My thoughts about the first two hours:  many babies breastfeed within this period, even well, but many just do not, whether it has to do with interventions at birth ( which is often the case of course) or not - I see Skin to Skin as a WIN-WIN  situation - MAXIMUN TOGETHERNESS WITH MINIMUM EFFORT  and if the baby wants to go to the breast - great - of course go with it and delight in it - but  if not, then we are going to rejoice with the skin to skin, and continue it of course, and the baby will be BF  later on - that is fine too. 
As a midwife I saw too many couples making a really big deal about succeeding at BF immediately after birth ( wonderful of course) or, disappointedly, NOT - I very much believe: this is a time TO BE, not necessarily TO DO ( meaning - making every effort to have the baby BF)...
A lot is talked about in Childbirth education courses  about breastfeeding immediately after birth - Perhaps not enough emphasis is given about Skin to Skin for the first hours and days  - mothers should know about this  when she  is pregnant so she knows what to expect and look forward  to...

Leslie Wolff  Midwife  IBCLC  Israel


-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amy Peterson, BS, IBCLC
Sent: 22 June, 2011 18:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Skin-to-skin "helping" breastfeeding

Skin to skin is beneficial to all babies--regardless of how they are fed.  At our most recent BFHI nurse training, the single biggest outcome and shift IMO was our policy addition of skin to skin for every baby.  This was an ah-ha moment for our staff.  We're not just singling out the breastfeeding babies and spending more time and energy on their entrance into the world--we're providing the same perfect environment for all babies (mom's chest) for the first hour or more after birth.  And if it naturally ends in breastfeeding (which it often does!) we have more breastfeeding mothers.  The nurses have said it truly makes their jobs easier.  
Amy Peterson, BS, IBCLC
Idaho

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