How Your Birth Can Affect Breastfeeding
Bringing your baby home is one of the most amazing things you’ll ever do. You’ve waited months to meet this little person, and now you’re ready to settle in and start your new life together. A big part of that new life is often breastfeeding. You might imagine cozy, peaceful moments of bonding and feeding your baby. And for many, it is just like that!
But what happens when it’s not so easy? What if you feel frustration, tears (from both of you!), and a sense that something just isn’t right? If you're struggling with breastfeeding, you're not alone, and it’s not your fault. The answer might be found by looking back at how your baby made their grand entrance into the world.
I like to look at the big picture when it comes to your family’s health. The birthing process—no matter how it happens—can create tiny tensions and stresses in your newborn’s body that can make breastfeeding a challenge. I don’t want you to worry about your birth story. I want to give you answers and, more importantly, effective solutions to help you and your baby find your groove.
Let’s walk through how different kinds of births can affect your baby's ability to nurse, and what we can do to help.
Birth and Breastfeeding
A baby’s trip through the birth canal is pretty incredible. The gentle squeezing from contractions is like their very first chiropractic adjustment! It helps their head bones shift perfectly into place and gets their nervous system ready for the outside world. But sometimes, the birth plan changes. When things don’t go exactly as expected, it can put extra strain on your baby’s tiny body.
Even a totally natural and “easy” birth can have an impact. Let’s break down what these different experiences can mean for your little one.
When Labor Goes Long
A long, drawn-out labor is tough on mom, and it’s a workout for the baby, too. When a baby spends a lot of time in the birth canal, a few things can happen:
Too Much Squeeze on the Head: All that time being squeezed can put a lot of pressure on your baby’s head. You might notice their head is shaped a bit like a cone or looks a little uneven. This cone shape can be ok, but sometimes it is a sign of stress. The skull bones are connected to the jaw and neck. If they are out of balance, it can make it hard for your baby to open their mouth wide for a good latch.
Stiff Neck and Shoulders: To get through the pelvis, babies have to do a lot of twisting and turning. If this goes on for a long time, it can make the muscles in their neck and shoulders super tight. This can lead to torticollis, which is basically a stiff neck caused by twisted spinal bones that makes them prefer turning their head to one side. If your baby can’t comfortably turn their head both ways, they’ll probably have a favorite breast and fuss when you try to feed them on the other side.
Just Plain Tired: Labor is hard work for babies! A long and stressful birth can leave a newborn completely exhausted. They might be too tired to master the suck-swallow-breathe pattern, which takes a surprising amount of coordination. They might latch on, suck a few times, and then fall asleep before they can get a full feeding. This is very often the case in the first day or two after birth.
Nervous System Stress: A long and stressful birth can cause irritation to their delicate nervous system. This irritation can cause a wide range of issues leading to difficulties with nursing.
Forceps and Vacuum Births
Sometimes, labor needs a little nudge to get the baby out safely. This is when a doctor might use special tools like forceps or a vacuum. These tools can be a huge help, but they also can cause lasting damage that needs to be addressed.
Forceps and Vacuums:
Forceps look kind of like a pair of big salad tongs. The doctor uses them to cup the baby’s head and guide them out. A vacuum extractor uses a small, soft cup that sticks to the baby’s head with suction to help pull them out. Studies have shown that the force used to pull with a vacuum or forceps can be enough to cause severe strain, or worse, to your babies neck. You would get upset if someone picked your baby up by their head, wouldn’t you? That would be much less force than what is routinely required by a vacuum or forceps. I am not saying that it was inappropriate for your OB/GYN to use these tools. I am only making sure you understand the severity of what can happen, and hopefully show you why it’s a good idea to have these issues fixed.
Jaw Tension: A baby's jaw joint is super delicate. The pressure from forceps can create tightness and throw the jaw slightly out of alignment. This can make it painful for your baby to open their mouth wide enough for that deep, "fish-lips" latch you’re looking for.
Nerve Irritation: There are important nerves running through your baby's skull that control their face muscles, tongue, and ability to suck. Pressure on these nerves can lead to a weak suck, trouble coordinating their tongue, or even make one side of their face look a little different from the other.
Neck Strain: This is a big one. The pulling force needed to help the baby out can put a strain on the tiny bones in their neck. This can cause misalignments (called subluxations) that lead to discomfort and make it hard for them to get into a good feeding position.
C-Sections and Breastfeeding
Whether your C-section was planned for weeks or was an emergency decision, it changes how your baby enters the world. It’s a major surgery for you, and for your baby. It means they miss out on the journey down the birth canal. A lot of mom’s think that C-section’s are the easiest on their baby because it is the most controlled environment, but that is not the case.
