[Effect of early suckling and emptying the breasts after nursing on exclusive breastfeeding]

A prospective study was carried out in 239 pairs of mothers and their newborns to determine the effect of early suckling and emptying the breasts after nursing on exclusive breastfeeding during four months after birth. The results showed that the early suckling could help the newborns to latch on the breast more readily and correctly than the newborns in control group and enhance the mothers' confidence on exclusive breast feeding. Emptying the breasts after nursing tended to increase the volume of breastmilk; thereby facilitating the exclusive breastfeeding rate during four months after birth. Besides the technique of expressing the breast would enable the mother to continue exclusively breast feed her baby after a temporary separation. Early suckling and emptying the breasts after nursing are to be recommended as important measures in supporting breastfeeding.