and surgical interventions, can create all kinds of
problems, involving a
baby’s ability to breath, suck and swallow properly;
the mother’s comfort level, and the ability of a mother and baby to remain
together immediately after the birth.
Unfortunately, childbirth and breastfeeding are typically
treated as separate and unrelated events. But if you think of putting your baby
to your breast as the fourth stage of
labor (following dilation, pushing out the
baby, and birthing the placenta) it can help you visualize this connection.
The bottom line is, the less intervention you have at birth,
the less likely you are to have problems breastfeeding. Of course, your birth
may not go as planned. But why make the beginning of your parenting journey
extra challenging? After all, you wouldn’t set out on a vacation driving with a
flat tire? And if nursing goes well in the first few days, you’ll be more likely
to stick with it. Given that Americans spend an extra 3.6 billion dollars a year
to care for babies fed formula, it makes sense to do a little homework ahead of
time.
Here are eight things you can do to help your baby – and you
– get off to the best start possible.
1. Take a childbirth education class and consider looking
outside of the hospital to find one. Chose an instructor certified by a national
organization (such as Lamaze, Bradley, or International Childbirth Education
Association), with the freedom to present accurate and complete information. You
want to be empowered to be an active participants throughout your labor, not
simply prepared for what to expect in the hospital setting. The more empowered
you are during birth, the more empowered you’ll be to nurse. 2. Find out what
your practitioner’s rates are for labor inductions, epidurals, c-sections, and
v-bacs (vaginal birth after
cesarean) and compare the statistics between
hospitals. Then chose the provider and hospital with the lowest rates. Rates for
all these procedures have dramatically increased in recent years without a
corresponding increase or improvement in birth weight and birth outcomes. Does
this affect breastfeeding? You bet. Epidurals, for example, can make labor less
productive, setting into place a cascade of interventions, often culminating in
a c-section. As of 2005 the national c-section rate was at an unprecedented high
with almost 1 in 3 women giving birth surgically. Studies suggest that women who
give birth via c-section are less likely to room-in with their babies and are
less likely to be breastfeeding several weeks later. And the less likely you are
to be in pain after the birth, the more difficult it will be to focus on the
needs of your baby. 3. Ask your provider how they can help you labor comfortably
without using drugs. Find out if you can labor (and even birth) in a tub, if you
can eat and drink for energy, and what kind of support you will have. Ask to
have sporadic instead of continuous fetal monitoring. You will be more able to
labor comfortably if you have the freedom to move around and it’s impossible to
do so when you are strapped to a machine. Remember that in most cases, the more
gently you are treated, the more gently your baby is treated.
4. Locate a childbirth doula (pronounced DOO-la). Doulas
offer emotional and physical support to women and provide various combinations
of support before, during and after the birth. Studies show that having a doula
at your birth shortens labor, cuts in half the odds of having an unnecessary
c-section, and helps women feel more satisfied about their birth. Contact DONA,
Doulas of North American at www.dona.org. Two other organizations that train
doulas are: CAPPA - Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (www.cappa.net)
and ALACE – Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (www.alace.org).
5. Find out what your hospital’s post-partum policies are.
Immediate skin-to-skin contact and being able to have your baby “room-in” with
you increases breastfeeding’s success. Drying the baby, assigning Apgar scores,
and doing the initial assessment typically should be done while your baby is
with you. You can also delay having your baby cleaned, weighed, measured and
bathed until after he or she has had a chance to nurse. 6. Request, in writing,
that your baby be given no supplemental bottles of formula or glucose.
Supplemental feedings of formula in the hospital have almost doubled in the past
ten years, a practice known to derail nursing. 7. Attend a La Leche League
meeting before giving birth, especially if you’ve never been around nursing
mothers. Visit www.lalecheleague.org or call 847-519-7730.
8. Overall, know your rights as a patient. You have the right
to participate in decision-making involving you and your baby and you have the
right to know the benefits, risks and hazards of drugs and procedures. Remember:
as the authors of “A Good Birth, A Safe Birth observe, “If you don’t know your
options, you don’t have any.”
In the end, remember that birth itself is not the end of your
journey as a mother. It is a beginning. If you find yourself with an unplanned
C-section, a difficult recovery, or nursing challenges of one type or another,
help is available. Express your concerns to your doctors, midwife, nurse, or
doula. A good lactation consultant can offer especially invaluable help, (look
for the credential of IBCLC – International board certified lactation
consultant). In fact, you may want to find one ahead of time. Make that the
ninth thing you can do before the birth!
