What is Possums Breastfeeding?

For many years now, probably since the Industrial Revolution, babies in the Western world have been brought towards the breast to feed in a variety of quite structured ways. The mother has been sat upright and the baby has often been swaddled to control the hands when latching. Bub has then been held back from the breast by the neck and shoulders, waiting for a wide gape in the mouth, to then have a sandwiched shaped breast placed into it. Particular emphasis has been made of checking for a deep attachment, evidenced by visibly seen wide-angled lips that are flanged outwards to seal onto the breast. Babies have been taken on and off the breast repeatedly to achieve these features, often in response to nipple pain automatically felt by the mother.

It's an approach that has developed in response to attempting to control for nipple pain, but it has instead been found to increase the risk of nipple damage four-fold.

This mechanistic 'evolution' in practice has placed the responsibility for achieving 'a proper latch' squarely onto the mother's shoulders.

Dr Suzanne Colson in America was also one of the first pioneers to change this practice with her exploration into laid back breastfeeding, also known as biological nursing.

The difference, though, between the way women have been shown to breastfeed for decades and now, is that we have come to understand through research and science the role that not only human mammalian feeding reflexes play, but additionally, the critical importance of achieving positional stability at the breast by eliminating breast tissue drag.

These deeper insights into the biomechanics of breastfeeding come from scientific work undertaken by Dr Pam Douglas, a perinatal medical doctor, and her colleagues. Their ground-breaking research has uncovered a critical blind spot in the way health professionals have traditionally been taught, and then in turn, with best intention, have shown mothers how to breastfeed.

Until now we have simply not fully appreciated the true biomechanics and understood the real intra-oral forces at play when breastfeeding.

The research by Dr Douglas now powerfully changes this for the better.

The Possums Approach has been called 'Gestalt Breastfeeding' because it has simple principles that lead to greater benefits beyond the feed itself. It is neuro-protective for your baby's brain and reduces the risk of nipple damage and breast inflammation.

In having a breastfeed with his mother, a baby does not just get fed. He experiences his hunger and feeding instincts deeply within his body. He engages in pleasure seeking motoric movements with his hands, arms and legs and feels the emotion of pleasure (or frustration if feeding is unstable) as he smells and tastes the milk while his belly fills. When all this goes well, his brain is laying down healthy neural pathways in relation to food and feeding - and in primitive ways in relation to success... to resilience... to achievement and satisfaction... to contentment and love... to attachment and to trust in his mother's provision for his needs.

When feeding is frustrating to a baby, his nervous system can dial up and disorganise the reflexes of contented feeding. It can then take some patience to help him reorganise himself, particularly in the setting of waiting for your milk to come in when he is hungry. Pruning these experiences away is possible with contented feeding that supports your baby to exercise his instincts and natural feeding reflexes. He also needs a secure and stable position at the breast where he can draw milk effortlessly.

Gestalt breastfeeding fine tunes the way your baby fits to your breast, to safeguard your nipples and reduce the risk of mastitis. It serves to open all the milk ducts to give your baby full access to your milk supply - to his absolute delight.

There is much to be celebrated in breastfeeding long and well throughout a child's infancy, through to toddlerhood. You are invited to experiment with the Possums principles and begin to appreciate the transformations that are possible with Gestalt breastfeeding.

Our advice and support are designed to empower you with choices, so that you can navigate your breastfeeding journey successfully.

The evidence-base behind the Possums approach is now available to health professionals through the NDC Institute, established by Dr Douglas in Brisbane, QLD.

It is also available to parents.

You can find free breastfeeding resources at ndcinstitue.com.au/resources.