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What
Does Childbirth Have to do with Breastfeeding?
By
Barbara Behrmann, Ph.D.
© 2005
Pregnant and planning to
breastfeed? Here are twelve facts that may
surprise you:
●…Having
a doula at the birth often improves a woman’s
ability to get breastfeeding off to a good
start. Studies show that a having birth
doula reduces the duration of labor, the need
for pain medication, and the likelihood of
interventions such as induction, forceps, and
Cesarean sections. Since all of these can
impede a smooth introduction to breastfeeding, a
doula-attended birth can make a big difference.
Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say, not
having a doula increases the risk of
interventions.
●…All
drugs used to manage labor pains affect the
baby’s breathing, sucking, and/or muscle tone.
And the more drugs the mother gets, the more the
baby gets.
●…When
you don’t receive drugs during labor and your
baby is left undisturbed on your abdomen
immediately after birth, it can often scootch
up, find your breast, and latch on all by
itself.
●…The
C-section rate in the U.S. has never been
higher. Close to 1 in 3 women now give birth by
surgical intervention and studies show that at
least one-half of C-sections are medically
unnecessary. Among the complications that can
result is a greater likelihood of breastfeeding
difficulties.
●…A
disempowering birth can undermine your
confidence to breastfeed, but don’t let that
stop you. Many women discover that
breastfeeding helps them heal from traumatic
birth experiences.
●…Rooming
in, where your baby stays with you, best
facilitates breastfeeding.
●…Women
who have a planned home birth with a qualified
attendant are more likely to have a smoother
initiation into breastfeeding than women who
give birth in a hospital.
They are less
likely to be given drugs and be subjected to
unnecessary, invasive procedures, more likely to
receive greater support during labor, and less
likely to be separated from their babies and
offered formula. For these reasons, women who
give birth at home with a trained birth
attendant present are more likely to find that
their initiation to breastfeeding goes smoothly.
●…Over
ninety-five percent of new mothers have enough
milk to feed their babies. It is the
perception of not having enough that causes
some women to quit.
●…If
your baby is born prematurely, you can express
your milk for him or her until he is strong
enough to nurse. A good lactation consultant
can help you.
●…In-hospital
supplemental feedings of formula have almost
doubled in the last ten years, a practice known
to undermine nursing A recent national survey
of women’s child-bearing experiences found that
almost half the babies whose mothers intended to
breastfeed exclusively were given supplements.
●…Compared
to countries in western Europe, as well as
Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the
U.S. ranks highest in infant mortality, despite
spending more money per capita on maternity and
newborn care.
●…Breastfeeding
is natural, but it’s not always instinctive.
Learning about it before you give birth can
make a big difference. And lactation
consultants and breastfeeding support groups can
help you overcome almost any difficulties you
may have.
Sidebar:
Resources on the Birthing-Breastfeeding
Connection.
CIMS, the Coalition for
Improving Maternity Services. Founded in 1994,
CIMS promotes models of maternity care based on
scientific evidence, and seeks to promote normal
birth, improve birth outcomes and reduce the
financial costs of maternity care.
www.motherfriendly.com.
For information on midwifery or to
locate a midwife, contact
The
Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
at
www.mana.org/;
or The American College of Nurse Midwives
at
www.acnm.org/
The Maternity Center Association.
Provides access to information on evidence-based
maternity care, including scientific studies,
professional guidelines, government reports, and
more, as well as tools for pregnant women to use
in choosing a care giver, a birth setting, labor
support, etc. Their goal is to help and
encourage women to make informed birthing
decisions.
http://www.maternitywise.org
Citizens for Midwifery
– A national consumer-based group that promotes
the Midwifery Model of Care. Site also
contains state by state legal information on the
status of direct entry midwifery; a grassroots
E-mail list, many links and more.
http://www.cfmidwifery.org/
ICAN - International
Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc.
An international, non-profit member organization
that works to help lower the rate of unnecessary
c-sections and to encourage positive birthing
experiences through education and advocacy:
http://www.ican-online.org/
VBAC.com
- A site that provides women and maternity care
professionals access to research-based
information, resources, continuing education and
support for VBAC* (vaginal birth after
cesarean).
www.vbac.com
La Leche League,
an internationally recognized authority on
breastfeeding with over 3000 groups in more than
60 countries, offers a wonderful opportunity to
meet other nursing mothers
www.lalecheleague.org.
Your local hospital or birth center may also
offer support groups or have a breastfeeding
peer counselor program.
The International Lactation Consultant
Association (ILCA).
To
find an internationally board certified
lactation consultant (IBCLC), visit:
http://www.ilca.org/
Doulas
– Doulas offer emotional and physical support to
women and provide various combinations of labor
and postpartum support, including breastfeeding.
These two organizations can help you locate a
post-partum doula. DONA – Doulas of
North America:
www.dona.org;
CAPPA – Childbirth and Postpartum Professional
Association:
www.childbirthprofessional.com
Back to Barbara's
Articles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barbara L. Behrmann, Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, and author of
The
Breastfeeding Café: Mothers Share the Joys, Secrets & Challenges of Nursing,
University of Michigan Press, 2005. She is a frequent speaker around the
country and is available for talks, readings, and conducting birthing and
breastfeeding writing circles. The mother of two formerly breastfed
children, Barbara lives in upstate New York. |
