Feeding In Motion

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Background

  • Babywearing supports attachment, physiologic regulation, and breastfeeding success by promoting proximity and hands-free feeding

  • Despite these parallels, prenatal lactation curricula rarely teach how to integrate carriers into breastfeeding instruction

  • This pilot addresses that gap by developing a training module for perinatal providers on safely incorporating babywearing into prenatal breastfeeding education.

  • Many parents discover babywearing after birth, missing prenatal guidance on latch-friendly positioning.

The Case for Prenatal Education

Most families discover babywearing postpartum, which leads to missing out on prenatal preparation for safe positioning, latch support, and infant regulation. The postpartum period leaves little capacity for learning new skills amid recovery and adjustment. Yet carriers support responsive feeding, frequent nursing, milk supply, and maternal confidence. Teaching babywearing prenatally normalizes it as an extension of skin-to-skin contact, helping families meet breastfeeding goals with greater confidence and ease.

Evidence & Clinical Impact

Physiologic Regulation

Babywearing facilitates autonomic coregulation: infant and caregiver heart rates synchronize during carrying, promoting calm and connection.¹³

C-tactile touch fibers activated through gentle motion, like being carried, release oxytocin and reduce stress reactivity in infants, including those with neonatal abstinence syndrome.¹⁴

Behavioral interventions combining lactation support and close physical contact decrease postpartum depression and anxiety, improving breastfeeding exclusivity.¹²

Babywearing enhances parent sensitivity to early feeding cues and facilitates cue-based feeding—core predictors of breastfeeding exclusivity.¹⁵

Integrating skin-to-skin with carrying increases duration of breastfeeding, infant growth, & neurodevelopmental outcomes.¹⁵

Implications for Public Health

Bridging Attachment & Lactation

Babywearing promotes proximity, responsive feeding, and oxytocin release, both strengthening maternal-infant attachment and facilitating early, frequent breastfeeding. Increased maternal confidence and reduced infant crying contribute to sustained breastfeeding initiation & duration rates.

Close physical contact supports cue-based feeding, maintains milk supply, and reduces supplementation rates. Prenatal education prepares families for realistic feeding environments, promoting bonding and self-efficacy in the early postpartum period.

Babywearing mitigates positioning difficulties, infant disorganization, and caregiver fatigue. It supports inclusion for diverse family structures and body types, aligning with health equity goals and CLAS standards.

Outcomes

  • Increased provider confidence in discussing and demonstrating babywearing.

  • Enthusiasm for incorporating babywearing into prenatal lactation.

  • Improved understanding of babywearing for latch-friendly positioning and skin to skin.

Needs Assessment: Babywearing Education Interest

  • Brief online survey with 25 perinatal & lactation professionals

  • Goal: evaluate interest and perceived need for formal babywearing education

  • Survey results indicated that most respondents have a strong interest in structured instruction, though have limited prior training in this area

  • Findings highlight a clear demand for evidence-based babywearing education integrated into lactation, leading to this proposed course

References
Norholt 2020 · Grisham et al. 2023 · Han et al. 2024 · Jenik & Grad 2021 · Pezley et al. 2022 · Prentice 2022 · Wang et al. 2021 · Rankin et al. 2024 · Froh & Orczyk-Pawlowicz 2024 (condensed for website)

Project Design

Design

Pilot course teaching perinatal providers how to include babywearing in prenatal breastfeeding education.

IBCLCs, doulas, nurses, and midwives teaching prenatal lactation classes.

  • Safety (airway, upright positioning, caregiver awareness)

  • Feeding friendly carrier types and feeding positions

  • Culturally inclusive language and imagery

  • Mental-health benefits of close contact

Implications

  • Babywearing instruction bridges a missing link between attachment theory and practical lactation support

  • May enhance breastfeeding duration and maternal well-being

  • Pilot demonstrates feasibility for integration into prenatal curricula.

  • Next steps: validate outcomes in larger samples; develop CEU-accredited training modules.

Healthy People 2030 Objectives

Equipping providers with an evidence-based prenatal curriculum directly contributes to national benchmarks for maternal-child health & equity, including:

MICH-01: Reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
MICH-15: Increase exclusive breastfeeding through 6 months.
MICH-16: Increase breastfeeding at 1 year.
MICH-17: Expand employer lactation support programs.
SDOH-A03: Promote supportive environments fostering parent-infant attachment.
SDOH-04: Increase health literacy and culturally tailored perinatal education.

Modular Curriculum Structure

Foundations of Babywearing

Overview of babywearing as a biologically adaptive caregiving practice; evidence connecting proximity, oxytocin release, and breastfeeding initiation; common carrier types, ergonomic alignment, and positioning cues

Airway and hip safety using the T.I.C.K.S. framework; feeding-friendly positions supporting latch, visibility, and comfort; adaptations for diverse body types, postpartum recovery, and multiple infants

Respectful language and diverse global babywearing imagery; addressing stigma and accessibility barriers; trauma-informed, patient-centered care

Guided practice with peer observation and feedback; case-based discussion integrating babywearing into prenatal and hospital-based curricula; reflection prompts linking theory to practice and interprofessional collaboration

Instructional Philosophy

Grounded in adult learning theory and the Papadopoulos, Tilki & Taylor (PTT) Model of Cultural Competence, the curriculum emphasizes self-awareness, knowledge acquisition, and culturally congruent teaching. By exploring how cultural beliefs, modesty norms, and family dynamics shape caregiving practices, participants learn to deliver equitable, inclusive, & effective lactation education across diverse populations.

Conclusions & Next Steps

  • Integrating babywearing education into prenatal breastfeeding curricula is a practical, evidence-informed innovation

  • This intervention can expand provider capacity and improve caregiver support, particularly in underserved populations.

CONTACT US

MEAGAN PA
meagan@meaganpa.com

CASSIDY EISENFELD
letstalkbabywearing@gmail.com

The presenter is founder of Amphibia Baby LLC; content is non-promotional and independent of commercial interest as per ILCA CME standards.