Feeding Your Baby
In a Nutshell
How you feed your baby is an important and personal decision. Breast milk is the perfect food for newborns biologically, however some people may choose alternative feeding methods based on certain factors.
Dig Deeper
How you plan to feed your baby is a unique and important decision. As with all decisions surrounding birth and the immediate postpartum, it is best if you are informed and your decision is respected. Everyone has different experiences and should not be judged. No matter how you choose to feed your baby, please recognize the importance of bonding for you both during feeding time. Your baby is watching you, looking at you, and loves it when you engage with them during this activity!
Options
Breast Crawl
All newborn mammals (including humans) are able to self-attach at the breast. Allowing your baby to find the breast on their own can "set their circuits" in a profound, biological way. Place your baby parallel on your chest, skin to skin, and when they're ready (bobbing their head, sucking on their fists, rooting) let them move towards one breast or another. You can aid their efforts, but make sure you follow their lead. Once they're close to the breast they may hang out there for a while, sniffing, rooting, sucking on their hands (breastmilk and amniotic fluid smells similar so it's a way for them to figure out if they're in the right place). Make sure the environment is as quiet and undisturbed as possible as they work to latch.
Even if there is separation between you and baby after birth, or if your baby was in the NICU for a period of time, you can still re-create a breast crawl up to six months after birth. It can really "re-set" their systems!
For more information, check out BreastCrawl.org.