Breast feeding and traditional chinese "afterbirth food" after a C-section

G

ggjai

Registered User
I have just been advised by my Dr that it would be safer for me to have a C-section as BB has not engaged yet, even at this late stage in my pregnancy. I kind of OK with this and will follow Dr's advice, but just want to ask about breast feeding in the case of a natural vrs C-section birth. Are my chances of being able to breast feed lower with a c-section.....can I only start to breast feed at a later stage with a c-section?

Also, with a natural birth, most chinese women pretty much start on the special chinese 'afterbirth food' (like ginger fried rice, ginger & pork knuckle in vinegar, chicken rice etc etc) straight away - my mum says that the ginger fried rice is an absolute must IMMEDIATELY after a natural birth. Anybody have any idea if the situation is the same with a c-section? I hear that with a c-section, you can only start on these special foods later. Is this correct?

Ggjai
 
I just had a baby in June six weeks early by C-Section. In fact both my children were via C-section and both were breastfed. My older one was for five months. My new baby was on (80-90)% breastmilk a day for the first two weeks. Then 100% and when she had a growth spurt, I struggled a little to catch up and it was down to (80-90)% again. I managed to catch up after one to two weeks and it was 100% again. Now, I have about 20 ounces in storage in the freezer.

So, there you go, I started pretty much in the first week of both my children's births. Immediately after birth for my elder, and within one week for the younger due to the fact she was in an incubator).

If you had a C section, best to avoid ginger fried rice till after the first month. I had a brilliant confinement nanny whom I kept for two months. Yes, you are right, don't have too much ginger based food till after confinement if you had a C-section. My advice is, if you can afford it, get a confinement nanny. They do wonders, well, at least mine did.
 
Stay away from ginger for the first couple weeks...the hospital will give you literature on that. Ginger thins your blood and you don't need that after giving birth. It's tasty though once you can have it:) I had a bit of the vinegar stuff, but limited it because I was breastfeeding and worried about bub not liking the taste.
 
I know plenty of mommies who had c-sections and successfully breastfed, so it can be done (though I didn't have a c-section so can't give my personal opinion on it).

As for what chinese afterbirth foods you can eat, I know that there is a difference for those mommies that have had c-sections. If you had a good pui yuet, she should know. With c-sections, I think a lot of the foods you would normally eat during your confinement period would be eaten a little later. Your western doctor will also be able to tell you what not to eat during the days after your c-section.
 
I have a C-section, and I am breastfeeding my baby. I bed rested the day of the c-section and started breastfeeding my baby from the day after on the nursery room. I would let my baby suck for a while on each breast before topping up with formula. I kept doing that when I got home, and kept topping up for some days until my supply was enough to satisfy the baby.

About what food you should not have right after the c-section, those are the same that you should not have after having any surgery. Some food rich in collagen, like dried fish stomach, are not recommended as it may affect the scar.
 
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I'm not Chinese so I cant comment on the afterbirth diet. However, I wanted to reassure you that there's no reason why you shouldnt breastfeed after a c-section, with no delay at all. The hormones that make your milk "come in" will still come into action, and many women who do breastfeed after c-sections do so right from the birth with no top ups (remember that for the first few days it's just colostrum- the baby needs very little volume of milk). In the UK it's a common request for birth plans for women to request that the baby is laid straight onto their chest after being taken out by section as this improves the chance of successful breast feeding. I'm not sure where you live, but possibly it would benefit you to go and have a session with the Annerley Midwives. They are extremely knowledgeable about breastfeeding and can come and see you after the birth if you're having problems.
 
About the top ups.... Yes, no top up is the right way. I had my baby at Union Hospital, and although they do allow room in, as I was in a private room, the room in was just from some time in the morning till 8pm. They also feed the babies with formula following a schedule (every 4 hours), so people in standard rooms only get change to breastfeed their babies 6 times a day. So I was mostly combined feeding my baby there.
 
You start to make colostrum at about 16 weeks pregnant and so you will have colostrum now (and even if the baby is premature you have the colostrum ready and waiting for your baby).

It is true that colostrum is very small in quantity but this is how it is meant to be. Remember that your baby has never coordinated the sucking, swallowing and breathing before. He can only manage to learn this with small amounts of milk. In fact if you give formula on day 1 most babies just throw it back up again because they can not handle such large quantities.

It is the birthing of the placenta that allows your milk to increase. The placenta has hormones in it that stop the milk from increasing while you are pregnant. Whether you have a virginal delivery or a c-section you will also give birth to the placenta and so your milk will increase.

The milk usually increases on day 3 or day 4. Generally this depends on how well your baby is feeding. A really good feeder will bring the milk in earlier than a baby who is struggling to work out the coordination of the sucking, swallowing and breathing. (This makes sense as these babies need more practice with smaller volumes.)

This beautiful system is upset when you supplement your baby with formula top ups. If the baby can drink the top up with no problem then it is fine for your milk to increase. But your body and the baby get out of sync. Your body thinks it needs to slow down the increase in the milk because the baby isn?t feeding enough at the breast.

Most foods recommended for confinement food (the world over) are high in two minerals: calcium and iron. This is true of Chinese confinement foods too. The example I know the best is ?ginger vinegar?. Mothers start to eat this on the day 12 whether they had a normal birth or a c-section. In fact there is a special ceremony that the baby has before the mother starts to eat it. Ginger vinegar is very high in both calcium and iron. Remember these special foods are not to make better milk for the baby (the milk quality is always good) but rather to keep the mother healthy.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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