How to Facilitate Successful Breastfeeding?
Current practices in most hospitals in India separate mother and baby after birth. After a normal delivery, hospitals should follow evidence-based and WHO recommended guidelines to allow mother and baby to be in skin-to-skin contact, and encourage the practice of nursing within the first hour of birth. The American Academy of Pediatrics also strongly advocates starting breast feeding within the first hour after birth. In case hospitals feel the need to clean and dry the baby (mother’s skin happens to be the best body warmer for baby), they should at least not clean the insides of the baby’s fists. In my experience, minimum baby care procedures, pediatrician checks, Vit K injections etc, should not take more than 20 minutes. The staff should then hand over the baby to mom to start the process of mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding. Research has also shown that swaddling a newborn is not really needed. Although it is common practice for baby’s comfort, swaddling appears to be counterpr
