Cesarean section and breastfeeding

Dear, first of all, it is important for me to establish 2 things when it comes to breastfeeding after a cesarean section:

• YES, you can breastfeed even if you had a cesarean section and...
• It may take a little longer to get breastfeeding up and running.

There is a difference between establishing breastfeeding after a planned cesarean section or an emergency cesarean section. If the cesarean section is planned and the mother and baby are healthy, the body has the resources to start milk production, as the body has not been stressed prior to the cesarean section.

If the caesarean section is acute (be aware that acute caesarean sections come in 3 different degrees, meaning more or less acute) and therefore, for example, there has been a long birth process leading up to the caesarean section, then the body has limited resources to both recover from the open surgery that a caesarean section is and to start milk production. In other words, the female body prioritizes “survival” over milk production. Therefore, information about caesarean sections and starting breastfeeding cannot be completely cut into one piece. And hey, nothing can. No two women, two children, two breasts or two breastfeeding processes are the same. Let's just remember that - so dear woman, drop any comparisons and read below.

20% of births in Denmark are by caesarean section - because YES, a caesarean section is also a birth. The distribution between planned and emergency caesarean sections is approximately half and half, i.e. 10% emergency and 10% planned caesarean sections. The vast majority of caesarean sections are performed under spinal anaesthesia, which means that the woman is awake during the procedure and therefore also more refreshed and ready to receive her child - and start breastfeeding - afterwards. Few caesarean sections are performed under full anaesthesia. In these births, it will take a little longer before you as a mother are awake enough to be able to lie with your child and start breastfeeding. Common to both types of caesarean section is that as a new mother you will be taken to a recovery room - even if you are awake. Here you will be observed for the next few hours by recovery nurses. Just like others who have undergone an operation. The midwife who was present during the caesarean section follows the recovery and has, among other things, breastfeeding establishment as one of her tasks. Your child will of course be present at the wake-up call if they are healthy and well. And your partner will also be present and by your side.

More and more hospitals are performing skin-to-skin cesarean sections. This means that the baby comes directly onto your chest right after the baby is delivered. Lying there on your chest, the baby is wrapped well, as it is cold in a delivery room. Right there, skin-to-skin, breastfeeding begins - even if the baby is not yet sucking or near the breast.

Because skin-to-skin can do a lot and is central to a successful breastfeeding process. It is therefore important to get baby to lie on the breast as soon as possible. If you as a mother are not able to do this right after the caesarean section, baby can lie skin-to-skin with your partner. If baby needs a trip to the children's ward, your partner will be there, and the staff at the children's ward will help ensure that baby lies skin-to-skin. In that case, you will follow your family as soon as you are ready to come from the recovery room. Skin-to-skin can therefore take several forms and it is never too late to start.

Skin-to-skin contact stimulates the baby to breastfeed, provides security, stable blood pressure and blood sugar. For you as a mother, skin-to-skin contact stimulates the production of the hormone oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. It relieves stress, strengthens your bond with your child, causes your uterus to contract, thereby minimizing bleeding after a cesarean section (yes, you also bleed vaginally after a cesarean section) and ... the oxytocin hormone promotes both milk production and the let-down reflex. So skin-to-skin contact is a win-win.

Establishing breastfeeding requires time, calm, patience, support from your partner, practice, enough and nutritious food, drink and sleep for you as a new mother, and perhaps support from a lactation consultant, regardless of whether you gave birth by cesarean section or not. Reread that sentence. It is important! Over the years, I have met so many mothers who had the experience and understanding that their breastfeeding process was challenging because of their cesarean section. In almost all cases, it is not about the cesarean section at all, but about basic knowledge about establishing breastfeeding regardless of the birth route ( Read about it in this article ).

That said, the medication given during a cesarean section inhibits the milk-producing hormone. That's why it's important to have plenty of skin-to-skin time with baby. And to get help with breastfeeding establishment from the obstetrician-midwife in the hours after birth. And that both you and your partner familiarize yourself with the basics of breastfeeding establishment – ​​see the link here . So there's a lot to do. Add time and patience, and it will be fine.

Starting breastfeeding after a cesarean section is a bit complicated by the fact that you lie on your back for the first few hours after birth. You may also have pain in your cesarean wound in the following days and find it difficult to sit up in a relaxing position. Many cesarean mothers (women who have given birth by cesarean section) therefore find pleasure in the different versions of the laid back breastfeeding positions. Laid back is not one breastfeeding position, but a general term – read more in this article . Many people also enjoy breastfeeding in the twin position. Try it out and ask for help - both from the staff and your partner.

If your baby is admitted to the pediatric ward after a cesarean section, it is important to start stimulating milk production by expressing. In the pediatric ward, they have both the equipment and the relevant knowledge to help you get started. For some mothers, it is a very hard process - both physically and emotionally. Dear new mother, remember that you are just ... a new mother. With emotions on the outside, you have just undergone a major, open operation and have postpartum hormones rushing around your body. It is perfectly okay to shed a few tears - or a whole sea of ​​tears - into the milk. And it is perfectly okay to ask for help and, for example, to say no to guests. You have just become a mother. You have just become parents. Perhaps the cesarean section was emergency and therefore unplanned. Reactions in the form of many thoughts, emotions, confusion, fatigue and more are completely normal. If necessary, ask to speak to the midwife while you are still in the hospital. It can be nice to get a hug and a few words and answers in the midst of the reactions. And you always have the right to a regular postpartum conversation later, when things are calmer.

So dear, dear empress. YES you can breastfeed after a cesarean section, yes it may require patience – welcome to motherhood 😉 – no, you do not produce less milk because you had a cesarean section, but it may take a little longer for the milk to come in. And then it is important to have the basic foundation in place in relation to a successful breastfeeding process .

And dear, congratulations on becoming a mother. I'm rooting for you and your breastfeeding journey!