Do nurses at hosp. help you breastfeed after giving birth, or should I take a breastfeeding course beforehand?

Really depends on the hospital and the staff you have. Some nurses and some hospitals are more able to help. One clue for this before you go is to check the hospital website and information that they put out about their labor and delivery services.

Some hospitals will go out of their way to make it a good environment for breast feeding or simply bonding with your child. Both hospitals I delivered at had a lactation consultant available once daily (or more if you requested it) to come and help. Also my second hospital encouraged that the babies stayed in the rooms 99 percent of the time. They even did the hearing test in your room. And they had quiet hours in which extra guest were discouraged so that bonding (and likely breast feeding) was more likely.

I found the nurses at my hospitals to be very good sources of help with breast feeding. So people don't seem to have the same service where they live. But where I live breast feeding is the norm. Formula feeding is not. And I also had my mother to help me as she breast feed my sister and I.

So it really depends on what kind of support you already have in place (close family or friends that breast feed) and what services you think you will have that the hospital that you deliver in.

Depends on who is teaching the class. If she is a board certified lactation consultant registered through ILCA, take the class for sure. While you will get help at the hospital from nurses, but realize that a lot of nurses are ill informed, have little training or despise breastfeeding. So many women are told to feed only 15 minutes on one breast then move to the other resulting in poor weight gain by the infant, that I wouldn't trust the nurses to give you good advice. In addition, if you do not have a typical body shape or an average breast size, they may not have a clue that you have to hold the baby differently.

At my hospital, the breastfeeding course is taught by a nurse who has additional training in breastfeeding. She had the smarts to go to a board certified lactation consultant to have her evaluate her teaching plan. She also gives out contact information to several board certified lactation consultants for anybody having problems.

The nurses will help you but if you're having problems with latching, some are more helpful than others. I had to wait for a lactation consultant and then when I finally saw her, she only had a few minutes to help me. I recommend taking a class and buying a really good breastfeeding book like the La Leche League "Art of Breastfeeding"

Breastfeeding is natural but it doesn't come naturally for everyone so the more knowledge you have under your belt, the better.

Most hospitals have lactation consultants come through to assist you after delivery. You can always ask about this when you do your hospital tour during your pregnancy. I personally had a TERRIBLE experience with the La Leche League representative that came into my room, and I'm not the only person who has found that they can be extremely pushy and opinionated. That's not to say that this is always the case, but I think that having taken a class in advance and having all of the necessary information will make you feel more comfortable right out of the gate. Being hormonal and exhausted after delivery might not be the ideal time to try and gather a ton of important information for the first time!

Definitely take a breastfeeding course beforehand. The nurses may try to help you, but if they don't have children or didn't breastfeed themselves their ability to help you will be limited. You might get lucky and have a good nurse who has breastfed, or you might get one who is clueless. Prepare yourself with good information ahead of time!

While you are in the hospital you'll get a lot of help. Check to see if your hospital has a lactation counselor, they can be very helpful. The time when you'll want help is once you're home and on your own so check out la leche or other community programs. It's always nice to have someone to talk to who has you're breastfeeding success in mind.

Good luck!

Some nurses will help, but be cautious. Many don't have any actual BF education and may be passing on bad advice. Your best bet would be to ask to speak to the LC and to educate yourself beforehand. You can do that by taking a class or just reading a book.

Some hospitals have lactation consultants. My mom is one, she helps women breastfeed. She also teaches classes at the hospital so you could probably take one if the hospital offers them. Most women need help, its not always as easy as it looks. Best of luck :)

A class before is a great idea, but most hospitals have lactation consultants that will help you out. We also had one who did a home checkup three days after we came home to make sure it was going well.

Some are certified lactation consultants and will be very helpful, others view it as an additional annoying task they have to do to keep their job. I hope you end up with a good one, but it is in your best interest to do research before hand.

Here's a good place to start: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/prepare/index.htm...

The more you read on kellymom.com, the more prepared you will be for any obstacles that come your way.