Breast Crawl... what is the point?

[briggsy's girl]

Kim - apparently the colostrum you produce smells very much like amniotic fluid - in a true breast crawl, the baby is cleaned to a degree, but the amniotic fluid is left on the hands, so as baby is moving around (jerky newborn hand movements) it will smell the amniotic fluid on it's hands, and will be drawn to the similar smell of the breast milk...

Kelly (ages ago) posted a breast crawl vid on here with a convo about it - it peaked my interest so i went looking! will see if i can find the thread

[briggsy's girl]

here is the link to the previous post

[Shanti]

Did you girls know that our nipples darken in pregnancy and aereola gets larger and even some women get the linea nigra line, because this makes it easier for newborns to find mum's nipples!! They know where to look.... they see these two big dark things! And the line helps direct bub up towards the nipples...... so amazing isnt' it..... read about it as i always wondered why our nipples get darker!!

I would like to try the breastcrawl, will see how i go. It's not on my birth plan however I will see how I feel at the time but will definitely want to get bub gently to the nipples and not forced by a midwife!!!!

[Olive]

kim i think there is something in the amniotic fluid that resembles the smell of brest milk......will go check for you!

here tis :

unborn babies detect subtle changes int the 'flavour' of amniotic fluid. it is believed this fluid acts as a flavour bridge to their mothers breast milk

[Salsa]

Did you girls know that our nipples darken in pregnancy and aereola gets larger and even some women get the linea nigra line, because this makes it easier for newborns to find mum's nipples!! They know where to look.... they see these two big dark things! And the line helps direct bub up towards the nipples...... so amazing isnt' it..... read about it as i always wondered why our nipples get darker!!

thats so interesting! I got linea nigra under my nipples this time, and have been wondering why! I wonder if the linea nigra that some ladies get on their belly is to help lead the baby upwards too? I didnt have that.

[Olive]

my bubs isnt going to find my nipples by the linera line!! i never get them, thats what happens to pasty white people!!

[Salsa]

my bubs isnt going to find my nipples by the linera line!! i never get them, thats what happens to pasty white people!!

Pale and interesting

[Shanti]

my bubs isnt going to find my nipples by the linera line!! i never get them, thats what happens to pasty white people!!

I missed out on a linea nigra too!! hahaha I didn't want one anyway..... hehe

I have the darker larger nipples tho!

Salsa - yep, the linea nigra line is designed for bub to help bub find way to nipples.

[Heaven]

I didn't get it either, I'm so pasty, lol.
Where I'm having bubs they try to get everyone to do skin on skin and the breast crawl (well, if you want to that is).

[Jennifer13]

I didn't get the linea nigra line and my nipples didn't change a bit. Just as well my bub made up for it by opening her mouth nice and W-I-D-E and smelling well!

[Bathsheba]

Didn't get much, if any, linea nigra either... I'm not overly pale, meaning I'm fair, but not pure white like some women I know... I didn't get abdominal stretch marks either... maybe it's a deep tissue thing rather than something to do with melanin? (skin pigment).

[Cassius2]

I think the amniotic fluid connection is really interesting! at our 20 week U/S DD was clearly guzzling the stuff up LOL! and we did a close up of it and the action was pretty much the same as when they go for the boob. so i guess if she was smelling the same thing that could explain her reflex for wanting to eat (at our hospital they didnt care when (or if) we washed bubs after birth, so DD didnt get a bath until the next day)...

hmmm interesting stuff...

Salsa: although DD came out demonstrating that she wanted to feed, it wasnt until she took a breather of about 20-30 minutes after lying on my chest before she actually started to search again and finally got to feed. i think it is nice to give them time to take some of the world in and be able to smell, feel, touch and most importantly hear our voices. those 60 minutes that you had were no doubt an intense bonding moment for him and you only get that first cuddle once!

Bath: i reckon so too...i am pale as pale can be and yet got the 'snail trail' as DH put it. urghh i felt so gross! no naked tummy photos (which i regret now!).

[bronners]

Another interesting thing to do with the amniotic fluid - when the baby is breastcrawling it leaves "scent markers" with its hands (covered in amniotic fluid from birth) around and on the breast. This is presumably so bub can later find the breast again and also recognise Mum. Probably why I read that if possible don't wash the chest area when you shower after birth, as it facilitates attachment.

[visitor1]

Oh wow...i learnt something new then...thanks for the info on how they know the smell!

