Conception, Birth & Breastfeeding

​Breastfeeding is a universally accepted means of optimal nutrition that promotes a baby best survival, growth and development. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond with adequate complementary feeds. While emotional support by family, society or hospital or government policies are crucial, one of the most significant impact on initiation & establishing of breastfeeding is how Breastfeeding is planned during conception & how birth has been supported.
Breastfeeding can be a powerful and compelling experience for a mother and her family no matter how different their conception experience maybe — Natural Conception, Assisted Conception such as IUI or IVF, Surrogacy or Adoption. Planning for Breastfeeding can differ depending on whether the conception is natural or assisted.
Breastfeeding preparation following Natural or Assisted (IVF) Conception:  
During pregnancy mothers wish to prepare to welcome their baby and ensure they spend enormous amount of time into researching and organizing their home and family to make way for a comfortable beginning of a family. Often breastfeeding is not on the research beyond just basic reading of the importance of breastfeeding or amazing benefits of breast milk. Here are some of thought to consider and prepare for a head start in breastfeeding:
Planning your birth
One of the most crucial aspect of natural progression of birth into breastfeeding is ensuring the experience of the birth to be as gentle and as supported as it can be. For breastfeeding to initiate naturally the following factors appear to be crucial during labour & birth:

1. Natural initiation of labour with reduced use of labour induction, augmentation with drugs.
2. Gentle & loving support for a labouring mother and trusting her body’s inherent guidance for movement during labour and during birth. Allowing her to eat, drink and movement is critical for easy and natural rhythm of the labour.
3. Reduced use of pain medication such as epidural and other drug-based pain management techniques. When a mother innate body movement is allowed to progress the birth with a non-intrusive watchful eye of attending midwives, nurse and doctor, the need for pain medication has shown to be reduced or eliminated significantly by overwhelming scientific research and by traditional midwifery knowledge.  Skilled Doulas and Midwives are known to significantly reduce need for medication and natural progress of labour and birth.
4. Reduced use of instrumentation such as Forceps, Vacuum, or surgery during birth unless it is to save the life of mother and/or her baby. Again the inherent body wisdom guides a mother to move to facilitate the baby descend in the birth canal along with natural reflexes that help a mother birth her baby. This wisdom needs to be enhanced, supported and initiated to be elicited. When this wisdom us ignored and damped, need for instrumentation may be required and the impact could be muscular & tissue tension pattern     
5. Immediately initiation of skin to skin direct contact between mother and baby and over the first few weeks of life - There is overwhelming evidence of research that demonstrates skin to skin contact immediately after birth, reduced distress in a baby and keeps the baby’s heartbeat, breathing, temperature more stable including baby’s blood sugar is stabilised preventing hypoglycaemia or new born jaundice. Furthermore, skin to skin contact also helps baby to receive same good bacteria as the mother. 
6. Early and uninterrupted contact between mother & baby helps initiate all the primitive reflexes baby needs to move towards mother’s breast and latch and feed ensuring good milk supply for the weeks, months and years to come.

 
Creating a support system:
 

• Finding a shared commitment to mothering through a groups like La Leche League Monthly Meetings, Breastfeeding Support Group for Indian Mothers (BSIM) or even online breastfeeding support groups can be great help to create a safety net for emotional support and sometimes it can be the only help for encouragement for breastfeeding.
• The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche league International is a great book to have for every mother who wishes breastfeeding her baby.
• Connecting with a Lactation Counsellor during the hospital stay or a private lactation Consultation in the community can be enormous help.

 
Invest in Baby Wearing:
Instead of designing a nursery for the baby, mothers find it helpful to invest time and preparation in learning to baby wear in fabric slings. Baby wearing can be an easy way to meet babies need for warmth, closeness and breastfeeding. A hand free of caring for a baby can enhance early motherhood and reduce mothers fatigue and overwhelm.