Breastfeeding Plan

Alicia Fonder

Updated October 22, 2024 20:17

How can I share my breastfeeding goals with hospital staff after delivery and during my hospital stay?

Breastfeeding success starts before going to the hospital to deliver your baby. Learning the ABCs of breastfeeding, taking a breastfeeding class, gathering good information, and building your support team are great steps to feeling prepared. While no one plans to deliver early, looking into how prematurity can affect breastfeeding is something we encourage all prenatal moms to do, just in case. Even a late preterm infant (born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation) may require extra breastfeeding support.

During your prenatal appointments, share your desire to breastfeed with your doctor and consider making a Breastfeeding Plan to share with hospital staff. Print and post this plan by your hospital bed during delivery to remind staff of your wishes and inform new staff when shifts change. Share your plan with your support person/people so they can speak up for you as well. Click here for a printable breastfeeding plan!

We recommend bringing baby skin-to-skin immediately after birth, and to keep baby this way until the first breastfeeding takes place.

Benefits of Skin-to-Skin Contact:

Regulates baby's breathing and body temperature
Maintains steady blood sugar levels
Lowers stress caused by separation
Promotes bonding
Decreases baby's crying
Reduces excess postpartum bleeding for mom
Lessens both mom and baby's pain response

In addition, skin-to-skin contact allows access to the breasts to begin feeding. After birth, babies go through 9 newborn stages when placed on their mother's bare chest. Being held this way activates their natural instinct to find the breast and latch.

In a normal, uncomplicated delivery, all routine assessments can be done by hospital staff without interrupting skin-to-skin time. Consider waiting to get baby’s weight and other measurements until you have completed 1-2 hours of skin-to-skin time.

Skin-to-skin contact is possible, even after a C-section, with help from a nurse and/or your support person. If mom is unable to do skin-to-skin, the support person is the next best option to provide skin-to-skin bonding time with the baby.

DO:

Ask your nurse for baby’s 24-hour weight, as this is more accurate when determining weight loss. It’s normal for babies to lose weight after delivery.
Hand express (which is more effective than pumping in the early days) when baby doesn’t latch well at the breast. Usually, tasting colostrum a few times makes them more eager to latch and suck. Ask for help offering the colostrum to baby using an alternative feeding method to a bottle.
Room in with your baby. This helps you learn your baby’s early hunger cues so that you can breastfeed right away, reduces infant stress (from being separated) and increases bonding. Ask your healthcare team if routine procedures can be done in your room.
Ask for help! Request a lactation consultant to check your baby’s latch, position at the breast and assess for any lip/tongue ties.
Limit visitors during your hospital stay. Breastfeeding and bonding are priority!
Aim for 8-12 feedings in 24 hours.

WAIT:

Swaddling before breastfeeding is well established can decrease a baby's natural urge to latch and suck.
Using pacifiers and bottle nipples too soon decreases breastfeeding success. Pacifiers should never delay or replace feeding at the breast.
Don’t turn right to formula if issues arise. Some babies need practice to achieve a good, deep latch, and patience is needed for a sleepy baby who just went through the delivery process along with you. If formula is suggested due to the baby's blood sugar levels being low, discuss options with your doctor to supplement with your own colostrum and/or ask about using glucose gel instead of glucose water.