Baby led breastfeeding

We're having a lazy Saturday so I'm blogging while hubby is taking a nap. We picked up the carseat today so that was exciting. We got the Chicco KeyFit 30 in their new design, Graphica which I love because it will go perfectly with the Citi Mini Jogger stroller. Of course it's top rated for safety too.

So, I wanted to share this cool thing I learned this week. We talked about it in both our Bradley class and in the La Leche League meeting this week. Apparently, a great way to get the baby to latch on is after birth when baby is hopefully on you, skin-to-skin, you wait for the baby to start to crawl up to the breast and feed. The baby starts with his head right below the chest and he will start to kick and move his way up till he reaches the breast and latches. The way baby can do this is because he can smell that milk is nearby and the contrast of the nipple with the breast helps him find it too. Of course most babies do not latch on immediately so this doesn't take place right away. The benefits to the mother are amazing too. The baby's kicks act like massages to the mother's belly which will help her expel the placenta and/or contract the uterus which leads to less bleeding. I think you can read more about it in La Leche League's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or Ina May's book. Here's a video to see what I'm talking about. I think it's so cool that the baby knows what to do. This is nature at it's best. I can't wait to try it out!