728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Overcoming Difficulties › Nursing After C-section

Nursing After C-section

Breastfeeding After Cesarean Delivery

By Shel Franco

Pages:  1  2  3  

"Help me roll her onto one side," said the short nurse with a gruff voice. A younger woman rushed to my side and jammed her hands between my back and the mattress. In seconds, my stiff and painful body was precariously perched on its left side. The older nurse reached into my hospital gown and tugged at my breast.

"Hold it like this," she gestured. Then she reached for my newborn and placed him at my side. Again, she took my breast into her hands, this time rubbing my baby's cheek with the nipple. My son responded, and an amazing sensation surged through my veins.

"Look at him suck," the young nurse laughed. "He's a real chow hound." And with that, the two nurses left the room. Minutes later, my son slid off the breast. I tried to re-latch him, but he wouldn't hold still. I tried to stay calm, but he started to cry. My instincts kept telling me to sit up, but the wound in my abdomen wouldn't allow me to move.

I didn't understand. I took breastfeeding classes. I read breastfeeding books. But no one ever told me what to expect from breastfeeding after a Cesarean section. From hospital policy to physical discomfort, I learned that surgical births can make breastfeeding a real struggle, but not if you are prepared.

Hospital Policy
"I kept telling [the nurses] to bring [my baby] to me," says Lisa Smith of northern Virginia. "But they said I had to go to my regular room first. They wouldn't let me leave the operating room recovery area until I said, 'Yes, I feel that,' to their touches. I think I held [my baby] about two hours after he was born."


Pages:  1  2  3  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.