#4: Latch and Positioning Prenatal Education

Placing your baby’s bare • Babies can get overstimulated your baby to get more milk body on your chest after from all of the sights, sounds and and reduce the likelihood of birth helps your baby clue activities of their new world. Being developing soreness. into held close and at the helps • If you feel pain with nursing, • 1.When your baby is held close babies to be calm and soothed. your baby may not have enough to you, they are able to smell the • This time of being close and having breast in their mouth. first milk called colostrum. This frequent feeding facilitates bonding • Insert your finger between your milk smells like the amniotic and releases hormones that make baby’s jaws to break suction, fluid your baby was in before milk in the ’s body. then relatch. being born. How to help your baby latch Learn different positions • 2.Given some time on your chest onto your breast and have the nurses help after birth, your baby may find you with breastfeeding their way down to your breast • Hold your baby close, with baby’s and latch on without assistance. tummy facing your tummy. • You can nurse with the baby • Support your baby with a pillow if across your chest, under your needed. arm, or in a reclined position. • Have one hand support your baby’s • Laid-back is a great position for neck. breastfeeding. Your baby can • Use your other hand to support the feed while you rest! The first three days after birth breast if needed. Learn about breastfeeding • First have your baby’s chin touch and have support • Babies are alert for the first few your breast, then have your nipple Consider taking a breastfeeding hours after birth. This is the best opposite your baby’s nose. class. Prepare a list of people time to start breastfeeding. • Tickle the baby’s upper lip with you can call or talk to that have • After this wakeful period, babies your nipple to make their mouth breastfeeding experience. This can might sleep a lot for the rest of open wide. be family, friends, the La Leche their first day. During the next League, or your provider’s office. • Then bring your baby to your breast two days, babies tend to wake The hospital will provide a list quickly. up and spend a lot of time at the of contacts, including lactation breast, getting nourishment and • Your baby should latch the , consultants that you can call. building your milk supply. not just the nipple. This will enable

To learn more visit womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding Breastfeeding is the gift of a lifetime— A gift that only a mother can give.

Ask for help from the your nipple to make his mouth • Side-lying: You can rest while hospital staff open wide, like a yawn. Hold your your baby feeds! Lay on your side, The nurses are specially trained to hand behind your baby’s neck and baby tummy to tummy with you. assist you and your baby in learning shoulders. This will allow your Use your upper arm to support baby to tip his head back so he can your breast. When your baby’s to breastfeed. You and your baby open his mouth wider. Use your mouth opens wide, press your learn to breastfeed together. other hand to support the breast baby onto the breast with your The first few days and compress it slightly in the same lower hand between your baby’s 1. Day of birth: Place your baby on direction as his lips. This will help shoulder blades. your chest right after birth, with your baby get more breast into his Making milk his or her skin next to your skin. mouth. Your baby should latch onto • The first milk is colostrum. This Your baby may crawl to your the areola, not just the nipple. This milk has been in your breast and attach with very little will enable your baby to get more since mid-. The assistance! After the first few milk. If you feel discomfort or pain small quantity matches your hours, baby may be sleepy. Take with nursing, your baby may not have baby’s stomach size. It is thick this time to catch some sleep enough breast in his or her mouth. and sticky. While your baby is yourself. Insert your finger between his gums to break suction, and then relatch. learning to coordinate sucking, 2. Day one: Your baby will be more swallowing, and breathing, your alert and want to nurse often. Breastfeeding positions baby is protected from overfilling This time of frequent feeding • Laid-back feeding: Lean back or accidentally breathing it in. gives you lots of practice with comfortably (not flat) so that Colostrum protects your baby nursing. Frequent feeding also your baby is on your chest with from disease. The extra water stimulates your body to produce gravity helping to keep him in weight babies are born with hormones which trigger milk position. As your baby rests on provides them with fluids while production. your abdomen, let his cheek rest your colostrum meets all their 3. Day two: Your baby may want to near one of your bare breasts. nutritional needs. Your baby will be at the breast very frequently. Allow your baby to root and lose this extra water weight over Simply feed as often as they want. self-attach. Support your breast the next few days. 4. Day three: You may notice your if necessary. • Milk production begins as soon breasts getting fuller and the • Cross-cradle: Hold your baby as your baby is born. It increases milk changing to be more fluid tummy to tummy. Hold your daily in amounts to match your in nature. Let your baby end forearm along your baby’s back, baby’s increasing stomach size. the feeding by falling asleep or with your hand supporting your Your baby’s stomach is very small detaching by themselves. Let baby’s neck and shoulders. Your at birth, about the size of a marble, baby finish one breast first, then other hand can support the and your milk is produced in that offer the second breast. breast. amount! Each day your baby’s How do I latch my baby • Football: Your baby’s body is stomach expands as more milk is to my breast? under your arm close to your produced. By the time your baby’s body and your hand supports his stomach has expanded, the milk Hold your baby close, next to your neck and shoulders. Your baby’s has changed to have more water skin, tummy to tummy. Have his head is under the breast, looking and volume. This occurs about the chin pressed into your breast with up at you. Your other hand can third day after your baby is born. your nipple just opposite his nose. support your breast. Tickle your baby’s upper lip with

17-SDH-0009930