ABSTRACT
It is a con1mon practice for a doctor or midwife to encourage a mother to put her infant to the breast as soon as possible after the birth. This is partly because the sucking of the baby acts as a positive stimulus assisting the return of the uterus to its normal size. Although the physiological mechanism is rather complicated, the physical effect upon the mother is quite immediate and definite. As one mother put it, when the baby first sucks it makes your toes curl up.
