Why is it important to feed my baby within the first hour, and what other factors will help?
 Whatever type of birth you experience, you will hopefully be encouraged to have immediate skin-to-skin contact with your baby. The benefits of early skin-to-skin contact cannot be underestimated and research shows that it greatly increases the success of breastfeeding. You should try to feed your baby, with help if needed, as soon as he looks interested. This is usually within an hour of birth, when the baby is wide awake and you will still be awake with excitement! If your baby is traumatised, as a result of the birth, breastfeeding, and skin-to-skin contact, will actually provide pain relief and stabilise his heartrate and temperature.
Getting comfortable before feeding is THE most important piece of advice I can give you! This is no easy task in the early days, but well worth spending time getting right. If you have had a caesarean section or are feeling too sore to sit, then lie down on your side. If sitting, I found the V-shaped pillows a great help, especially as a support for your back. For perineal pain, there are now cooling gel pads (feme pads) that alleviate discomfort. Pain killers should also be offered in the maternity unit. If not, ask!
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There is much written about how to position your baby but I have found that the best way is also the most natural way. By cuddling your baby close and turning his whole body towards you, this brings his nose in line with your nipple. This allows the baby's mouth/cheek to be in contact with the breast and increases the chances of successful breastfeeding. This is also known as biological nurturing, which describes the instinctive ways in which women and babies respond to each other whilst breastfeeding. A baby will naturally tilt his head while feeding and this is why you do not need to hold onto his head (except gentle support). His bottom lip and chin will touch your breast first and this stimulates him to open his mouth and get a good mouthful. More areola (darkened area around the nipple) will be seen above the top lip than below the chin.
NEVER let the baby suckle on the nipple alone as this will become very painful - the baby gets milk by squeezing the ducts around the nipple and not from the nipple itself.
You may want to bring the nipple out slightly by using your thumb and forefinger to roll it. This may express a little colostrum (first milk), which will tempt the baby to fix onto the breast.
Alternatively, stroke the baby's lips/cheek with your nipple and this will stimulate him to open his mouth wide enough to take a good mouthful. This is called attachment (sometimes referred to fixing or latching) and once achieved you can relax and enjoy!
Although breastfeeding should be painfree, some women find it to be a toe-tingling experience during the first few seconds. This is perfectly normal and should subside as your nipples become used to the new sensation. A good way to check correct attachment is to look at the shape of the nipple after a feed. There should not be any sign of distortion, squashing or blistering.
I cannot emphasise enough how important these first feeds are in establishing good positioning and attachment techniques. It will take a little while to get it right but once you have, it is like riding a bike - the rest will follow.
Following a breastfeed, you may find you bleed more. This is because, during the feed, the uterus contracts (similar to when you were in labour - often called 'after pains'). This is due to the release of hormones while feeding and helps your uterus go back to its pre-pregnant size quickly. It is nothing to worry about as long as it is not associated with large clots or very heavy bleeding. Should this happen, contact your midwife. The bleeding will gradually lessen and change colour from pink to brown. It should have stopped by six weeks postnatally.
© Sharon Trotter
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