Breastfeeding at Birth

Non-medicated birth (if possible)

Have a birth with as little medical intervention as possible.  Medication can cause your newborn to be sleepy, and to not be interested in nursing early and often.  But breastfeeding is still possible even after a cesarean.

Nurse your baby as soon as possible

Babies have a period of alertness during the first hour after birth, and display a strong sucking reflex that is not as strong again until approximately 40 hours later.  Nursing soon after birth with help your uterus contract by stimulating the release of oxytocin.  This first time at the breast is a time to introduce your baby to the breast.  Don 't force things or try to practice everything you've read or learned.  Some babies will just nuzzle and lick the breast at first, and others will latch right on.  Sucking in frequent bursts and pauses is the typical pattern for the first few hours and often the first few days.

The vast majority of newborns can be put to breast within minutes of birth. Research has shown that, given the chance, babies only minutes old will often crawl up to the breast from the mother’s abdomen, and start breastfeeding all by themselves.  This process may take up to an hour or longer, but the mother and baby should be given this time together to start learning about each other.  Babies who "self-attach" run into far fewer breastfeeding problems.  Incidentally, studies have also shown that skin to skin contact between mothers and babies keeps the baby as warm as an incubator.

 

Latch on & Positioning

The trick to breastfeeding is getting the baby to latch on well.  A baby who latches on well, gets milk well.  A baby who latches on poorly has difficulty getting milk, especially if the supply is low.  A poor latch is similar to giving a baby a bottle with a nipple hole which is too small-the bottle is full of milk, but the baby will not get much.  When a baby is latching on poorly, he may also cause the mother nipple pain. And if he does not get milk well, he will usually stay on the breast for long periods, thus aggravating the pain.

A proper latch is crucial to success.  This is the key to successful breastfeeding. Unfortunately, too many mothers are being "helped" by people who don’t know what a proper latch is.  If you are being told your two day old’s latch is good despite your having very sore nipples, be skeptical, and ask for help from someone who knows.

Before you leave the hospital, you should be shown that your baby is latched on properly, and that he is actually getting milk from the breast and that you know how to know he is getting milk from the breast.  If you and the baby are leaving the hospital not knowing this, get help quickly.  For a real look at positioning and latch-on, visit our image collections:

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