Whilst pregnant, the list of things to do and to buy to be as best prepared as you can be before your baby comes can feel overwhelming and oftentimes confusing. One of the things that you can prioritise however in your preparation is thinking about how you plan to feed your baby after you give birth. Giving birth itself may only last a day or two, but the time spent feeding your baby will be much longer! If you decide and plan to breastfeed your baby, there are a few steps you can take while you are pregnant in order to prepare.
1. Get Educated
Although breastfeeding is a natural thing, it does not always come naturally to every mother and baby. It’s important to educate yourself on how breastfeeding works so that you will be able to better understand and cope with things such as, the changes to your body, your baby’s feeding behaviour, how to position your baby at the breast and how to tell if your baby is drinking enough. While there is a lot of information out there, it is important to seek evidence-based education in the form of taking a class for breastfeeding. Having a better understanding of breastfeeding can also help to reduce overall anxieties and stressors when it comes to thinking about and approaching your breastfeeding journey.
2. Know the contact information for a Lactation Consultant before you give birth
If you are having trouble or difficulties with breastfeeding your baby, especially in the first few days after giving birth, seek help from a professional right away. The sooner you seek help, the sooner the issues are resolved and the likelihood of your breastfeeding journey continuing and/or lasting longer. Get the research for a Lactation Consultant out of the
way before you give birth, that way you save yourself the stress of late night researching when you’re already having problems, to find a Lactation Consultant. Even better, booking in a postnatal consultation with a lactation consultant before you give birth will help to address any arising problems sooner, and/or give you the reassurance you need to continue breastfeeding after you give birth.
3. Plan for a pre-lactation or antenatal consultation with a Lactation Consultant at 37 weeks.
If you’ve done your research already and found a Lactation Consultant, book an antenatal consultation with them so that you can get to know them before giving birth and to learn more about breastfeeding and what breastfeeding may look like for you specifically. This consultation can be especially helpful if you have any concerns about your future breastfeeding experience, or perhaps you had a previous difficult breastfeeding journey. During this consultation, you can also learn how to hand express colostrum (early breast milk) from your breasts so that you can have some breast milk just in case at the start, if your baby is not latching well to the breast to feed.
4. Talk to other breastfeeding mothers
It can be very helpful to discuss with family, colleagues and friends about their breastfeeding experience, in order to get to know some of the common breastfeeding experiences women have. This will help you not to feel so isolated in your own experience after your baby is born, by simply knowing that other women have gone through or had similar experiences. Talking to other women who have breastfeed will help you to also get to know some of the language and words used to do with breastfeeding - words such as “latching”, “engorgement”, “colostrum”, “milk coming in” and “tongue-tie”. Having these connections with other people can be helpful as well for when you give birth and you want to ask other women your own questions about your feeding journey or perhaps ask them what
solutions worked for them when they were faced with challenges in their breastfeeding journey.
5. Equip yourself with some helpful breastfeeding supplies
While you don’t need every piece of breastfeeding equipment on hand before you give birth, there are a few things you can equip yourself with to have at hand at home to help you to have a smooth breastfeeding experience. Some of these things may include but not be limited to;
- Breastfeeding/Nursing bra
- Breastfeeding/Nursing tops
- Small wash cloths to help wipe any milk spills or to soak in warm or cool water to use as a compress if experiencing engorgement
- Nipple balm/cream/ointment
- Nursing/Breast pads
- A manual breast pump and/or silicone milk collector
6. Prepare your home and/or create a comfortable breastfeeding space
Find a space, room and/or area in your home where you can visualise yourself feeding, and make the necessary adjustments to make it feel more warm, comfortable and practical for feeding your baby. This may look like adding a comfortable chair with a small table next to it in a corner of your room or living space, adding a nightlight or small warm lit lamp next to your bed or chair, or having a basket filled with small towels, breastfeedings supplies, snacks, book, lip balm and/or anything you will need in arm’s reach while you are feeding. You can also consider things such as keeping a blanket near your feeding area, making sure you have small cushions nearby to help with positioning your baby at the breast or keeping a filled water bottle (preferably one with a straw for easier drinking) at your feeding area to stay hydrated while breastfeeding Having a relaxed and equipped feeding area can reduce stress for both mother and baby and contribute to an overall more enjoyable and successful breastfeeding experience.
Taking time to prepare for your breastfeeding journey is a worthwhile investment. Being prepared and well set-up for breastfeeding increases overall breastfeeding self-efficacy perception, success rates and satisfaction of breastfeeding experience of mothers. If breastfeeding is your feeding goal, why not start to take the steps towards that goal while you are pregnant? - Don’t wait until after your baby is born to learn about breastfeeding and to seek professional support.
Article written by Natalie Spencer IBCLC, RN/RM from Milk & Mums Co.