Skin to skin/ 1st time nursing

jedawson13 · February 2014

I am a FTM and 38 wks. I plan on nursing and have heard how important skin to skin time with the baby is immediately after birth. For some reason I am becoming increasingly anxious about nursing for the first time and what will happen if I miss out on the skin to skin due to possible c/s etc. For some reason I'm afraid I'll do it all wrong! Any advice?

food_chick · February 2014

You won't do it wrong, and even if you did, your baby won't know.

My first was born at 35 weeks and he wasn't breathing as well as they liked so I only got to hold him for a few seconds before they took him to the special care nursery. I got to go see him only an hour later and it was still amazing. The nurses helped me with breastfeeding and I got to hold him for awhile. Our second was "the ideal" situation. I got to hold him for awhile and even nurse him immediately after birth. Even being my second, I couldn't remember how to nurse a newborn and the nurses helped me. It will all go smoothly and all the staff are there to help you with that. Good luck and congrats!

jedawson13 · February 2014

Very helpful, thank you!

LyndseylovesHugh · February 2014

I ended up with an unplanned c/s after a very long labor and was so out of it/could barely move that I was not able to do skin to skin or breastfeed right away, it was probably about an hour later that I was able to (although I was so out of it I don't really know what the time line really was). Everything worked out just fine; DD was able to breastfeed and we bonded wonderfully. Yes, skin to skin right away is best, but if you can not because things are out of your control do not worry, everything will be ok!

mcgeeva · February 2014

I had severe preE and had an emergency csection. I was not allowed to nurse due to the drugs they had me on but I still got immediate skin to skin. You will do just fine mana

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

Skin to skin is important, but lots of people are successful at breastfeeding despite starting out with less than ideal circumstances! My sister had a csand they separated her and the baby for like four hours, but they still want on to breastfeed exclusively for over two years! Just stick with it.

jedawson13 · February 2014

Thank you for all the good advice! I feel so much better now

ncbelle · February 2014

You definitely can't do skin to skin wrong

Just snuggle your baby between your breasts. Babies actually do really well on their own in the moments after birth (google breast crawl). In many cases, you can still do skin to skin even with a c-section. If not, don't panic! And always ask for the help of an IBCLC (not just a postpartum nurse) if you have ANY questions or concerns!

momofmanyinthemitten · February 2014

LyndseylovesHugh said:
I ended up with an unplanned c/s after a very long labor and was so out of it/could barely move that I was not able to do skin to skin or breastfeed right away, it was probably about an hour later that I was able to (although I was so out of it I don't really know what the time line really was). Everything worked out just fine; DD was able to breastfeed and we bonded wonderfully. Yes, skin to skin right away is best, but if you can not because things are out of your control do not worry, everything will be ok!

This exactly for me too. I pulled DS out at his VBAC and he was on me for quite some time. No difference in the BFing or bonding between the two.

KariB509 · February 2014

I was also nervous about nursing for the first time but it all worked out!
My son was quickly whisked away after I delivered because there was a bit of meconium in the birth canal and they were concerned he breathed it in. After the nurses and respiratory therapists checked him and he was totally fine, I got to hold him. It took about 5-10 minutes and the doctor stitched me up during that time. So obviously I didn't have immediate skin to skin contact. But the safety of my new baby came first and even looking back I don't feel like I missed anything. Anyway, when I held him he almost immediately started rooting. I told the nurse that I didn't know what to do and she helped. He latched right away and the rest was history.
Long story short, everything might not work out exactly the way you want it to but you'll get your chance for skin to skin contact and you'll bond with your beautiful newborn! GL!

FemShep · February 2014

Skin to skin isn't just important for nursing, it's the most effective way for baby to regulate their body temperature, and dads can (and should!) do it too.

I had a scheduled c/s. At my hospital, while I was getting sewn up, after baby is checked out, they strongly encourage dad to to skin to skin until mom is taken to recovery. Then mom does skin to skin and offers the breast. Remember that at this point, baby is only getting colostrum and only getting a very small amount; even if your contact is delayed by 30 minutes, baby will be just fine and you can nurse successfully.

InLovewSB · February 2014

As a FTM, you can't help your anxiety about it, but try your best to relax and not worry. BFing is a natural thing, and while there will probably be some hiccups along the way, it's in the baby's instinct to suckle and he will try his best to do so.

If it can calm your fears - With my son, I had a c-section after about 20 hrs of labor and 2 of pushing. It was late at night, almost 11pm by the time the C was finished, so perhaps that played a factor. But after I literally saw him for 2 minutes they took him (and my H) to the nursery to be washed, and I did not see him for about 1 or 1.5hrs. We had no issues breastfeeding, and we bonded beautifully. With my daughter, I had a RCS. After she was born, I saw her again for like 2 minutes, but they brought her back about 30 minutes later so I could breastfeed her. Then I didn't see her again for about 1 hr while they washed her, etc (but my H went with her). She also was a very good nurser, and we had no issues bonding. So skin to skin is perhaps best, but other situations can still turn out for the best. Don't worry.

jtmomma13 · February 2014

I had a planned c/s due to breech baby and one of the major things I was upset about was not having instant skin to skin....But we were totally fine! As soon as he came into the recovery room he went right onto my chest and he had no issues latching on to my nipple.

Even now at 6 months and no longer BFing (long story) we still do skin to skin esp when he is having a hard time getting to sleep or is fussy.

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