Yes! I had a c-section and Im breastfeeding. While I was in the recovery room, they gave me my DD and told me to put her on the breast so she would start sucking. Just let your nurse know that you want to BF. I was all medicated but that was fine. They know which meds to give you so you can BF safely.
Best of luck!

Same with me. I had a c/s and we put baby to breast within the first hour of her birth and we did skin to skin in the recovery room also. I agree. Let everyone know this is your plan and they should be able to help you with it. Lots of women who have c/s go on to successfully breastfeed. Good Luck!

Thanks Ladies...Did you have to make a special request to have the baby in the recovery room with you, or is that pretty standard? Having never had a baby before, I don't know how this works :)

It was standard at the hospital I delivered at. Even though it was a c/section the baby was never taken away from me. She was cleaned up and weighed/measured right there in the OR. She went from the OR to the recovery room in my arms and then from recovery to the maternity unit in my arms. The hospital I used to work at though, we would take the baby straight to the nursery so it really just depends on the hospital you're delivering at. I think most now days try to keep mom and baby together as much as possible. I would try to find out ahead of time so you know what to expect and also maybe you could request for the baby to stay with you.

I had a c-section. My baby had a bit of formula right after birth, just because she was 10lbs and her sugar was a little low. My baby breastfeeds really well. I would suggest taking the boppy or some sort of pillow, use the nurses they helped me with different hold. As for the meds, I took perceot... I cant spell it (per-co-set) and I aksed them time after time if it would hurt the breast milk... and time after time the said no. By the time that I was discharged, I didnt take any pain meds other than Motrin. Good luck, and rest up!

I had an emergency c-section 5 weeks early, lost 3 pints of blood (so needed a transfusion), and both my babies were the NICU. And I was STILL able to breastfeed. I was so worried because so many people told me that if you have preemies with a c-section breastfeeding probably won't happen. I didn't get to do skin-to-skin or anything like that for almost a whole day and it was still ok. Once I got my blood transfusion anyway. My babies were too small/weak to breastfeed, so I pumped and my milk came in wonderfully. All my milk went to one baby who was weaker and the other got formula until I was sure I had enough milk for both. They both learned to latch fine. I nursed them until they were 14 months.

So while I agree with everyone here and think that you should talk to the hospital about getting skin-to-skin or even a latch as soon as possible (definitely the best!), if something goes wrong and that doesn't happen don't give up hope! Against all odds I was still able to do it.

I had a c-section and the hospital made every effort to get me to the baby in recovery as soon as possible. We immediately did skin to skin contact and he went right for the breast. It took a bit for my milk to come in but the nurses were wonderful and had me hooked up to a breast pump often to help. The meds are safe but they do make the baby very very tired. I tried to get off the meds as quickly as I could. The best thing I did was be very clear before I went in that I wanted to bf. I contacted the LC department before my scheduled date. I was originally scheduled because of placenta previa but had an emergency c-s because of pre-eclampsia. But the LCs knew who I was. One great advantage of c-section was being in the hospital longer and getting a lot of time with the LCs. Don't be shy, ask for them often. Just make your wishes very clear. Good Luck!

i also had a c/s and within an hour of her birth i was breastfeeding in the recovery room - it seems like it`s standard procedure regardless where u live. the only downfall was that i was so numb that i couldn`t hold her properly and the nurse had to assist.

i was lucky in that half the nurses were lactation consultants, so the always provided me with tips on how to successfully feed her. good luck!

Thank you all so much for the good advice and the support! I am feeling much more confident!

You should really check with your hospital, as each place has different policies.

I had a crash-cs (under general anaesthesia) with my third. I did not get to hold him for days, and only got to see him 24 hours after birth. Since he was NPO (nothing by mouth), I could not even bf him for the first two weeks or os. I did start pumping the day after the surgery. Of course, each surgery is different. You should ask about being abloe to hold your baby skin-on-skin right after he is born, to facilitate bf. The umbilical cord can still be attached, adn no, he does not need a bath....

Please insist on an ultrasound immediately prior to the c-section to verify whether you still have the placenta previa, and the baby

Oh, and i wanted to ad dthat pain medication they give you is perfectly fine. However, there may be some effects of the anaesthetic being transferred to the baby, making him a bit groggy, an dyes, in some cases, it may have an effect on bf. However, overall, one of the biggest myths of bf is that yo cannot take meds. Not true!

See this:
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26:breastfeeding-and-medications&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

Also, bf myths:
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27:myths-of-breastfeeding&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

Franny has a very good point about checking to see if the placenta previa has resolved itself - I have not had a c/s, but with my youngest, I had placenta previa at my 20 week u/s, and it was still not a good position at 28 weeks, so I had another u/s at 32 weeks I believe, if memory serves, and the situation had resolved itself. Anyway, best wishes to you!

I just wanted to add that while yes skin to skin and breastfeeding within the first hour are a great way to start out, that if it doesn't happen that way you are not doomed to fail at breastfeeding. My 3rd daughter ( third c-section) was breathing too fast after she was born so didn't get to nurse until she was over 6hrs old. I was not able to lay skin to skin w/ her as she needed supplemental 02 in the NICU for those few hours. That being said I had them check her blood sugar and it remained stable so I just had them wait until she was breathing OK to nurse( they would have given her formula through a tube in her nose otherwise). I ended up exclusively breastfeeding for 22months and even had enough milk to donate 1000oz to a milk bank and did a private person to person donation. Good luck and happy breastfeeding!

Hello Allie80,

Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck with your delivery! My sotory is similar to the ladies.. I had a C-section after 24 hours of induced labor. My DH brought our DS over to me and we had some skin to skin in the operating room.. cheek ro cheek so unsure if that did anything or not. I had some bleeding issues so my surgery was a lot longer as well as recovery.. lucky for me no tranfusion but I was held in recovery for 3 hours after a 2 hour procedure. Finally, after 5 hours, I was able to hold my DS and he took to the breast immediately. Other than his shallow latch (which equals really sore nipples), I have not had any issues at all with his BF. I don't think my hospital allows newborns in recovery to BF.

Also, while I woud have preferred to have my baby vaginally, the C-section was a lot easier than I thought. Recovery was long but certainly manageable. My buddy LaraTX recommended I get the C-section belly band to help with support (available at most maternity stores). It rocked my 1st 2 weeks of recovery and I would highly recommend it! I asked my MIL to get one for me while I was still in the hospital!

Good luck with everything.

I've had C-sections for all 3 of my children and I BF the last two. Just make sure that EVERYONE you come across knows that you want to breastfeed and not to give the baby any bottles. They always take the baby to the nursery right away while they finish closing the incision, and you will be a little groggy, but as soon as they take you to recovery, they can bring the baby to you. Just make sure that you tell anyone you see when you check in...the receptionist, the lab guy that takes your blood, the nurses, doctors, etc...and definitely invest in a Boppy pillow....I didn't have one the first time I breastfed and it was way more uncomfortable.