Breast feeding
Please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWPbykBKEMA and answer the
questions as you watch.
1. Name 3 early signs of hunger that a newborn might exhibit.
-Stirring (REM in sleep too), sucking/cooing/sighing, mouth opening, rooting, hand to mouth
movements
a. Name 3 late signs of hunger.
-fussiness, exhaustion, sleep, crying
b. What surprises you about the signs of hunger?
-I thought that the late signs of hunger would be the early ones, and were unaware that the early
ones even existed.
c. Name 2 breast feeding positions (or holds).
-Cross cradle, football hold
d. What are 7 characteristics of a good latch?
-wide open mouth, angle of the corner of the mouth should be 130-150 degrees, corners of the
mouth shouldn’t touch, baby’s chin touches the breast, nose is not touching the breast, the latch
is asymmetrical, the lips are flanged out
Watch the following video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjt-Ashodw8
What are your impressions of this video?
I think that there are more diagrams and visuals, as not everyone that they’re teaching this skill
to is going to speak English.
Compare and contrast the videos you just watched. What are the similarities? Are there any
differences?
The similarities are that they pretty much teach the same technique, just with different wording.
The difference is that the second video used a more visual platform and really emphasized
proper nipple placement in the baby’s mouth.
Now watch the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTm9zvz5-Dc
Let’s apply what you have learned.
Carrie is a G1 who had a spontaneous vaginal delivery of a female infant 30 minutes ago. Carrie
desires to breast feed. What are some supportive interventions you can provide to ensure breast
feeding is successful?
The biggest thing would definitely be straight up education on everything from technique, what
not to do, how to identify and deal with problems, and the advantages/disadvantages of both
breast and bottle feeding.
Detail the teaching that you would provide to Carrie prior to the first feeding.
As mentioned above, I would make sure to include technique, potential problems and treatments,
the advantages and disadvantages of bottle and breast, etc.
Describe the assessments you would make during a breastfeeding session to determine if the
infant has a good latch.
I would definitely make sure that a large portion of the areola is in the mouth, and that the baby
seems to be having an easy time of it and gulping slow, large amounts. Basically follow the
LATCH guidelines.
Carrie complains of pain during breastfeeding. When you observe a feeding, you see the
following:
What might be the cause of Carrie’s discomfort?
What interventions would you implement?
The cause of her discomfort is that the infant’s mouth is pinching her nipples, which is bad
because it’s painful and also because it might subsequently discourage her from breastfeeding. I
would immediately correct the technique and explain why.