Didnt manage to breastfeed during 'golden hour'

[kate288]

Hi, I have just given birth to a gorgeous baby girl and although I did have skin to skin straight after, this only lasted 20 mins as I had to be stitched up (and I think the midwives changeover also made them want to hurry to do the stitches). This meant my baby wasn't able to latch during this time.

This was only a few hours ago but I'm on the post natal ward and she's only had a few licks of colostrum that I hand expressed. Do you think she will have trouble latching now due to not having the full golden hour? I feel guilty about it! I think I was just so relieved labour was over that I wasn't fully thinking about her feeding!

Ask for help before you go home. We didn’t and I really regret it

Be warned though many m/w either aren’t bf trained, or haven’t the time to help (staffing issues usually).

“Help” on our ward was “shall i get you some formula?” It was their solution to everything. Feeding again? Formula. Tired?, sore? Struggling? I’ll get formula so you can have a break. Can’t get her to latch? Lets get some formula and see if she’ll take that.

Better to get out of there and get help from a specialist source like la leche, or find bf groups.

I spent dd’s first hour trying not to die. Didn’t feed her for many hours as I was semi conscious for at least 4 hours.

She was EBF, never had any formula and I finally got her to stop when she was over two!

Don't feel guilty. I have never heard of the Golden Hour and breastfed my first child to 15 months and my second to 2 years. I completely understand how you feel about missing the very first few moments of potential feeding due to stitching, I experienced the same and was distressed during the stitching because I wanted to feed the baby. But this isn't something you need to feel guilty about, I assure you. I have just had a quick google of this Golden Hour and I have a horrible feeling that it is a broadly intended good practice guideline that has, possibly in part due to its name, snowballed into something which vulnerable new mothers (aka all new mothers) feel they have to take literally or feel they have failed. This makes me really sad, and I fear that it could even have the reverse effect to the intended one - ie that mothers might give up bf if they don't feel they've managed in the first hour.
OP, you've not done a thing wrong. Keep going and enjoy your precious time with your baby. No guilt!

Aaahhh OP - relax!
I fed my three babies post 3 years each.

I reckon the 'golden hour' is a fabrication of someone idealistic who's never had babies. The reality is often an exhausted Mam, delivering placentas, some babies in SCBU, stitches etc etc.

Please don't worry. The journey starts here regardless of breastfeeding.

You'll master it. You'll get past the soreness and you'll be a great Mam. Golden hour? My Bum!

Don't be believing all that shite - you are doing amazingly. X

My second was tube fed for the first week of his life. He spent the next two years breastfeeding. You absolutely don’t need to worry. Relax and enjoy your baby!

I’ve never heard of the golden hour, but when DD was born, I was flung into an ambulance and taken to another hospital, so didn’t hold her/feed her for some hours. She fed until 18 months, no issues with her latch etc.

Golden hour? Never heard of it. Have bf 3 dc, to 4.5y, 3y and 3y and counting.

It sounds as if it's not a helpful term.

I didn't manage this with my first born and despite me being in HDU with pre eclampsia and her briefly separated in a heated cot and IUGR and jaundiced we managed 11 months of breastfeeding after that (it was tricky to start as she was so sleepy but I kept at it!). Don't regret what didn't happen - remember that breastfeeding you do manage is great for your little one and the longer you keep going the better.

Congratulations!

Try not to worry yourself. My daughter was taken straight to SCBU, she had to had a few formula feeds through a tube, I didn't express anything for a good few hours (but once I did she was tube fed my milk.) She breastfed properly at almost 2 days old I think. She went on to feed for over 3 years so really that golden hour meant nothing at all!

The golden hour stuff is much more about encouraging health professionals to give mums and babies skin to skin right away and let them try breastfeeding as soon as possible. So it's about changing the medical culture when in the past babies were often taken away, cleaned up, wrapped up for a while whilst the mother recovered.

It's also about encouraging mums who don't want to breastfeed to give at least the first few feeds a go so that the baby gets some colostrum.

At a population level (I.e. in general terms) the evidence suggests that early skin to skin and as early as possible breastfeeding makes you more likely to continue but that definitely isn't the same as saying that if you don't get the golden hour you won't be able to feed. Far, far from it.

I had a traumatic birth, didn't get the golden hour and I'm currently lying next to my 18 month old who is still breastfeeding.

Rest, be kind to yourself and enjoy your lovely baby.

What the hell is the golden hour?! Sounds like some newfangled way to put extra stress on the whole thing

Off to google the golden hour...

My DD didn't get golden 6 hours due to PPH, she breastfed fine xx

I didn't bf dd until she was about 6 hours old. She was ebf until 6 months and then bf continued alongside food (She never had formula) until she was 3.5 years old. Congratulations on your baby!

Just wanted to say thank you so much for all those lovely and reassuring messages! As it turns out we did have a bit of trouble with my DD having trouble latching but we stayed in hospital for 2 nights and they were fantastic. Still having our ups and downs with it but persevering and it seems to be getting easier! Thanks again 😊

That’s nice to hear 🙂

Glad things are getting easier. I've never heard of the golden hour either. My DC's dad did skin to skin both times as I was having surgery, they both bfed for over 2 years. With the first I needed a lot of input to help with latching for a couple of weeks so don't be disheartened if it takes a while to click. Congratulations!

Glad it's getting easier (never heard of golden hour either, just as well as it was spent with me puking and then ds needing a checkup in NICU!). I would find a bf support group if there's one near you, in case it can be made easier (and a good source of tea and biscuits!)

I've not heard of this term either. What really matters is a bit of patience and persistence to get feeding settled. I found it incredibly hard going at first but had lovely midwives who were very practical and helpful. If this is your first baby, latching on is not always straightforward as you don't know what that actually feels like. Don't worry if it takes a little while but do ask for advice if it's tricky.

Never ever heard of the golden hour. DS1 was breastfed till 14 months. DS2 was v premature and in intensive care and didn’t properly latch on till 7 weeks later (was fed expressed milk by an NG tube). He then latched on and fed till he was a year old. Honestly, don’t beat yourself up. I consider myself a fairly experienced breastfeeder and I have never heard of this.

Try not to worry, the most important thing over the next few days I'd lots of skin to skin and free access to your boobs. My eldest spent her first 5 days in I intensive care, we will managed to breastfeed till 1 yr.