title: The birth of a breastfeeding baby and mother.
abstract: In this column, the author describes the way in which the normal, natural process of labor and birth prepares both mother and baby for breastfeeding. Birth practices including induced labor, routine interventions, epidural analgesia, and separation of mother and baby disrupt the process of early breastfeeding for mother and baby. Normal, natural birth sets the stage for uncomplicated breastfeeding.
authors.affiliation: JUDITH LOTHIAN is a childbirth educator in Brooklyn, New York, and a member of Lamaze International Board of Directors. She is also an associate professor in the College of Nursing at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lothian