Practical tips to help prepare for breastfeeding
Our registered nutritionist, Chloe, shares practical advice for any expecting mums nervous about breastfeeding.
How to prepare to breastfeed
When I was pregnant with Maisie, giving birth wasn’t my biggest fear. Instead, I worried and stressed over breastfeeding. Both my mum and sister had experienced difficulties breastfeeding with their firsts, so I had it in my head from the get-go that I would too. Talk about a positive mental attitude!
Thankfully I had nine months to plan, and if there is one area I like to research, it’s the human body!
It goes without saying that there are a number of events that are outside of you and your babies control when it comes to establishing breastfeeding, and I do believe there is a big element of luck involved.
However, if like me, breastfeeding is something you are nervous about or struggling with, it makes sense to do as much preparation as you can to give you both the best chance of a smooth ride.
Here I share with you my practical tips for all expecting mums to give themselves the best chance at establishing breastfeeding. You can also sign up to our newsletter and receive our FREE Nutrition Tips for Milk Supply guide.
Our top breastfeeding preparation tips:
1. Research your local lactation consultant.
I started asking around quite early in my pregnancy which lactation consultant people recommended. I asked everyone! My midwife, other mums, colleagues, google and my prenatal group leaders. I kept on hearing the same name, so I got her details and stuck them up on the fridge. Even if you don’t end up using it straight away, just having the name and number on hand can give some peace of mind.
2. Look for your local breastfeeding drop-in clinic.
These happen locally and are often free or donation-based; you can find them online or through your local GP practice. I believe that many now run virtually too. They are a great place to go during your breastfeeding journey if you have any questions or problems with feeding or want some friendly faces to sit and have a tea with, and natter/moan/cry about mum life.
I also asked my midwife and found out about a monthly workshop that just happened to be a few weeks before I gave birth. I ended up gaining some of the best advice as the leader gave me a baby doll to hold up against my breast in an actual feeding position. I honestly think holding Maisie for the first time to feed then felt a little bit familiar and helped.
3. Talk to your care team about colostrum harvesting.
Let’s face it, collecting milk from your nipples is a strange concept to get your head around, I didn’t even really know where the fluid was supposed to come out! Yes, I’ve studied anatomy and physiology, and yes, I had seen women breastfeed up close, but never that close.
A friend had mentioned colostrum harvesting to me (the dense nutrient fluid you produce towards the end of pregnancy and the first few days after giving birth until your milk comes in) so I asked my midwife, and she said she could give me some syringes to get started… but then never seemed to have any on hand.
I hassled (and hassled) my midwives for them – do not be afraid to ask! - and towards the end of my pregnancy started giving my boobs a quick massage and squeeze to see if anything would come out. Lo and behold it did, so I collected as many syringes as I could just in case Maisie needed them after she was born.
Please note, the NHS does not recommend you do this until after 37 weeks as it can help stimulate labour.
4. Pay extra special attention to what you are putting into your body.
Now more than ever, it is really important to ensure you are eating and drinking properly. Not only do you have to create milk, but you are also healing and recovering from birth, not something that happens overnight, I’m afraid!
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