In this episode we explore things that we can do in the early days postpartum to best set ourselves up for a successful breastfeeding journey. Part of this is making sure you get a solid milk supply, most of which is driven by supply and demand. I talk about crucial strategies to help make this happen, including initiating breastfeeding within an hour postpartum, protecting your golden hour, skin to skin contact, removing sufficient milk every 2-3 hours, and hand expression. The early hours and days will affect outcomes weeks and months down the road when it comes to milk supply in particular, so it's important to start out strong with a good plan and commitment to making the most of the early postpartum period.

I also give little tidbits about infant reflexes at work via the breast crawl and how this is a not widely known (but highly awesome and natural) avenue for feeding and specifically latching. Additionally, I talk some about cases where adding extra pumping in the beginning might be a good idea to explore with your qualified lactation professional.

WHO/UNICEF Breast Crawl Video (Warning: this is a video of an actual birth with actual images/footage)

https://www.ccbirthcenter.com/unicef-breastfeeding-crawl-video/