Tips for Making Breastfeeding Work

1. Breastfeed early and often. Breastfeed as soon as possible after birth, within the first hour of life. If you had a vaginal birth you can hold your baby and breastfeed right away. If you had a c-section or general anesthesia after the birth for a surgery, tell your doctor and nurse that you want to breastfeed as soon as you are both in the recovery room.
2. Breastfeed at least eight to 12 times every 24 hours to make plenty of milk for your baby.
3. Keep your baby in your hospital room with you (also called "rooming in") so you can see your baby's first signs of being hungry. When babies are hungry they become more alert and active, may put their hands or fists to their mouths, make sucking motions with their mouth, or turn their heads looking for the breast. Crying is a late sign of hunger.
4. Make sure you are both comfortable and follow your baby's lead after he or she is latched well onto the underside of the breast, not just the nipple. Some babies take both breasts at each feeding, while others only take one breast at a feeding. Help your baby finish the first breast, as long as he or she is still sucking and swallowing. Your baby will let go of the breast when he or she is finished, and often falls asleep. Offer the other breast if he or she seems to want more. Let your baby decide when to stop nursing.
5. Keep your baby close to you. Remember that your baby is not used to this new world and needs to be held very close to his or her mother. Being skin-to-skin with you helps babies cry less and stabilizes the baby's heart and breathing rates.
6. Avoid using pacifiers, bottles, and supplements of infant formula in the first few weeks unless there is a medical reason to. It's best just to breastfeed to get the milk process running smoothly and to keep your baby from getting confused while he or she is learning to breastfeed.
7. Have your baby sleep in a crib or bassinet in your room, but not in your bed, so that you can breastfeed more easily at night.