ABSTRACT
Maternal birth experience can have important physiological and psychological impacts upon breastfeeding initiation and continuation. Maternal birth experience can also affect the woman psychologically; a mother who feels that her body has let her down or feels traumatised by the birth may find it difficult to believe her body will be able to sustain her baby. Infants born by caesarean section can have altered feeding behaviours. Tongue movement is subdued, whilst suck is often faster and harder in an attempt to remove milk. This can lead to a less effective milk transfer, pain in the mother and as a consequence lower milk supply. Skin-to-skin contact is the grand finale to pregnancy and a building block of the synergistic relationship between a mother and her child. It is important that maternal pain is well controlled after birth, particularly if the birth was a caesarean section or instrumental delivery. The environment on the postnatal ward can also affect a mother’s breastfeeding success.
