1. Cradle

Position your baby on your forearm, her head in the crook of your arm. Support her bottom with your other hand. Pull her in close to you, belly to belly, with her ear, shoulder and hip in a straight line.

2. Football

While useful for all women, this position is particularly helpful for mothers who have had a Cesarean section. Place your baby on a pillow, tucked close to your side. Rest your arm on the pillow to bring your baby's mouth up to your breast; support her head you’re your hand.

3. Lying

• A great position if you’ve had a Caesarean Section or if you fancy a snooze too (who doesn’t!?)
• If he is a crawling or rolling baby you will need to make sure that he is safe if he can move when you are asleep. Make sure you have cot rails on your bed.
• Place your baby on his or her back in the middle of a large bed
• Lie on your side, next to your baby with your head on (or not on) a pillow (make sure the pillow is not near your baby's head).
• Slide your baby up or down if necessary so that his nose is in line with your nipple and your arm is above his head (don't rest his head on your arm). Keep your arm clear of his head or this might make his head sweaty. You can put your arm under your own head if you wish – quite a comfortable way.
• Roll your baby onto his side toward you and pull his hips up close to your hips letting his nose just gently make contact with your nipple. If he is young and cannot stay in this position by himself, you could put a corner of a pillow up against his bottom (not near his head).
• You might find your spine and your baby's spine make a v-shape (your hips together make the bottom of the v and your breast and his head make the top points of the v).
• You can use the arm that is not resting on the bed to shape the opposite breast and guide the nipple into the baby's mouth. Some mothers can let their baby latch on by themselves if they are good at attaching. Older babies can also often find their own way, even crawling onto you!
• He can then reach up slightly with a wide gape and attach.
• Remember that with any position you try, it shouldn't hurt! If you feel uncomfortable, detach him by putting your little finger into the corner of his mouth to break the seal and try again. You could also try on the other side if one side feels awkward to start with. If it still doesn't feel okay, try in a week or so when your baby gets more confident with feeding. Some young babies have trouble with lying to feed.
• If it feels fine, then you might find you and your baby both drop off to sleep.
• If you choose to co-sleep please consider all the recommendations about safe co-sleeping.
• Some mothers, particularly larger breasted women, find they will need to roll themselves and their baby over to their other side to feed from the second breast, whilst others will find that once they have fed from the lower breast they can just lean forward and feed from the top breast without changing sides. If you do choose the second alternative you will need to make sure that the lower breast is well drained before switching to the upper breast so that blockages in the milk ducts to not occur (and to avoid a large wet patch!)