Breastfeeding can be a wonderful bonding time for you and your baby. It is a round-the-clock commitment, and for first-time moms, it is a new and unfamiliar experience. For some mothers, breastfeeding is a breeze, but for many others, it can be a frustrating experience unless support and education are given early on. There are often easy solutions and simple ways to make breastfeeding work. As with anything new, it is helpful to know what to expect and anticipate.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for a baby's first 6 months of life, with continued breastfeeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by Mother and Child.

"The best way to reach these goals is to get off to a good start by breastfeeding early and often while in the hospital," says Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, pediatrician at Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee Section on Breastfeeding. "Mothers should take advantage of the golden hour just after delivery, and before the infant is bathed or has had any procedures, to place the infant skin to skin and facilitate the infant's natural instincts to latch onto the breast for the first feed."

Judith Lauwers, international board certified lactation consultant, International Lactation Consultant Association education coordinator and co-author of Counseling the Nursing Mother (Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2005), shares a list of suggestions mothers may follow to achieve an effective latch.

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