by Heidi Green
April 27, 2009

Expectant parents spend a lot of time thinking about their baby’s arrival. They wonder where they will be when labor begins and if they will recognize the first contractions. They wonder what labor will be like and what will happen at the hospital. They wonder what their baby will feel like and smell like and need. If they’ve decided to breastfeed, they wonder what that will be like and how they will get started.

I think it is fair to say that no book or video can prepare you fully for the experience of breastfeeding your baby for the first time. The labor and its aftermath are completely different from anything you have likely experienced, and each birth varies. Even a mother who has given birth before might be surprised by what she is feeling in the moments after her baby’s birth.

That’s one reason why Sue Cox’s video Breastfeeding: Mom and I Can Do That is so valuable. The breastfeeding start that she describes is one that mothers can manage after a wide variety of birth experiences, since it is almost completely baby-led. As Cox explains, once the mother places the baby on her chest, the baby will follow a series of instinctual steps that will result in the first successful breastfeed.

The baby-led approach to breastfeeding is the main thrust of the video. The first, eight-minute segment focuses on a couple’s first visit with their lactation consultant. Deb and Jason are expecting the birth of their second child soon, and they do not want a repeat of the problems Deb had breastfeeding their son. Cox talks through what may have happened, touching on difficulties that can be created if the baby is forced to the breast during the first feeding. As she explains, the baby must search around with the mouth to find the breast, as it is during this process that she will learn to bring the tongue forward to feed. Otherwise, the baby will squash the nipple during feeding, which can damage the nipple and cause other problems.

After using a doll to show the couple what sort of movements they can expect the baby to make in the minutes before the first feeding, Cox segues into a brief segment entitled “Baby Eva Finds the Breast.” The video shows the baby’s remarkable and instinctive ability to latch on to her mother’s breast unassisted. (This segment alone is worth viewing several times before childbirth!)

Next, Cox discusses other factors in the baby’s environment that might impact breastfeeding success early on. Since the baby uses scents from the amniotic fluid and the mother’s body for guidance in locating the breast, Cox recommends that Deb avoid using soaps, creams, lotions, and oils for the first 24 to 48 hours. She also recommends that visitors avoid handling the baby directly during this initial get-acquainted time for mother and child.

Not to leave fathers out, Cox devotes about two minutes to the partner’s role during the early hours of parenting. The father’s responsibilities are to protect the mother and baby, to advocate on their behalf to health care providers, and to ensure that the family’s wishes are heard. He is also to reduce the amount of stress felt by the baby, who will be coping with the birth.

In the final segment of the video, Cox talks Deb through the process of hand expression. First, she asks the expectant mother how she thinks she might draw colostrum or milk from her breast. Then, Cox corrects Deb’s finger placement and directs her about what sort of motion to make with her fingers and thumb. Finally, she encourages the mother to practice in the shower each day, so that she can get used to touching her breasts. Any mother who has ever experienced the pain of engorgement will agree that this is another segment that should be watched several times before childbirth!

Brief and concise, Cox’s video guide is sure to help many parents ensure their breastfeeding gets off to a great start. At just about thirty minutes in length, it could reasonably be integrated into an established parenting or breastfeeding course.

Cox is a reassuring expert who conveys confidence about mothers’—and babies’—ability to breastfeed. I wish that she would have taken a few minutes to speak about the importance of breastfeeding on-demand (i.e., in response to baby’s feeding cues, rather than on a schedule). In relation to this, she could have mentioned the impact of on-demand feeding on a mother’s milk supply, as well as babies’ cues of hunger and satiety.

As one who has had babies placed on the breast before they found their own way there, I wanted Cox to provide a little more information. What can parents expect time-wise? Should they be concerned if baby doesn’t find the breast, say, within an hour of birth? Are there any different considerations for mothers with larger breasts, or those who are obese?

Finally, I suspect that viewers might appreciate a few more words about hand expression of mother’s milk. Cox could comment about how hand expression compares in effectiveness to pump expression, and how they would collect milk they might eject during hand expression. While Sue Cox is Australian, her video is marketed internationally and American mothers often return to paid employment all too soon. Collecting what they express during engorgement might help them build their freezer stash in advance of their return to work, and gadget-free milk expression might be worth considering long-term.

In short, Sue Cox’s video provides incredible insight about infants’ inborn feeding abilities. Viewed in conjunction with other resources—a breastfeeding course or books—this video is sure to be quite helpful to parents as they begin to plan for their baby’s arrival and the start of breastfeeding.

Heidi Green has been researching and writing about women’s and children health since she moved to Pittsburgh more than 10 years ago. She is also a children’s book reviewer in her spare time. She is mom to Ben, Katie, Sam, and Max.