Breastfeeding - are you prepared?
Breastfeeding is a process which the mother needs to learn, not a reflex. Many new mothers have never seen a baby being breastfed. When a mother is faced with feeding her own baby, her success depends on preparing herself antenatally with practical information, encouragement and mother to mother support.
Amazingly, a healthy newborn baby, placed on its mother's abdomen immediately after birth can crawl his way to her breast and latch on without help. Providing the baby is not too drowsy from drugs used during labour, a newborn baby is very alert for the first hour following birth.
Immediate skin to skin contact between the mother and her baby is extremely valuable in the process of successful breastfeeding. Allowed uninterrupted skin contact with their baby immediately following birth, women who have stated quite clearly in their birth plan that they do not wish to breastfeed, have become overwhelmed by the natural design to do so. This is partly due to the rush of emotions which secrete hormones into the mother's body.
During the third stage of labour (delivering the placenta), the hormones secreted by the mother and the movement of the newborn baby towards the breast causes the uterus to contract.
A number of factors encourage the baby to find the nipple, including the sound of the mother's heartbeat, the smell of the nipple and the slight difference in temperature of the nipple and the surrounding skin.
As the baby's chin comes into contact with the breast tissue, he will automatically form a wide gape and latch onto the breast for his first and most valuable feed in life. The sucking that the baby does during this first feed helps to expel the placenta naturally.
The Infant Feeding Survey 2005 found that initiation of breastfeeding was higher for mothers who had early skin to skin contact with their babies.
Mothers who had been shown how to put their baby to the breast were asked how useful this advice had been. Advice was seen to be most useful if the person giving the help or advice stayed with the mother either the whole time or until the baby was feeding (returning later to check on them). 95% of mother who had received advice this way said it had been very or extremely useful (Infant Feeding Survey 2005).
The use of a doula is also significant in the success of breastfeeding. A doula can prepare the mother antenatally, offering information and advice about breastfeeding and accompanying her to visit a Lactation consultant. Having the support of a birth doula and her presence until that first feed has finished strongly encourages women.
A study done by W.L. Wolman, Johannesburg 1991, shows that 51% of women who used a doula were solely breastfeeding their babies at six weeks compared to only 29% who had not had the presence of a doula. A staggering 81% of doula supported women were demand feeding at six weeks compared to a very disappointing 47% where no doula was present.
It is extremely important that women prepare themselved antenally for breastfeeding. Women are encouraged to attend their midwifery led antenatal cleasses and discuss the benefits of breastfeeding and skin to skin contact with their midwife, ensuring that they include it in their birth plan. Lactation consultants working at breastfeeding clinics encourage women to attend during pregnangy to obtain valuable advice on successful positioning and latching techniques and to talk to other breastfeeding mothers.
Nothing is more important in your advance planning than your preparation for breastfeeding. Generations of mothers have happily breastfed their babies, and you can do it too!
NEED ADVICE? Associations offering support for breastfeeding mothers both antenatally and following birth:
La Leche League - 0845 120 2918
Association for Breastfeeding Mothers - 0844 412 2949
National Childbirth Trust - 0870 444 8708
Breastfeeding Network - 0844 412 4664
National Breastfeeding Hotline - 0844 209 0920
Article written for Spring 2008 issue by
Fiona Siddle
Mothers Matter
www.mothersmatter.co.uk
01892 681402
