The role of the father during breastfeeding
Although it is the mothers who breastfeed to babies, parents also have an important role during the lactation. She is not the only one who can create a special bond with the newborn during this process and parents must also do their bit to make this process more bearable.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics, AEP, even recommends that parents already work from long before that the child is born to make pregnancy more bearable. A constant work of support for women during this process will lay the foundations for an important connection between the three members even long before the baby arrives in the world.
Support work
The AEP states that many parents they feel separated since they are not the ones who breastfeed their children. While it is true that they can not build the bond with the baby in this way, there are many other things they can do to establish this connection. This organism expresses that the main function of men in this period must be support and attention to mothers.
This is what the AEP defines as Breastfeeding trianglewhose sides are formed by a mother, a baby and a father-support. Achieving this link to three bands will increase the chances of successful breastfeeding considerably. There are many roles that the father can play to help in this process: cradle, comfort, warm, hug, talk, bathe, walk, play, change the diaper, etc.
Skin with skin
AEP also recommends the skin-to-skin contact of parents with the youngest children, especially in those cases in which the child is premature or the mother suffers from an illness that prevents this closeness to the child.
Help the mother
The help to the mother must start long before the birth. A pregnancy it is not a simple process and it requires a lot of energy on the part of the woman. For this reason the father has to support and ensure that she feels as comfortable as possible inside the house. Prevent you from making great efforts and making sure that you get enough rest are some of the most basic things that man should do.
This work should also continue once the delivery has occurred. The mother's wear in this process is very big and she has to recover at home. For this reason the parents must be there to ensure that the woman rests. A good way is to ensure that visits do not end up becoming a nuisance that affect the privacy and rest of the woman.
Damián Montero
