For a first time mother, the mechanics of breastfeeding often seem foreign. Your first attempt at feeding may come naturally or you may need a little help. The most important element required in this first feed is that you are relaxed, focussed and assisted confidently. At this point, both mother and baby should ideally be in a nice quiet, dimly lit place to attend to each other's needs. The woman is nourishing her baby both physically and emotionally and, by his sucking on the nipple, he is helping to expel the placenta and close the capillaries of the uterus. Ask someone to adjust the ambience of the room to suit the occasion. Soft lighting, some nice incense or some essential oils, and music if you wish, rather than just sitting there in the harsh hospital lighting.
   One of the most common complaints I hear from women who have difficulties breastfeeding in the later months, is that they felt they were not helped sufficiently with their early feeds or that the advice they got was conflicting. They and their babies therefore formed poor feeding habits from the outset. Most new mothers will need help and advice with breastfeeding many times over in the first few days and weeks. But it must be consistent advice. A common story is that in many hospital situations they get told one thing and shown one way in the delivery room, another in the recovery ward, and yet another by the community nurse in the first weeks. And then of course their mum might have a whole different way of doing things – which worked perfectly well for her – but which has now been “superseded” by modern methods!
   More than just showing the mother, the baby has to be assisted and taught how to properly breastfeed too. This last statement is another of the great eternal maternal contentions! “Is it that the mother has poor feeding habits or the child? Doesn’t a baby just know how to breastfeed? Why should women need to be shown?” These issues I will address in the next chapter.
   The most common problem at this early stage is not latching the baby onto the nipple properly. Although suckling is an instinct, newborn babies have no ability to control their head nor strength to “grab” the nipple with their mouth. They simply open their mouth and will begin to suckle as soon as something contacts with their tongue. If the nipple is only partly in their mouth they will suckle only the nipple tip. This soon becomes the habit, with the end result of causing cracked nipples – sometimes within just a few feeds.
   One of the advantages of having a homebirth or independent midwife is that 
   

she becomes your overall teacher throughout the pre-natal,childbirth and post-natal periods. However, if you are not having your own midwife, another possibility is finding an experienced doula, advocate, childbirth educator or lactation consultant to advise you before and during this important time. Your own mother might also be the best person for this role – if she has the experience and lives nearby. But the main consideration is that whoever you choose, whoever you listen to, needs to have the obvious qualification of having successfully breastfed their own children. Do not listen to the others!
   When beginning this first feed, ask your midwife to help you with her own hands, support the baby’s back, and firmly bring his head in close to your breast so that his open mouth will close well over your nipple. When the baby is properly latched-on, most or all of the dark areola should be in the baby’s mouth, with the nipple then suckled well down the baby’s throat. When correct, a suckling baby should not cause you any pain in the nipple. Once latched-on and suckling, both of you should just cuddle up close, skin to skin, under a warm blanket and feed as long as he will happily.
   In these first special hours, there should be no rush at all, and if a woman is delivering her placenta naturally she may still be having contractions for an hour or more. During that time she just needs to hold and feed her baby. Once the child has fed and the placenta is delivered, if there has been a tear or episiotomy then stitches can be done at this time. There is usually no need to do so prior, unless the wound is very severe. General cleanup of your body or the baby’s is also not necessary before a time when you feel ready to shower.
 

	~Natural Placental Delivery~

   Much has been discussed previously about induced placental delivery and problems with placental delivery. If a woman is birthing naturally, either at home or in a Birth Centre, she will not be administered syntocin as a matter of course. After the birth of the baby, there may be a short period of rest, but usually the uterus begins contractions again within 5 or 10 minutes. Bringing the baby to the breast as soon as he begins to root (the reflex suckling motion of his mouth) helps to stimulate these contractions and deliver the placenta. A placenta cannot deliver until it is fully separated from the wall of the uterus. Although standard hospital policy considers any placenta not delivered after