Cultural Considerations in Infant Feeding
Cultural Considerations in Infant Feeding
In lactation counseling, recognizing and respecting the cultural backgrounds of patients is crucial for providing effective and inclusive care. Cultural beliefs, practices, and traditions significantly influence a person's approach to infant feeding.
Do you have any questions or concerns about what we’ve discussed so far?
I mostly understand everything, but I am a little concerned. In my culture it is not typical to breastfeed for the first 2 days.
Thank you for letting me know. I can understand your hesitancy to initiate breastfeeding during that first hour. If you’re comfortable, do you mind sharing a bit more about the reasoning behind that tradition?
Sure. The first milk is considered dirty so we typically would have someone whose clean milk has come in already nurse the baby until that stage has passed.
I really appreciate you sharing that with me. I’d love to share some information about that early milk and then work with you to come up with the best possible plan to fit your customs. Would that be okay?
That would be okay with me.
Great! When a birthing parent initiates breastfeeding within one hour after birth, production of milk is stimulated. The yellow or golden milk produced in the first days is called colostrum. Colostrum is special because it is an important source of nutrition and immune protection for your new baby. That early experience of having your baby latch onto you also helps to facilitate emotional bonding and can have a positive impact on duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and help you meet your breastfeeding time goals.
I appreciate this information but I still would like to wait until my milk comes in.
I’d love to support you the best way possible in that decision. What do you think about doing skin-to-skin during the first hour to cultivate some of that bonding I mentioned, and then trying to pump and throw away the colostrum during the first two days? That way you still get nipple stimulation to help with your other milk coming in, but don’t have to feed it to the baby.
That sounds perfect. Thank you for helping me come up with a plan!
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