Lactation after cesarean

In our time, the attitude towards the birth of a child due to caesarean section has changed. Now the operation is conducted as for medical reasons, and at the will of the future mother. The attitude towards the possibility of breastfeeding after cesarean section has also changed. If earlier it was said about the complexity of lactation, and sometimes its impossibility, then today doctors are urged to prepare in advance for it.

How to arrange breastfeeding after caesarean section?

It is necessary, if possible, to give preference to local or more mild anesthesia. The use of local (epidural or spinal) anesthesia allows the mother to feed the baby almost as quickly as in the case of natural childbirth. In cases where a short-term and shallow general anesthesia was used, the baby can also be applied to the breast after two hours.

It matters when they do cesarean, during labor or before them. If the birth activity has already begun, the woman feels contractions, then she will not have problems with breastfeeding after cesarean section. With the physiological birth in the woman's body begins the production of oxytocin - a hormone that stimulates the production of milk in the chest. Milk appears already on 2-3 days after childbirth. With cesarean section, the hormone begins to be produced later, and therefore milk appears only on days 4-9.

There are situations when feeding a baby with mother's milk for a while is not desirable. For example, a woman takes antibiotics or other drugs. In this case, it is necessary to decant, so that there is no stagnation of milk, and mastitis has not begun. Most likely, the baby will need to be fed with a mixture during this period. However, this should not be an excuse for excitement. Even if the crumb tried to eat from the bottle, it can be taught to suck the breast. It is important to do this for several reasons:

  1. Breastfeeding is important for both the baby and the mother. From the physiological point of view, sucking the baby breast contributes to the release of oxytocin and thereby reducing the uterus. This is very important for recovery after childbirth, especially after cesarean section.
  2. Important and contact crumbs with mom (visual, tactile). That is why it is necessary to choose the correct position for feeding. The convenience of the mother in this case plays an important role, especially in the postoperative period.

A woman should understand that full lactation after cesarean section is possible, and it does not matter when the mother first applied the baby to her breast.