Most pregnant mums have certain expectations around the birth of their child and these form part of their birth plan. Whether those expectations are met is a whole other blog post.

When Jessica, 32, was writing her birth plan last May in anticipation for her daughter’s birth, she was specific about allowing the baby ‘breast crawl’ after the birth.

Breast Crawling allows newborns to crawl their way from their mother’s abdomen to their mother’s nipple for their first breastfeed.

Immediately after a delivery, the baby is placed on the mum’s tummy and the baby will shuffle and sniffle its way towards it’s mother’s breasts. The process takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes and is said to promote initiation of breastfeeding, making the transition an easy one for mother and child.

Jessica explained, “It’s not something I’d heard about before. When I read about it, I thought it sounded magical.”

Her medical team, which consisted of two midwives and two Obstetricians, were supportive of her idea.

Jessica and her husband hired a photographer, Leilani Rogers to document the baby’s progress of crawling towards her mother’s breast. “To witness the connection baby made with mom over the span of that 48 minutes was fascinating,” Rogers said. “She didn’t fuss, just slowly but surely made her way to the nipple and latched on once she was in just the right position.”

It’s Jessica’s hope that the photos encourage other mums to allow their newborn to breast crawl. The photos show just how incredible the experience is for mum and baby.

Images via Leilani Rogers Photograpy