🌟Discuss desire to breastfeeding with birth team and OR nurses.
🌟Ask for baby (if medically safe to do so) to be brought to you for skin to skin and attempting latch as soon as possible. You will need lots of help with this of course- so talk to those nurses! As a NICU nurse, I sometimes was present for caesarians and have definitely helped latch a baby in the OR! It’s a great goal to discuss with your team.
🌟If baby is not able to nurse within the first hour after caesarian birth, ask for help getting set up on the breast pump to start stimulating production as soon as you’re able to.
🌟If pumping, try hand expression with heat and massage applied after each pumping session to collect colostrum. If nursing baby at breast, try hand expression with heat and massage applied after each nursing session to collect colostrum.
🌟Skin to skin as much as possible!
🌟 Try football hold for positioning as this will allow baby to nurse without putting pressure on your abdomen.
ETA: 🌟Partners are a wonderful advocate for breastfeeding! Practice how partner can bring up breastfeeding and advocate for it. Partner can help assist getting baby skin to skin with the birthing partner and even hold and support baby in a warm blanket while baby is latched or nurse is attempting to get baby latched to breastfeed!
Caesarean births occur for many different reasons and can be totally different experiences if it’s planned vs. emergent, but either way, these tips will help breastfeeding get off to the best start.
Please reach out if you have specific questions about breastfeeding after a caesarean birth or if you need help with breastfeeding! Help is here! Click the link for more Mama Be
If you want to learn more about breastfeeding in the early days before it’s time, click this link to check out Mama Be!
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