World Breastfeeding Week is a perfect time to bring focus to breast and chestfeeding. While we are firm believers that any way you feed your baby is perfect, this week is dedicated to those who choose to and are able to breast or chest feed their babes. As part of this, and in honor of my own breastfeeding journey, I wanted to share a few tips on how to increase your chances of successful breastfeeding, should you choose to try.
One note: I will use breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and body feeding interchangeably in this article to be as inclusive as possible with this topic. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, read here for more.
1. Educate yourself about breastfeeding.
There are tons of free resources online, but finding a local, in-person class is a great way to have a solid base of breastfeeding knowledge before your baby arrives if it’s in your budget. There are virtual options available as well, which can be great for some, depending on your best learning method. I’m a firm believer in in-person classes if they’re accessible to you, as they are generally more interactive.
2. Establish a relationship with a lactation consultant before you give birth.
When it comes to breast or chestfeeding, there is not a single piece of advice more important than this one. One of the best things we did for our family was to take a class and have an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) lined up that we trusted. Establishing this relationship gave us peace of mind and confidence that we had the tools and knowledge we needed to give breastfeeding our best shot. I am certain that our journey would have looked much different had we not taken the time to do this before we welcomed our daughter.
3. Set up a visit with a lactation consultant for the first week after you give birth.
Before you give birth, set up your first appointment for a check in with your lactation consultant once baby is here. The lactation consultants in hospitals can be helpful, but often aren’t able to spend enough time to help with some of the complexities of early latch and milk coming in. Some IBCLCs make in-home visits (and many are covered by insurance), which makes it easy when you’re settling in with a new baby. Having this appointment scheduled is one less thing to worry about once your baby arrives, and is a helpful check in for those earliest days.
4. Find your support network.
Finding a solid support network is critical in any feeding journey, especially for families who are trying to breast or chest feed. This support can come from a local, in-person community such as friends, support groups, or lactation networks. It can also come from Facebook groups, Instagram pages, and more. In any case, try to identify a few places to find support before baby is here. You will likely find more support along the way, but having some of these in place before your baby is born will be a huge help.
5. Hydrate. Then hydrate some more.
Water, Body Armor, coconut water, Gatorade – there are so many options! There are mixed schools of thought on exactly how much liquid you should be drinking when breastfeeding. A good rule of thumb is to have water or something else in hand anytime you’re feeding your baby. We bought a new, large water bottle with a straw to have on hand. It was perfect in helping stay hydrated for the first few months of body feeding. I can’t think of a better excuse to pick up a new Stanley!
