Black Breastfeeding Week (4)

The Arrival of Your Baby

Congrats ! your baby is here! They’ve made their grand entrance and now your journey of learning and loving and leading may commence.

Your baby was born with great instinct and will begin looking for food in the first few minutes of life. Skin to Skin should be encourage by your medical staff whether you’ve chosen to deliver in a hospital setting ,birthing center or home birth. Cesarean parents , even if the surgery is scheduled or an emergency , please be sure you or your Doula are informed of your hospitals policies on Family Centered Cesareans and on post-op skin to skin. Your partner may get to do skin to skin while they’re sewing you up or they may be able to put the baby near your face for initial bonding. During skin to skin: place your baby on the breast or allow them to crawl toward the breast on their own.

Take this time to sit quiet and admire your masterpiece. Counting their fingers and toes, Joking about what relative they may resemble or just looking deeply into their eyes getting to know them as they are finally meeting the faces of the voices they been hearing for the past 10-41 weeks. It’s the perfect time to start looking for some feeding queues. Rest assured that all though your baby is less than an hour old, your breast already contain ample amounts of milk. This first milk is the colostrum that we learned about previously is and packed with immune boosting agents.

You’re off to a great start your baby is able to latch on within that first hour if not that is great too just enjoy the space. The birthing process is extremely painful and tiresome for baby so it is natural for them to be sleepy and not want to eat much. Studies show that if baby feeds within the first hour of birth they are more likely to nurse lo9nger and more successfully than others.

Rooting Reflex :

Rooting Reflex is triggered when your baby is touched on the cheek or around the mouth. They will turn their head and open their mouths looking for something to suckle on. If baby is held in a good feeding position they should turn directly toward the breast. Never lean over to feed this is not good for your back nor is it good for baby. Rooting teaches them head control and observation. The mouth roots around , the lips brush against the nipple , as baby yawns big and wide point he nipple up toward the back of the roof of the mouth for optimal feeding.

Sucking Reflex ;

The suckling reflex is activated when your nipple touches the roof you the baby’s mouth. Babies have been swallowing and sucking since they were in the womb this is second nature to them. Sucking has a soothing and calming effect on them you may observe them sucking or making kissy faces while they’re sleeping as well. Sucking does not always indicate hunger so be sure to watch for other feeding queues.