help with breastfeeding

Yesterday an acquaintance of mine called and asked if I could come by and help his wife with some breastfeeding questions she was having. She had only been home from the hospital after a c-section for 3 days and she was feeling overwhelmed and panicky about how nursing was going.

I told him I'd be happy to come by, and asked if I could bring my sister, Betsy, who has nursed two children and teaches the prenatal breastfeeding classes at a local hospiatl. He happily agreed.

So we both went by and visited with them for a little while. The baby is absolutely GORGEOUS! Babies delivered via c-section definitely don't look as "beat up" as other babes, and he looked like a baby out of a picture book.

He was nursing, but his mother was afraid he wasn't getting enough milk and was feeling postpartum and weepy. Her milk was starting to come in, and the sensation had her concerned she might be getting mastitis.

It turns out that she just needed some help with positioning him properly and knowing that she needed to get more of her breast into his little mouth. We also explained to her that the "feedings every two to three hours" was a minimum, and that in the first week or so, it's good to offer the breast every 45 minutes or so, even if he only nurses for a minute or two before falling back asleep. She hadn't had the chance to take a breastfeeding class or do much reading before he was born, so was doing her best getting started nursing without much info or support. We also suggested she stop giving him the pacifier until breastfeeding was better established.

By the time we left, she was smiling, and the beautiful baby had finished off one breast and was ready to start on the other one. Milk was dribbling out the corner of his mouth and he had that newborn "milk drunk" look that lets you know he's eating well.

Those first few days are so tiring and scary with a new baby. They're also critical to establishing breastfeeding. With the right advice and support, most "problems" are easily solved. She literally just needed someone to show her how to hold the baby and how to get his mouth on her breast. No one had really shown her this and she didn't know how.

It's too bad more American hospitals don't offer a midwifery/doula care model that would send a helper around the the house a few days after birth to listen to the new mother and help her with any questions or concerns she might have.

And it's very satisfying to help someone begin such a wonderful relationship with their baby.