Breast milk is like your baby’s superfood and health professionals recommend that you breastfeed your baby exclusively for six months. Even after they start eating other foods, it’s best to supplement them with breast milk up to when your child is a year old. However, that doesn’t mean breastfeeding will come easily for everyone. Several factors can influence whether or not your milk comes in – including having a Caesarian section.
How a C-Section Affects Breastfeeding
The first thing you should acknowledge is that a C-section is a major surgery that can result in complications. Even though medical staff may encourage people to try breastfeeding within an hour of giving birth, sometimes they’re not able to because they’re recovering from anesthesia. Additionally, while it’s safe to take certain painkillers while breastfeeding, there are specific drugs that won’t be okay for your baby. That means you’ll have to wait until you stop taking them to breastfeed.
According to several studies, having a C-section can delay milk production by a couple of days – especially if your milk hasn’t come in yet. This issue can be resolved easily for some people but can take more time for others. Having had major surgery, holding your baby in certain positions can be uncomfortable. Breastfeeding will also cause uterine contractions that are necessary to get your uterus to return to its normal size. Though the contractions are important, they can make your pain worse, which may affect your ability to breastfeed.
Finally, the health issue may not be with you. Depending on the reason behind your C-section, your newborn may not be able to breastfeed. Generally, breastfeeding causes the ‘pulldown effect’ that leads to increased milk production. If your baby can’t breastfeed, that may stall.
RELATED: Breastfeeding Benefits & Challenges For Black Mothers
5 Tips for Encouraging Milk Production
1. Use a Breast Pump
Even if you can’t feed your baby, using a breast pump can help to encourage milk production. Doing this is helpful if your baby is unable to nurse, you haven’t started to produce milk yet, or you’re taking painkillers that may affect your newborn.
2. Stay Hydrated
Water and electrolytes are essential to the production of breast milk. If you’re dehydrated, you’re less likely to produce the amount of milk your baby needs.
3. Eat Well
The right diet can also help with milk production. Health professionals recommend eating whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, sardines, and legumes. Certain herbs like fennel, garlic, ginger, spirulina, and alfalfa have been known to help you promote breast milk. However, you should always consult your doctor before starting any supplements.
4. Find the Right Position
As you might expect, it can be uncomfortable to hold your baby in certain positions when you’ve had a C-section. Pain and stress can disrupt breast milk production so it’s good to use positions where the baby doesn’t rest on your incision. Two successful positions are lying on your side and the football hold.
RELATED: Breastfeeding Positions: Have You Tried Them All?
5. Keep Trying
Whether you’re using a breast pump or trying to feed your baby, it’s important that you keep trying to get your milk to come in. The persistent sucking action will encourage milk production. When you’re trying, you should ensure to use both breasts equally. If your hospital offers the services of a lactation specialist, you should consult with them as well for additional tips.
Why Black Americans Need to Pay Attention
Black American maternity care has been at the forefront of healthcare discussions for several years. While studies show that only 66 percent of Black mothers initiate breastfeeding, medical experts contend that different factors contribute to that. For example, many of them must return to work within a short period and may not have help from friends or loved ones to feed their babies if they decide to pump their milk. Furthermore, recent studies show that some medical staff assume that Black Americans won’t breastfeed and immediately give formula to their newborns. They also don’t discuss measures that can be taken to encourage milk production or maintain their breast milk volume if they have to go back to work.
To make things worse, Black people are more likely to be induced or given C-sections than other ethnicities. This fact will increase the odds of Black Americans being less likely to breastfeed because of the procedure.
Breastfeeding isn’t easy for everyone and it can be even harder if you’ve had a C-section. Fortunately, there are ways that you can encourage breast milk production so you can feed your baby while recovering. Of course, if nothing helps, you should talk to your doctor about options for keeping you and your baby healthy.
