Positioning
Infants should be positioned in a cross cradle, clutch, or ventral (prone) position to breastfeed, avoiding the cradle hold.
Rationale: Late preterm infants are prone to positional apnea due to airway obstruction, increasing the risk of apnea, bradycardia, and oxygen desaturation in positions that create excessive flexion in the neck and trunk.
They lack postural control in their necks and may have difficulty maintaining stability during feedings. Semi–reclined maternal positioning with the infant placed prone may improve ventilation and stimulate feeding reflexes (Colson et al., 2008).