How do you prepare for breastfeeding, you may ask? Shouldn’t it be natural? Isn’t your body already doing what it needs to during pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding?
Yes, your body is doing what it needs to without any effort on your part to start producing milk. But getting ready mentally and practically for your breastfeeding journey ahead is all up to you, Mama.
Breastfeeding is an investment of your time, your heart and your body. It’s so worth it in my opinion, but it requires work and preparation, just like every other aspect of getting ready to have a baby.
But don’t be turned off by the word “work” because breastfeeding can also be the most natural and enjoyable thing in the world.
Despite all the horror stories out there about how hard and painful breastfeeding is, it is not a difficult and discouraging battle for everyone. I know there are women who have real struggles with breastfeeding, but don’t assume this will be you.
I got pretty nervous reading about all of the challenging aspects of breastfeeding during my pregnancy. I had the impression that breastfeeding is extremely difficult and very likely to fail, but my experience ended up being pretty smooth and very successful.
So as you read up on how to prepare for breastfeeding, be encouraged that breastfeeding might be easier than you expect and it might just end up being one of the best things that ever happens in your relationship with your baby.
But what do you need to do to prepare for breastfeeding? I’m so very glad you asked. Because after two years of successful and fulfilling breastfeeding, I am here to offer some insight into the best ways to get ready for this incredible experience you are about to have.
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Please note that I am not a medical professional and nothing in this post is meant to be medical advice.
Read, Read, Read
Do as much reading as you can about the logistics of how to breastfeed.
- Nursing Positions
Become familiar with all the different positions. Cradle hold, cross-cradle hold, football hold, side-lying position … who knew there were so many ways to nurse a baby!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. Once your baby is born, you’ll quickly figure out a couple of positions that work well for you and you’ll master them soon enough. In the meantime, check out this article on Medela for visuals and explanations of 11 different nursing positions.
When you picture a mother nursing, most likely the position that usually comes to mind is the cradle hold. This used to be the only position I was aware of for nursing a baby. But I was surprised to discover during my pre-birth breastfeeding class that this is actually an “advanced” position and my not be the best for a newborn baby.
The reason is because when baby’s head is cradled in your albow, it naturally gets pushed forward; however, a nursing baby’s head needs to be allowed to tilt back while being supported to allow his throat to remain straight for proper swallowing.
Knowing this, I attempted the more ergonomical cross-cradle hold during my first breastfeeding session with my brand-new baby. But amidst my anxious wonderings about whether she was latched correctly – or at all! – my clumsy efforts to arrange her fragile body just right without jostling her, and post-labor exhaustion and hemhorraging stealing my strength, I just ended up doing the cradle hold.
Read my 37-hour birth story here!
And after gentle instruction from one of the nurses not to smother her by holding her too close, we eventually got the hang of it and this hold worked out just fine for us. I just made sure the way I was supporting her head and body was not twisting or bending her neck or torso.
- Latch
You’ll want to learn what a good latch looks like and know the signs of a bad latch. But in all reality, latch is not really a cut-and-dry topic. I’m still confused about it to be honest.
The main things you need to know are how to guide baby to the breast and be able to visibly verify that baby is positioned correctly. While bringing baby to your breast, you want your nipple to be pointed at his nose so that he has to open wide and is able to get a good latch.
Once he’s latched, baby should have all of the nipple and most of the areola in his mouth and his lips should be curled slightly outward (not tucked in).
Signs of a bad latch include flattened or white nipples after breastfeeding, persistently sore nipples, and baby not getting enough milk/wanting to nurse frequently.
However, I had all of these issues in the first days and weeks following my daughter’s birth, yet I was assured by multiple nurses, my doula and my lactation consultant that my daughter’s latch looked good. So go figure.
The best thing you can do is get as much advice as possible from your nurses and lactation consultant at the hospital and push through at least that first month of breastfeeding. Because it takes time for you and baby to develop a natural-feeling rhythm to breastfeeding.
- Other Stuff
Also read about the process of what goes on inside your body when you nurse. Understanding the biology of breastfeeding will help you appreciate and connect with what your body is doing when baby feeds.
And don’t forget to stock up on reasons breastfeeding is so beneficial. There are health and relationship benefits on both ends when your little one is nourished from the natural food your body makes for her.
Still need a Baby’s First Year Journal? Enter your email at the bottom of this page to get one for FREE!
When you’re trying to figure out how to prepare for breastfeeding, doing your research ahead of time is a must. Some of what you read might be confusing right now, but it may be something that will be really helpful later on.
However, even though it’s important to educate yourself on breastfeeding, realize that you will only truly “get it” once you are actually doing it. And remember that it will take time and practice for both of you to figure out what you are doing once baby arrives.
Talk to a Lactation Consultant
This is one of the best ways to prepare for breastfeeding! See if your hospital has a lactation consultant on staff and if you can have a class or meeting with her prior to giving birth.
When I was around 8 months pregnant, I scheduled a “class” with my hospital’s lactation consultant. When my husband and I arrived at the hospital, both tired from a full day of work, we were expecting to sit in a class for an hour and go home.
But we got much more than we bargained for when the lactation consultant instructed us, her only students, on just about every imaginable breastfeeding topic for over 2 hours and answered our numerous questions.
