Breastfeeding after cesarean birth is an important way for you and baby to get to know each other. It can also help heal any feelings of sadness or disappointment if birth did not go as planned. Breastfeeding can give you the satisfaction of knowing that you are giving your newborn the very best—something no one else can do—even though you are recovering from major surgery.
Whether you give birth vaginally or by cesarean surgery, family, friends, or a La Leche League Leader can be of great assistance and support when you are beginning the breastfeeding experience.
CHOOSING A HOSPITAL
Make every attempt to choose a health care facility with current, evidence-based policies on breastfeeding. Maternity hospitals that have achieved designation as Baby-Friendly Hospitals™ (BFHI) are especially understanding and supportive of breastfeeding. Any barriers to early contact and exclusive breastfeeding will have a greater negative effect if you have a cesarean birth, because your hospital stay is usually longer after surgery.
Current research strongly supports placing your baby on your chest, skin-to-skin, immediately after birth[i], even after Cesarean surgery – right in the operating room or in the recovery area. In most cases, your baby will move toward your breast and begin breastfeeding within the first hour or so after birth by himself[ii]. There should be no clothing or blankets between your baby’s body and your body because immediate and uninterrupted direct skin-to-skin contact is important for both of you. The baby will be dried and kept warm with a blanket over her back during this skin-to-skin time.
Talk to your care providers during pregnancy about keeping baby skin-to-skin until after the first nursing. If you have complications during after the surgery, a family member can hold the baby skin to skin until you feel more stable, then the baby can begin or resume skin-to-skin contact with you. The maternity staff should offer help as needed.
Most babies can move to the breast and begin nursing all by themselves within the first hour or so after birth. If the baby is ill or unstable, she can be returned to you for skin-skin-contact and breastfeeding as soon as medically feasible. If the facility does not support immediate skin-to-skin policies, talk to your care providers and request that a medical order be written for immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for at least an hour, or until after the baby’s first nursing.[iii]
If the birth facility is BFHI-designated, the staff will be trained and able to help you achieve your goal of early and exclusive breast feeding. All routine procedures including the baby’s first bath can be postponed until after the baby’s first nursing, or sometimes longer. The baby’s health will be checked thoroughly by the medical or nursing staff, which can often be done while the baby is resting on your body or in your arms.
Source: La Lecherous League
Link: https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/breastfeeding-cesarean-birth/
