The Koala Hold has been taught to midwifery students in rural Australia for some time, and its application can be useful for health professionals supporting families, particularly in the early days after birth. This is a time when mother fatigue, painful breastfeeding, and an unsettled baby can lead to early and unnecessary weaning. In the Koala Hold, the baby's head is in the neutral midline position, thus it can be effective for babies who have head or neck discomfort, are fussing at the breast, or have a breast preference. The breastfeeding position can be used in the short term, in the long term, or in ' conjunction with other preferred positions for the term baby. The Koala Hold technique is noninvasive, requires no specialized equipment, and is simple to demonstrate to the mother, without the need for the health professional to touch the mother or baby.
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