First feed after birth

[Alexalli]

Hi. I've read alot of info with no clear answer. When my baby is born, I appreciate breast feeding soon after is helpful. However can I do this in privacy without the midwife? Do they really need to be there?

Hi,
If there’s one thing I regret it was telling my midwife and hospital that I planned on breastfeeding! I had filled enough syringes of colostrum (10) to last the duration of being in hospital. I wasn’t allowed to leave hospital until I was ‘assessed ‘ so to speak. And okay I get why they want to check and breastfeeding isn’t easy to I guess a lot of women would like the support. I just felt like it was embarrassing. I really wish I said I wasn’t and they would have just left me alone. Even when the midwife came out a few days later again I had a breastfeeding assessment.

They can offer good support if you need it. Positioning and latch techniques ect but it’s how you feel I suppose x good luck xx

Sorry forgot to add x it was only when I went to the ward I was left alone for a while. There is always someone in the room whilst you are in the birthing room. I know times can vary but I was moved on after 2.5 hrs x

Depends so much on your midwife I found. With my first, my lovely midwife said “Shall I leave you to have a try on your own? Just buzz if you need me” and that was it. I realised after speaking to other new Mums how lucky I was.
With my next two I was confident enough to ask for some privacy whilst I began to establish feeding.

Have you breastfed before?

You might need some help or guidance with latch and positioning. I found the midwives very helpful and encouraging for those first few feeds while I was still in the labour suite.

In my experience, someone needs to see the baby feed before you'll allowed to be discharged. It's for the baby's sake really to make sure they're able. I had one really lovely midwife who was great at showing me how and helping me, another who was a bit rough and I wish I had spoken up and said something instead of letting her carry on. So do say something. Don't feel intimidated. But be aware they need to see or know of the baby having eaten to ensure everything's okay I think.

I had a lovely young midwife who helped me with DS's first feed. It was after everyone else had left the room and she showed me a way to do it with us both lying down. I thought I'd be embarrassed but I absolutely wasn't, it was so lovely and natural.

However, she didn't assess my breastfeeding in any way and let me get on with it once he was in position. I didn't have anyone check his feeding after that, apart from at his 3-day check (?) when I asked because I had a sore nipple.

Thankyou. I appreciate you letting me know.
I genuinely for many reasons don't want to be watched and feel uneasy about it. I'm hoping I can say I'm not having an audience and they will give me that privacy. 😔. X

Dude the baby comes out of your vagina, they plonk it on your chest, the baby latches on and starts feeding. There's no timing it, and no privacy.

I felt anxious about having other people in the room when breastfeeding before I started it, and like a PP I hated the postpartum assessment thing.

But the first feed was completely instinctive and kind of amazing - I didn't do anything except lie there whispering "oh my god you're so beautiful" and she wriggled to my nipple and latched herself. It was incredible.... And I didn't spend a second thinking about other people in the moment.

Try not to worry.

Privacy didn’t occur to me after having my DTs - although I’d had a section there’d been so many people looking (I had student midwives in too) and I was shattered it just didn’t register.

I had to have someone with me and I started trying to bf whilst I was in the recovery room. I’m absolutely sure if I’d asked for a cover or for them to look away as I felt uncomfortable that they would’ve done, but I needed help getting the babies let alone anything else!

PP make a valid point- after the mw has been spending the last 30 mins looking at your fanny, coaching your pushing and encouraging you for most of your active labour, it’s unlikely you’ll give a shit about her seeing a slip of nipple.

I thought I’d be weird about it as well, but when dc1 didn’t latch I had multiple midwives and healthcare assistants massaging my boobs, adjusting the baby’s head and hand expressing to show me how. It lost the awkwardness factor in 0.5 seconds.

They don't need to see that feed but they'll want to see baby feed at some point before you're discharged. They really don't stand staring at your breast, they're just in the room getting on with other things (in my case, trying to get my stubborn placenta to shift) abd would only get involved if you need help with positioning.

A midwife seeing your boob will be the least of your concerns 🙈 they spend hours staring at your naked bottom half! After birth, they pass you baby & for me both times, they’ve asked if I wanted to feed. They’ve then helped latch the baby on and left us be. And by left us be, they will be busying around the room tidying up all the blood & fluid from the floor, weighing the bloody towels to check blood loss, checking the placenta etc and keeping an eye on you for any post labour severe bleeding etc or possibly stitching you up if required!

My first had a terrible latch & was a hopeless feeder, I needed a fair bit of support to be fair & I welcomed it! My second just hopped on & no-one checked again!

The assessment is to check latch as sometimes certain problems in the baby can become evident during breastfeeding. Like everything to do with labour you can say no if you don’t want the assessment. But if you do say no and the baby goes on to lose 8-10% or more of their birth weight you may be invited back to the hospital.