Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Two great "how-to-breastfeed" videos

I love this breastfeeding video! I know approx. everyone on the birth blogs has posted it (I first saw it on Gloria Lemay's blog). But just in case you haven't seen it:



Things I love:

- Obviously, skin-to-skin and breastfeeding right after c-section - wouldn't that be a great instructional video for medical staff?

- Simple, calm, and clear discussion (with that cute Norwegian accent!)

- Showing that it takes a new baby a little while to latch, and what can be accomplished with patience

- Showing a good latch and how to get it, including a really nice illustration of how to compress/"sandwich" the breast - it is surprising how hard it is to get this concept across sometimes

- There's even a great demo of tongue-tie - and wow, was that baby ever a classic tongue-tie.

Along with Rixa, I would love to see the 45-minute version.

If you're looking for another good, short instructional video online, I like this one from Ameda:



(You can also find it posted on Ameda's website here.)

Things I love:

- Again, simple and clear

- Explanation of why a deep latch is important and showing exactly what's going on in a baby's mouth when it breastfeeds - so helpful!

- Suggestions for gently getting baby ready and alert to start breastfeeding

The LCs I have been working with sometimes show this video on the computer in the postpartum room. I think it would be even better if we had a smartphone or iPod touch so we could have it handheld right by mom's bedside (the computer is often across the room in an awkward corner). Think I can convince the hospital to buy us one??

With both of these videos, I will say I wish they were more diverse. The Norwegian one - OK, I get having a lot of white people. But I think Ameda could and should have done a better job of including moms and babies of color.

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