For your baby, a C-section birth can mean:
No Helpful Squeeze: That trip through the birth canal we talked about helps mold the baby’s head perfectly. Without it, babies born by C-section might have some lingering head shape issues from how they were positioned in the womb, which can create tension.
Being Pulled Out: Babies aren’t gently carried out of a large opening during a c-section. It is a small incision that the surgeon needs to find your babies head and pull. For a moment, their entire body weight (plus all the resistance) is being pulled up by their head. That places so much tension on your babies delicate spine and nerves. Every baby I have ever worked on that was born via c-section had significant stress on their nerves after birth. Read this article if you had a c-section and want to learn more.
Extra Fluid: The squeezing of a vaginal birth also helps push fluid out of the baby’s lungs. C-section babies tend to have more fluid to clear after they’re born. This can make them gunked up and affect the energy they have for feeding.
For you, recovering from a C-section can also make breastfeeding more challenging:
Delayed Milk: The hormones that kickstart your milk supply can be delayed after surgery. The more interventions needed, the worse this gets. During a scheduled c-section, it almost “tricks” your brain. Your baby is removed without your brain or hormones going through labor at all. This confuses your body into thinking you’re still pregnant which will suppress breastfeeding hormones for awhile.
Pain and Positioning: It can be tough to find a comfortable breastfeeding position that doesn’t put pressure on your incision. The "football hold" can become your best friend!
Emotions: An unexpected C-section can be tough emotionally. The stress can sometimes make it harder for your body to relax and have a good milk let-down.
Signs that Birth Tension is Affecting Your Baby
So, how do you know if your breastfeeding struggles are connected to your baby’s birth? Here are some common clues to look for:
Trouble Latching: Your baby just can't seem to get a deep latch, or they keep slipping off the breast.
Prefers One Side: They happily nurse on one breast but scream and fight you when you try to switch to the other. This is a classic sign of neck tightness.
Arches Their Back: If your baby arches their back and pulls away from the breast, it's often a sign that they're uncomfortable or in pain.
Makes Clicking Sounds: That little clicking noise when they suck means they’re not getting a good seal, often because of jaw or tongue tension.
Gets Sleepy Right Away: It's normal for newborns to be sleepy, but if your baby consistently nurses for just a few minutes before passing out, it might be because they're working way too hard and getting tired out.
Super Gassy, Colicky, or Spitty: A poor latch can cause a baby to swallow a lot of air, which leads to an unhappy tummy, lots of gas, and reflux.
Looks a Little Lopsided: You might notice a flat spot on their head, or that one ear or eye is a little higher than the other.
How We Can Help: Gentle Chiropractic for a Better Latch
If any of this sounds familiar, we want you to know there's a gentle, effective solution. At Maximized Chiropractic, our pediatric care is all about helping heal your baby from the inside so it can function the way it was designed to.
Our "Connected Kids" program is made specifically for little ones. We use a 7-step process to figure out exactly what’s going on, including our gentle, non-invasive INSiGHT scans. These scans show us a map of your baby’s nervous system and point out any hidden stress or tension from their birth. There's no radiation and no poking—it’s completely safe and easy.
The adjustments for a baby are incredibly gentle. We’re talking about using the same amount of pressure you’d use to check if a tomato is ripe. That’s it! By applying this light touch to specific spots on the neck, back, and head, we can:
Relax a Tight Jaw and Neck: This helps your baby open their mouth wider for a much better latch.
Improve Coordination: By clearing up stress on the nervous system, we can help their brain better communicate with the muscles needed for that tricky suck-swallow-breathe rhythm.
Make Them More Comfortable: When your baby isn't in discomfort, they can relax and enjoy feeding. Less fussing, more happy nursing!
Even Things Out: By releasing neck tension, we can help your baby turn their head freely to both sides, so they can feed equally well on both breasts.
Our team approach of lactation counselor, pediatric chiropractors, pediatric physical therapy, and nursing helps to make sure all your needs are being met.
Let's Get You Back to Enjoying These Moments
The early days with a new baby are so precious, but breastfeeding challenges can really steal some of that joy. Understanding that your baby's birth story plays a role is the first step toward getting the right help.
You’re doing an amazing job. If you’re struggling, please know that you don’t have to just "get through it." We are here to support you and help your little one get the best possible start. If you think your baby could benefit from a check-up, give us a call to schedule a consultation. Let’s work together to make your breastfeeding journey a happy and successful one.
