• Holding your baby skin-to-skin
• Proper position and latch
• Following your baby's cues
• Learning how to hand express colostrum.

Holding Your Baby Skin-to-Skin

Skin-to-skin is a way of holding your baby that both babies and parents find enjoyable. The baby wears only a diaper and is held in an upright position on the parent's bare chest. A light blanket can be draped across the baby's back. When babies are held skin-to-skin, they can hear their parent's heartbeat, breathing, smell, feel their skin. This is familiar and comforting to babies.

• Stabilizes your baby's heart rate, breathing and blood sugar
• Keeps your baby warm though your body heat
• Promotes bonding and getting to know your baby
• Helps your baby to be calm and cry less
• Helps you to be more confident and relaxed
• Helps your milk flow and may improve your milk supply
• Promotes a good latch. This means that you are less likely to develop sore nipples and your baby will get more milk

Hold your baby skin-to-skin as soon as possible after giving birth. Hold your baby skin-to-skin for an hour or more, as long as you wish. As your baby grows, continue holding your baby skin-to-skin often for long periods. Premature babies benefit from this, too. Sometimes this is called Kangaroo Care. Your partner, or another person you are close to, can also provide skin-to-skin care to comfort and nurture your baby from time to time. When you are about to feed your baby make sure you and your baby are in a position that makes it easy to breastfeed. Parents and babies can breastfeed in many different positions.

Following your baby's cues

Early signs of hunger include:

• Mouthing (hand movements to the mouth and sucking on fists)
• Licking lips, sucking motions or sounds
• Rooting (opening the mouth, searching to suck and sucking on contact)
• Opening eyes wider than usual
• Restlessness or moving arms and legs

Early signs of fullness include:

• Sucking actions will slow down
• Losing interest or letting go of the nipple
• Rooting will stop
• Turning head away

Hand Expression

Hand expressing colostrum or breastmilk is important because it helps you to:

• Express a few drops of milk to get baby interested in latching.
• Gently rub a few drops of milk into your nipples to prevent soreness.
• Soften your breasts near your nipples before latching your baby, if they are very full.
• Make your breasts comfortable if they are full and your baby is not feeding.
• Express milk for your baby if you are going to be away from her or need to feed her other than directly at the breast.

View a more detailed video of hand expression.