Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Bmf-1znzk94 Don’t rush your newborn into the baby tub if you want immediate breastfeeding success.   A study from the Cleveland Clinic’s obstetric unit shows that delaying the traditional post-delivery dunk by 12 hours significantly increases a new mom’s chances of exclusively breastfeeding her baby. The obstetric nurses leading the study conjecture that the warmth and higher energy of an unbathed newborn, the longer mother-child skin-to-skin time, and the baby’s smelling of its own amniotic fluid coating all contribute to better latching. A ton of studies prove that breastfeeding helps a an infant emotionally, nutritionally, and immunologically.  The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends exclusive breastfeeding and feeding with pumped breast milk for 6 months and continued breast feeding while introducing foods up to 1 year of age. Heather Condo DiCioccio, Candace Ady, James F. Bena, Nancy M. Albert. Initiative to Improve Exclusive Breastfeeding by Delaying the Newborn Bath.