3 Golden Hours, The Most Important Hours For Newborn Breastfeeding (2024)

As an experienced nipple trauma expert with over 45 years of experience as a midwife, I’ve witnessed the extreme stress mothers can go through when they experience common breastfeeding complications.

Painful nipple damage, mastitis and low milk volume may be associated with a lack of breastfeeding knowledge, the rapid processing of women and babies and the use of commonly taught and forceful techniques in the hospital system.

The truth is, the hospital system isn’t designed to be in your best interest. It’s designed for time efficiency. This push for time efficiency means your 3 Golden Hours are likely to be interrupted by routine hospital procedures that can and should wait.

What are the “3 Golden Hours”?

The 3 Golden Hours refer to the immediate hours after a mother gives birth. It’s so important that mothers are given the opportunity to be skin to skin with their babies during these 3 hours to breastfeed their baby and form that immediate bond.

So why does the hospital system often interrupt a mother and those 3 important hours with her newborn?

At the end of the day, hospitals are businesses, they want you in and out as quickly as possible.

That means routine hospital procedures like weighing, bathing and injections, which don’t need to be done immediately after birth, unnecessarily disrupt these 3 precious hours.

The big issue with this is that it delays the first breastfeed which is so important for both mother and baby, soon after birth.

According to my PhD research, when the first breastfeed is disrupted, it increases the risk of common breastfeeding complications such as nipple trauma, breast engorgement and mastitis.

Listening to the many similar stories of women who were denied their 3 Golden Hours and went on to experience painful nipple trauma, is what encouraged me to complete my PhD research

During my PhD research, I developed a gentle breastfeeding approach that significantly reduced the risk of nipple pain, low milk volume & latching issues.

Now, I’m hoping to share my gentle, evidence-based breastfeeding method with women all over the world in hopes of increasing breastfeeding rates (currently only 15% in the western world).

I’m proud to say that my life’s work has been compiled to create The Thompson Method Breastfeeding Program and I have been able to help thousands of women empower themselves and understand their rights within the hospital system so that they can bond with their babies through breastfeeding for as long as they choose.

To learn more about my online program, click here

3 Golden Hours, The Most Important Hours For Newborn Breastfeeding (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 6392

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.