Exhausted though we both were from our long day, we left that meeting feeling very informed and knowing we had someone to turn to if we had questions.
As a matter of fact, I still text my lactation consultant with questions from time to time, 27 months postpartum!
Buy Supplies
Even though your body is the main necessary component, there are some items you may want to purchase as you prepare for breastfeeding.
- Nursing Bras
Nursing bras are a basic must-have while breastfeeding. When you’ve got a hungry little mouth to feed every couple of hours (or in some instances, constantly), you are going to need to be able to pull out your baby’s food quickly and easily.
I like these ones on Amazon because they are inexpensive, comfortable, don’t have a funny shape and get the job done.
They come with pads inserted into a pocket which is what the entire cup consists of. I have never needed to remove the pads, although I sometimes have to stuff them back in when they come out during washing.
I personally do not like disposable pads and don’t see the purpose in them, so I have only been happy with nursing bras that come padded or with washable pad inserts. However, if you end up needing extra leakage control, you could use disposable pads along with the reusable pads in this bra.
Disposable pads are basically like a panty-liner for your boob. They have a sticky back which you adhere to the inside of the cup of your bra.
In my experience, being an ecological breastfeeder (learn what that is here), the constant pulling down/folding and replacing of my bra cup was constantly messing up the way the disposable pads laid. They can also create a visibility wrinkled appearance and offer no support when used in padless bras.
- Nursing Cover
A nursing cover is, in my opinion, an essential part of creating a breastfeeding wardrobe.
You won’t always have privacy while nursing your little one, but that doesn’t have to cause you anxiety. It is entirely doable to modestly breastfeed in public with a good nursing cover.
- Nursing Pillow
If you regularly read my posts, you may have seen me mention this buckling nursing pillow before. That’s because I. Love. It.
Although it was not always necessary to use a nursing pillow when I was nursing sitting down, it was incredibly helpful to my back and shoulders when I did. But even more importantly, it supported my constantly-attached daughter during the times I nursed her standing up, particularly while baking, cooking or cleaning.
It was also my daughter’s bed when co-sleeping in a La-Z-Boy recliner became a necessity for either of us to actually sleep.
Find out why some babies only sleep when held in this post.
You might also want to consider an extra cover for your nursing pillow since it will need to be washed pretty frequently due to spit-up and blowouts (and speaking of blow-outs, don’t forget to learn how to bathe a newborn).
The extra cover really is helpful when you rely on this pillow for support, or even sleep. I tried to save money by living without an extra cover for many months, but I eventually had to give in and buy one.
For a complete list of what you’ll need to prepare for breastfeeding, get my FREE breastfeeding preparation checklist by entering your email at the bottom of the page!
Depending on how attached your baby ends up being to your boob, you might be able to live without the second cover. I recommend just getting the nursing pillow for now and buying another cover after baby is born if you feel you need it.
- Snacks
When it comes to snacks while breastfeeding, your goals should be healthy for you and baby, quick to grab, and easy to eat one-handed.
One of my favorite snack bars are Larabars. There are numerous flavors, several of which contain only dates, nuts and fruit.
If you’re going for strictly vegan (necessary for some nursing mamas whose babies have food allergies or sensitivities), Larabar offers a variety of flavor options and they are truly delicious (I am not being paid to say that; they are really just one of my favorite snack bars).
Great as a snack or dessert, available flavors without added refined sugar include lemon, blueberry muffin, cherry pie, banana bread, cinnamon roll, cashew cookie, peanut butter cookie, and coconut cream pie.
I really love these. Until my daughter and I had to cut dates out of our diets due to her early childhood tooth decay, I usually kept a couple of Larabars in my purse or diaper bag for snacks on-the-go. A breastfeeding mama needs food within reach at all times!
If you don’t mind a tiny bit of added sugar, they also have options for chocolate lovers such as mint chip brownie, coconut chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter chocolate chip.
Or, save yourself the hassle of trying to decide on flavors and just order a variety pack!
Stock Up on Freezer Meals
This one really is advice for any mama-to-be, but breastfeeding moms may be especially tied down by their babies’ feeding needs.
I was so grateful and blessed that both my mom and my husband were extremely helpful in feeding me while I fed my baby those first few weeks. However, if you’re not going to have a lot of help and will be on your own much of the time, you will want some healthy, satisfying, ready-made meals you can just toss in the microwave or on the stove to heat up.
Believe me, there will be a lot of days during those first several weeks (or months) when you feel like you’re doing nothing yet have no time to get yourself food. And breastfeeding may make you extra hungry.
Your Body Knows How to Prepare for Breastfeeding
One final piece of advice, Mama-to-be. Your body knows what it’s doing when it comes to feeding your baby and supplying all his nutritional needs. You were designed to do this.
Don’t get sucked into the marketing that tries to sell you over-priced teas, snack bars and drinks that promise to increase milk supply (unless you end up with a legitimate supply issue). Your body can do this provided you frequently let it know there is a little person who needs its sustaining abilities – by nursing.
Trust your body, trust your baby, and trust your instincts.
Want more on the topic of breastfeeding? Check out the posts below!
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