Breastfeeding Preparation
Depending on where you’ve grown up and what your families’ feeding experiences were, breastfeeding can feel unfamiliar, and even daunting, ahead of time. Here are seven ideas to put you in a strong position to get things off to a straightforward start.
Review the messages you’re carrying
You may have heard that breastfeeding is painful or difficult - or that it’s bonding and effortless. None of these descriptions are wrong but none of them tell the whole story. Your breastfeeding experience will be uniquely yours. Write down everything you’ve heard about breastfeeding, what you’re afraid of and what you hope for. Having it all on paper can help you clarify what you need in order to relax into meeting your new baby.
Line up your support
Asking for help is a lot easier if you’ve made contact before your baby arrives. You can start with asking your midwife about what’s available in your area. Find your local peer supporters and keep the numbers of the national breastfeeding charities on hand, La Leche League, the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers and the Breastfeeding Network.
Get your team on side
Breastfeeding can take time to come together. Even when there are no major problems, having a baby is a huge life transition and breastfeeding involves learning a totally new skill. Let your support team know that breastfeeding matters to you. That might be your partner, your parent, a sibling or a friend. Ask them to look at some of the information with you so they can cheer you on and support you when you’re in the thick of it.
Creating calm at home
Limiting visitors so you can lounge around the house skin-to-skin with your baby could be one of the best “welcome to the world” gifts you give to both of you. Keeping life quiet and less pressured in the early days can help establish breastfeeding, especially if you’ve had a rocky start.
Get informed
Informed is best when it comes to feeding your baby. Learn about how breastfeeding works, look at videos of real parents and babies and take an antenatal class if you can. A good grounding in the basics can help you to navigate common issues and also discern what makes sense if you’re given conflicting advice.
Find your breastfeeding village
Life with a new baby can be overwhelming and chatting with others who are breastfeeding gives you a picture of what’s normal. Even if you’re not having any breastfeeding problems, chatting with others who understand what you’re experiencing can hugely help with this big life transition. Look for your local breastfeeding support group and come join the Positive Birth Company Facebook group, Instagram and YouTube, they have lots of free resources available.
Write it in your birth preferences
An active labour and birth can encourage a simpler start to breastfeeding so when you’re writing your preferences, consider what might help you to avoid interventions. Also ask for your baby to be placed on your chest for skin-to-skin contact after birth, giving your baby an unhurried opportunity to breastfeed. Even if things don’t go to plan, writing it down can help you work out what you can do next to protect breastfeeding. For example, your birth partner could hold your baby skin to skin if you’re not immediately able to.