005)

I'm slightly larger than you and I found that for nursing during the day the football hold worked the best. I never liked using a Boppy so instead I got a bed pillow and put it next to me on the couch and put dd on it lengthwise. Then I would fold up a small blanket and put it under her head so it was elevated just a bit and nurse her that way. I think this worked because she wasn't as high up as she was on the Boppy. I sort of let my boobs come to her instead of bringing her to them.


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