Get Off to a Good Start!
In talking with any new mom or new families, for that matter, you will find that no amount of research, classes, babysitting experience, or advice from other parents, can ever really prepare you for what you will experience with your own baby. Beyond breastfeeding, so many questions arise. Diapering, how? Do I need to use a wipe warmer? How do you swaddle a baby? What are those blotchy spots on her skin? Does the umbilical cord stump hurt him? His feet are so blue! She’s scratching her face–what should I do? And…but I just fed him, how could he be hungry again?!
When it comes to breastfeeding, the more you know the better. But that doesn’t mean you will feel prepared when your precious baby is learning to latch for the first time. Or when you feel pain and they’re telling you it shouldn’t hurt. How many times a new mom exclaims that the “baby just isn’t getting anything”--and of course, all of these concerns while recovering from giving birth and possibly major surgery in a cesarean section! Now top it off with little or NO sleep for the past however many hours and sometimes days. Recover from all of that–but here you go, now keep this new human alive! It’s a lot.
Your first few days are an important part of a successful breastfeeding journey and establishing an adequate milk supply. Nurses and lactation consultants are there to help you get off to a good start. Working in the labor and delivery unit at the hospital, I have found such joy in listening to our nurses educate new moms on good latch and positioning, what to expect the first night versus the second night, and what challenges may arise those first few days at home. Just as important as helping you through labor and delivery, is the support your nurses give you in learning to feed your baby. Laying the groundwork in the beginning with anticipatory guidance of what to expect is the key to understanding and success.
Certain circumstances sometimes change what you thought your plan would be–we understand this and can help you adapt to meet your feeding goals for your baby. Supporting families to get the best start available to them is what we do…
