Breastfeeding Plan

Hospitals often suggest that mothers prepare a birth plan outlining their hopes for the birth of their child. It is just as useful to have a plan for the start of breastfeeding. Here are our suggestions of important elements to include in your breastfeeding plan. Don’t hesitate to download the Word file and use it as is or modify it to suit your needs.

·       I would like, as soon as my baby is born, that he be placed skin-to-skin on my chest in a vertical position and covered with a warm blanket.

·       I would like for my baby to stay in skin-to-skin contact with me until he first breastfeeds, in the few hours following birth.

·       If it is impossible for me to be in skin-to-skin contact with my baby, I would like him to be placed in skin-to-skin contact on my partner's chest, in a vertical position.

·       I would like for my baby to be in skin-to-skin contact for about fifteen minutes before his heel is pricked or vitamin K is injected, and that he be allowed to stay on me in the same position afterwards.

·       If my baby needs to be supplemented, I would like that it be done only with my expressed breastmilk.

·       I would like to share a room with my baby at all times.

All these requests will help me successfully breastfeed my baby, and will help him maintain his body temperature, be better oxygenated, and gain weight more rapidly. It will enable my baby and I to forge a strong tie right from birth.

I thank you for helping make these wishes a reality, which will provide long term benefits for our entire family.