Many mothers ask, “Can I breastfeed after a Caesarean birth?” The answer is YES! There is no reason why you should not be able to breastfeed successfully. You will have skin to skin very shortly after delivery and can initiate the first breastfeed shortly after this.

Although there may sometimes be short-term effects, the way your baby comes into the world generally doesn’t impact on breastfeeding success. People often think that a mother’s milk is slower to ‘come in’ after a Caesarean. In fact, no matter how your baby is born, it is the delivery of the placenta that kick-starts breastfeeding. It starts the process that causes a mother’s milk to ‘come in’.