Side-lying breastfeeding is exactly what it sounds like: you and your baby lie on your sides, facing each other, and nurse without sitting up. It’s one of the most comfortable positions for nighttime feeds, recovery from a cesarean birth, or any time you need rest while feeding. Once you get the alignment right, it can feel almost effortless.
Basic Setup and Positioning
Start by lying on your side on a firm, flat surface like your bed. Place a pillow behind your back for support and one between your knees to take pressure off your hips and lower back. Your bottom arm can tuck under your head or under the pillow you’re resting on, whatever feels natural.
Lay your baby on their side facing you, chest to chest. Their mouth should be level with your nipple, not above or below it. If your baby is too low, slide a thin folded blanket or receiving cloth under them to bring them up to breast height. The goal is that neither of you has to strain: you shouldn’t be hunching down, and your baby shouldn’t be reaching up.
Use your top hand to support your lower breast and guide it toward your baby’s mouth. Once they latch onto the areola (not just the nipple), you can use that arm to gently hold them close. Some parents find it helpful to place a rolled-up towel or muslin behind the baby’s back to keep them from rolling away once the latch is established.
Getting a Good Latch on Your Side
Latching while lying down can feel awkward at first because you lose some of the visual control you have sitting up. A few adjustments help. Point your nipple slightly downward toward your baby’s lower jaw rather than straight at their mouth. This encourages them to open wide and take in more breast tissue, which makes for a deeper, more comfortable latch.
If your baby is struggling to latch, try briefly propping yourself up on your elbow to see what’s happening, get the latch started, then slowly lower back down. You can also use the “sandwich” technique with your free hand: compress the breast gently between your thumb and fingers (like flattening a sandwich to fit your mouth) to help your baby get a bigger mouthful of tissue.
Adjustments for Larger Breasts
If you have larger breasts, the side-lying position can actually work in your favor because the bed supports much of the breast’s weight. That said, the breast closest to the mattress can sometimes smother the latch or make it hard to see what your baby is doing.
A rolled-up muslin cloth, small towel, or washcloth tucked underneath the breast gives it a bit of lift and can dramatically improve the angle. Some parents with very large breasts find that a scarf looped around the neck to gently suspend the breast works when a rolled cloth isn’t enough. Placing a thin pillow under the baby also raises them to a better sightline, which helps you monitor the latch without craning your neck.
Switching Sides Without Getting Up
The most common question about side-lying nursing is how to feed from the other breast. You have two options.
The simplest is to roll over: move your baby to the other side of you, then flip to your opposite side. This works fine but involves some shuffling, especially in a smaller bed.
The other method is what lactation consultants sometimes call “lactation yoga.” Instead of flipping over, you nurse off the top breast by leaning over your baby slightly. Remove any prop behind the baby so they’re lying flat on their back, then angle your upper body forward so the top breast reaches their mouth. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can switch breasts at night without fully waking up or rearranging the bed.
Why This Position Helps After a Cesarean
Side-lying is often the most comfortable nursing position after a cesarean birth because it puts zero pressure on your incision. There’s no baby weight resting on your abdomen, no need to sit up and engage your core muscles, and no lap belt from a nursing pillow pressing against the surgical site. A pillow between your knees and one behind your back further reduces strain on your back and abdominal muscles during recovery. Many parents recovering from a C-section find this position workable within the first day or two, when sitting upright for a full feeding session still feels difficult.
Benefits for Babies With Reflux
For babies who spit up frequently or have been diagnosed with reflux, how you position them after feeding matters. Research has shown that placing infants on their left side after feeding is the only non-drug intervention proven to reduce reflux episodes in babies from birth to six months. Side-lying nursing naturally places your baby in this orientation if you’re feeding from your right breast. Even when feeding from the left, gently keeping your baby on their left side after the session may help reduce discomfort and spit-up.
Keeping Your Baby Safe in Bed
Nursing lying down means feeding in an adult bed, and that comes with real safety considerations. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend bed sharing for sleep under any circumstances, but recognizes that parents do bring babies into bed for feeding. The key distinction is between nursing in bed (intentional, while you’re awake) and falling asleep with your baby in bed (where risk increases significantly).
If there’s any chance you might doze off during a feed, prepare the bed beforehand. Remove all pillows, blankets, unfitted sheets, and stuffed items from your side of the bed. The mattress should be firm and flat. Memory foam, waterbeds, pillow-top mattresses, and soft surfaces like couches are not safe for an infant. Once you finish feeding or if you wake up and realize you’ve fallen asleep, move your baby to their own sleep surface: a crib or bassinet in the same room, with nothing inside but a fitted sheet.
The risk of sleep-related infant death during bed sharing is 5 to 10 times higher for babies younger than four months, and 2 to 5 times higher for babies born preterm or at low birth weight. It’s also especially important not to nurse in bed after drinking alcohol, using marijuana, or taking any sedating medications, as these impair your ability to wake and respond.
Room sharing (sleeping in the same room but on separate surfaces) reduces the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%, and breastfeeding itself is independently protective. The AAP recommends room sharing for at least the first six months.
Making Nighttime Feeds Easier
Side-lying nursing really shines during nighttime feeds, when sitting up in a chair feels like a monumental task. A few practical tips make the routine smoother. Keep a dim nightlight nearby so you can check the latch without turning on a bright lamp, which wakes both of you up more fully. Have your baby’s bassinet or crib right next to your bed so transfers are quick. Wear a nursing top or simply pull up a loose shirt rather than fumbling with clasps in the dark.
If you’re using pillows for your own comfort (behind your back, between your knees), keep them well away from your baby’s face. The baby needs no pillow of their own. A thin rolled cloth under them for height is fine while you’re awake and watching, but should be removed before you settle in to sleep.
Many parents find that with a week or two of practice, side-lying becomes the fastest and least disruptive way to handle overnight feeds. The learning curve is real, especially with a newborn who is still figuring out latching in any position, but it gets significantly easier as both of you build the muscle memory.