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April is National C-Section Awareness month. While sometimes C-sections lead to a feeling of "deterred plans", successful breastfeeding journeys can still be achieved after delivering your baby via C-section. A few things to discuss with your healthcare provider: Ask /be aware of the circumstances that would lead to an emergency C-section Prepare your support team. Start a meal train, create "to do lists, etc. Studies have shown that one of the biggest factors of breastfeeding success is in-home support! Skin to skin! - Did you know that Skin to Skin between a newborn and their mother helps to regulate newborn heart rate and temperature? The temperature regulation is SO accurate that the breast of a mother who has just delivered twins can warm to different temperature degrees in order to heat/cool each individual twin!! MAGICAL huh? Dad's can also do skin to skin and experience that special bond Transitional Milk - we often hear "milk coming in". SPOILER ALERT - Colostrum IS milk and is present as early as the 16th week of pregnancy. This means that you HAVE milk at delivery. It is TRUE that deliveries via c-section show a delay in the arrival of TRANSITIONAL milk however, frequent suckling coupled with skin to skin can encourage that process to be shorter.
Photo Credit: JEN MENDENHALL In summary, arm yourself with these facts and consider a prenatal breastfeeding consultation to review your specific situation.