Resources | Lactation Support West Wales

Some useful YouTube videos:

This video from Global Health Media Project explains well the immediate skin to skin-to-skin contact post birth. When discussing your birthing plan with your Midwife you can ensure you are given opportunity to experience skin-to-skin immediately after birth until baby has hie/ hers 1st breastfeed. You can also ask for this process to be uninterrupted for approximately one hour.

Next three short videos are from https://www.naturalbreastfeeding.com/
These videos explain well layed back nursing which is suitable for younger babies, as they have not yet developed head control and gravity helps baby to attach and stay on the breast. It is similar to the first feed post birth in skin-to-skin, see video above. Baby able to stabilise their position better by using natural reflexes, and their hand and feet will help baby to get comfortable when breastfeeding. You can recline back anywhere between 60-15 degrees, whichever is more comfortable.

The next two videos explain different positioning of your baby while breastfeeding, finding most suitable position may help you to feed baby effectively and enjoy breastfeeding. You can place your baby in several different positions throughout the feed, remember these principles: CLOSE - baby is close to you, avoiding multiple layers of clothing. HEAD - head if free and is not obstructed by a hand, this allows baby to swallow freely. Support baby's neck, back and hips to stabilise the position. In LINE - baby is in line: head, shoulders and hips are in alignment and not twisted. NOSE - to nipple, aiming for asymmetrical latch, bringing baby's body lower down in order to attach.
Remember acronym CHIN!
Chin is important when attaching your baby to the breast. When baby's chin is leading, then all fourp principles of positioning (CHIN) will fall into place.
Consequently, correct positioning will enable deeper latch, less painful nipples, and hopefully will prevent nipple damage. As result, breastfeeding dyads should feel comfortable when breastfeeding.

In this video you can learn how the baby attaches to the breast and what signs to look out for to ensure he/she attaches deeply: look for full around cheecks, more areola visable above baby's top lip, bottom lip is flanged out, baby is alert, audible swallowing, after the first letdown baby has suckle-swallow 2:1 ratio.

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