How to Survive Your First Hour of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is so incredible! It’s so awesome to have those first moments of connecting with your baby after feeling them in your womb for the past 9-10 months. Sometimes, in the face of all the excitement from pregnancy, labor, and giving birth, your first time nursing can take a metaphorical backseat. By this I mean, it can become the last thing on your mind. Here are four tips to apply to your first breastfeeding session!
1) Avoid pain medications during labor
Epidural, walking epidural, and systemic narcotics such as morphine, Demerol, Stadol and Nubain can help to take ‘the edge off’ or numb your pain, however it is important to be as careful as possible. These drugs can make people feel dopey, drowsy, nauseated, experience vomiting, make the baby sluggish, cause drop in blood pressure and so much more. Thus why labor pain management is highly recommended. Like most drugs, ibuprofen has been assigned a "pregnancy risk category" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ibuprofen is considered category D in the third trimester. That means there's significant evidence of harm to your baby if you take the drug at that time. Research has shown that it may cause a passage in the baby's heart to close prematurely, possibly leading to heart or lung damage or even death.
2) Place your baby skin to skin on mom’s chest
Keep baby’s hands free and cover the baby with a blanket to keep them warm but still able to explore. Skin to skin works wonders by:
Encouraging successful breastfeeding and milk production
Encouraging weight gaining (When your baby depends on your body to stay warm, they use fewer calories to stay warm on their own)
Maintaining their body temperature
Spending more time being quiet and alert rather than crying
Skin to skin can also help promote more successful breastfeeding sessions. It encourages a better latch, baby’s familiarity with where the breast is, and helps them eat whenever hungry thus likely leading to less crying (which is always nice as a parent).
3) Allow your baby to look around and show you their natural feeding cues
When the baby is held (particularly skin to skin), the smell of colostrum brings a strong compulsion to nurse. Breasts tend to be soft after birth which can help babies latch on. Their natural feeding cues can include turning their head toward the breast, reaching toward the breast, opening and closing their hand, sucking motion with their mouth, sticking their tongue out, licking lips, hand to mouth, sucking on anything nearby, fussing, frantic movements, and of course the high pitched crying we are all aware of. The goal is to not allow the baby to get to the point where they are crying and turning red. Chances are by the time they are crying loudly, they’ve demonstrated a few feeding cues that were missed until they resorted to their last option of crying.
4) Allow your baby to try to latch a few times on their own
It’s easy to get frustrated if you don’t have a successful latch experience the first couple of times, but it’s important to know that it’s normal to face some degree of difficulty. Even if you aren’t a first time parent, every baby is different so it’s important to keep your mind focused on progress instead of perfection. Work with your midwife, lactation consultant, doula, health provider or your support system to develop some methods that work for you and your baby.
Get in a comfortable nursing position
What’s comfortable for you may differ depending on your birth experience (C-section vs. vagina birth), or personal preference. Some moms choose to nurse lying down, sitting upright, walking, in the shower when multi-tasking etc.
The baby should be positioned tummy to tummy with mom. Your baby’s head should be supported at the back of the neck or shoulder area, with enough room to tilt their head backwards in order to open their mouth wide.
Mom can move the baby’s face away from and back toward the breast to encourage the baby to open her mouth wide.
When the baby’s mouth is wide open, the baby can be moved toward the breast. Pull the baby in tight against your breast aiming your nipple to the roof of the baby’s mouth. Sometimes touching the baby’s cheek or mouth with your nipple (or some milk) can encourage them to open their mouth a little wider and turn their head toward the breast. Keep a hold on your breast after you’ve helped the baby latch until they have a strong latch on it themselves.
Signs of an effective latch include a wide opened mouth, flared lips, chin and nose touching the breast, asymmetry in positioning (more nipple showing at the top lip), and an elongated nipple.
Signs of milk transfer include audible swallowing, relaxed arms and hands, moist mouth, moist nipple, opposite nipple leaking, and uterine contractions
These tips are really great ways to establish a healthy and (hopefully) successful breastfeeding routine with your newborn. If by chance you have a rocky start with breastfeeding, don’t throw in the towel just yet! If you keep at it, you may find that with the right resources and the right support around you, it can become a beautiful bonding experience for the months ahead. What tactics did you use in your breastfeeding journey to make it a success?