[Barb Glare]

Mothers and babies form the most amazing system. Babies are so vulnerable at birth - and yet so capable. Mothers are so powerful. The breastcrawl is an amazing part of the system that makes up birth and breastfeeding.
Babies, full term, and unmedicated and undamaged from the birth process are optimally primed to breastfeed - it is their only source of nutrition for around the first 6 mnths, and their main source of nutrition for 1-2 years or more. Over the years, a fabulous system has developed between mother and child. But one that has been largely lost, by *modern* interventions. When the baby is born, his sense of smell is acute. And so is his eyesight - at a close range - between mother's stomach and nipple and mother's nipple and face. After birth, baby needs to organise his senses, and move at his own pace to the breast. He is born with a "stepping" relex that allows him to "crawl" up his mother's body to the breast. (not very long ago we used to think of this as an archaic reflex - no use now, and believe that newborns couldn't see). As baby crawls, he kneads his mother's stomach with his legs, and kneads her breast with his hands, releasing oxytocin, the "love hormone". This helps her uterus contract, but it also helps her bond with her baby. Not so very long ago (still, unfortunately, in many places) babies were taken from their natural environment - their mother's body - weighed, measured, wrapped like little bundles where they couldn't use their limbs or their senses and had their heads forced onto their mothers breast. Many on this forum will attest to the breastfeeding problems this caused.
Mothers, as well, operate under the influence of these instincts and hormonal cues if they are allowed - in all these films of mothers and babies, mothers do instinctually help their babies, waiting for their cues, rubbing their backs, kissing their babies - falling in love - the love that will last a lifetime.
It is absolutely worth writing *skin to skin* undisturbed time with baby into your birth plan and insisting that your wishes be respected. The world, the visitors, the medical staff can wait. For we mothers, this precious time happens only 1 or two or if we are lucky, three times in our lives these days. The bonds we form underpin our whole mothering experience.
The great thing is that we get a "second chance". for many of us, birth does not, these days, go as planned. But we can regain the magic of that early time by being skin to skin with our baby - in bed or in the bath. As baby relaxes into our body, he regains the instincts he had after birth, and in this undisturbed, peaceful state will often be able to latch on and feed properly.

[Spring Angel]

I did the breast crawl and I would disagree that you miss out on the first snuggles.

I placed Oliver on my chest and held him in my arms whilst my Hubby stroked his hair. I gazed into his eyes for what felt like an eternity and he gazed back. It took about half an hour for him wiggle up and to attach. They don't have to be left there with no contact, in fact it is the opposite. It is a truely beautiful experience. I have some photos and my doula took some video and the snuggly feelings are tangible.

I would have felt rushed if a middy had shoved my nipple in his mouth. It was the most beautiful, calming experience. It gives you and bub a chance to exhale and relax a bit after the birth. I would definately do it again and highly recommend it if circumstances permit.

ETA: I held him for 2 hours in total before anyone else, even his daddy got a cuddle. He wasn't weighed and measured until about 2 1/2 hours after birth. I found this bonding time so very important.

[rufalina]

I had a c-sect for DS, and did manage to get in a feed with him about an hour after the birth, but we were both tired and, while we did get a good feed in, we had some issues with attachment, and I was not in a place to figure it out.

So we did a late breast crawl, on day three after seeing a good LC at the hopsital. She suggested that we both nude up and have skin to skin when DS was looking for food, and he bobbed his little head round and rounds and found the BB and latched on properly for the first time, and we didnt have a problem with feeding ever again.

DS was handled by many people before me, and I think we missed that first moment together, so the breast crawl was a great bonding for the both of us too.

So, I am a total advocate for the breast crawl, in its many forms.

[fionas]

I would love to do the breast crawl if there is a next time because to me it makes sense at least for the first breastfeed to allow the baby to follow their instincts. I felt under a lot of pressure (from myself and my own reading) to attempt to breastfeed within 30 minutes. I felt I HAD to do it otherwise I was dooming our BF journey to disaster.

But TBH, I really didn't want to do skin on skin immediately. I'd had a very long labour with very little sleep (7 hours in 3 days followed by 3 hours of pushing and a forceps birth) and, I know this is a bit taboo, but I just wanted to be on my own and sleep.

I really felt under pressure to have skin on skin and to attempt breastfeeding when I felt that the time wasn't right. Maybe I just didn't want the skin on skin because I thought that I would then be pressured to attempt a breastfeed. Dunno ... but yep, next time I think the breastcrawl in baby's own time (and mum's own time) is the way to go.