They Say: C-Section Doesn’t Stop Breastfeeders
The idea of major surgery scares everyone, but women may have one less reason to worry about a possible C-section. A new study says women who undergo a Cesarean birth do not have a harder time breastfeeding for a lengthy period of time.
The study out of England followed some two thousand moms and determined the largest factors for breastfeeding cessation were race and number of children.
The link between a C-section with its delayed initiation of breastfeeding and the length of time a mom stuck with it was deemed “weak,” by the researchers at the University of Manchester.
Published in the latest issue of BMC Pediatrics, the study found white women were seventy percent more likely to stop breastfeeding earlier than non-white counterparts. Likewise, they found that women who already had children at home were more likely to continue breastfeeding for longer periods of time than women on their first baby (perhaps because women are more experienced, and therefore more at ease after baby number two?).
As for the C-section – it didn’t matter if baby was put to breast one hour or two days after the birth, the total length of time spent feeding with breastmilk was the same.
Does this surprise you?
More by this author:
I had no idea that some babies were waiting that long after c-sections to nurse. I had my twins by c-section, and I nursed them pretty soon after (maybe 2 hours? I’m not sure), and for 16 months after that. There were some problems in the beginning, but they were unrelated to the surgery.
Ditto to what Manjari said. I had an unplanned c-section and my son was put to my breast asap. I nursed for 15 months and stopped because I wanted my body back. I also had some problems at first but they were mainly because my son was an aggressive nurser so my body was getting torn up and hurt.
Tritto to Manjari. I nursed about an hour and a half after my son’s birth by cesarean.
I’m glad to hear all these comments – the study showed some women weren’t getting to nurse for as long as two days. But it’s good to know hospitals are trying to stick to the “as soon as possible” idea!
Jeanne, I wonder if those women who had to wait for 2 days had kids in the NICU? My son was in the NICU, and I was actually encouraged to go and see him and try to nurse, but it was physically difficult to get the strength up to do that. However, I was still able to eventually breastfeed and did so for 12 months. (Thank goodness for that industrial pump!)
My daughter was born by Caesarean, and in the NICU, and we nursed successfully for 14 months. My son was a C-section, too, and he nursed for 11 months before giving me the boot.
Laure – good point. I actually know a mom who ended up in a different hospital than her child because the baby was rushed out to a hospital with a NICU, while she had to stay and recover from her C-section in that hospital.
My first son was born vaginally, and although I breastfed him until he weaned himself at 15 months, he initially could not breastfeed. For a full month, I had to pump and bottle-feed the expressed milk as he was not able to latch on.
My second – now 12 weeks old – was born by Caesarian and has been nursing well from the start. He was taken to the NICU after delivery; I didn’t get to hold him until he was 7 hours old, and didn’t try to breastfeed him until after he was brought to room-in with me.
And on top of all that, although my babies were born in the same hospital, the experience was completely different. With the first – the one who initially couldn’t breastfeed – there was a dogma that only the breast would do. We were discharged without him having ever successfully nursed, only to end up in emergency a few hours later, with him down 12% of his birth weight and having developed jaundice. This time – with the baby who was able to nurse from the start – they provided bottles and formula as needed to supplement. Without the pressure to breastfeed to the exclusion of all else, I was much calmer and more relaxed and able to cope with the demands of early breastfeeding. (But I digress!)
For a study to be considered “true” the results need to be reproducible to show that its wasn’t bias or fluke. This hasn’t proved to be.
I simply don’t buy that the pain killers, pain, IVs, delayed initiation of breastfeeding doesn’t impact the percentage of women that start breastfeeding and the number that make it to 6 weeks.
After two days spent trying for a natural birth at a birth center with amazing midwives, I ended up going to the hospital and having a C-section after over 60 hours of labor. My midwife came with me, and it was a matter of minutes before she was helping my daughter latch on to me (though I was soooo out of it, she knew that’s what I wanted, and was INCREDIBLE). My daughter nursed for 2 years, and we had no trouble from the beginning- thank god for my midwife!
I’ve had 2 c-sections (both emergency, first was too big and 4 days of labor, second flipped footling breech during a vbac) and was made to wait at least an HOUR before being able to nurse them, they were up in the nursery with dh while I was left in recovery, despite my youngest being born with low blood sugar (dh wouldn’t let them give him formula, he made them bring me up even though the person that usually did it was on lunch.. they’d FORGOTTEN I was in recovery and was going to exclusively nurse!)
It may be difficult, but you just need to learn which position works best for you.