My 5 Top Tips: Preparing To Feed Your New Baby With Confidence
Feeding is a Journey
You might hear people talk about feeding their baby as a ‘journey’ - this reflects how there isn’t just one path. Yours may be clear and uneventful but sometimes there are ups and downs, roundabouts, bridges, detours and diversions!
There are many so ways you can prepare… so where to start?!
This blog has my 5 top tips to help you prepare before your baby arrives; helping you avoid some common challenges and navigate any bumps in the road.
Table of Contents
Tip 1 - Write a Support List
Tip 2 - Replace Google
Tip 3 - Consider Breastfeeding in Your Birth Intentions
Tip 4 - Learn About Ways To Hold Your Baby
Tip 5 - Create a Feeding Space / Kit
Tip 1 ~ Write a Support List
If you do nothing else to prepare, do this!
You can’t know everything you need to know about feeding your baby - but you can know how to ask.
You will probably notice that everyone has a lot to say about feeding your baby but not everyone says the same thing…
Knowing who you can turn to if you have questions can be so reassuring. Doing it now means you’ll have details ready and to hand, before your baby arrives and your time and energy may be in shorter supply!
Here are some suggestions for your list:
Midwife / Health Visitor
Save the number for your midwife or midwifery team if you have one, whether NHS or an independent midwife.
If/when you are under a health visitor then you can save their number too.Breastfeeding Group
Find the details of your local breastfeeding group/café - search on Facebook or ask your midwife. Better yet, pop along to see the space and meet them!
You can meet other mums to hear their experience, tips and connect. Some will be trained as Peer Supporters so they can help you access more information (and they usually cover pumping, bottle feeding techniques and combi feeding too).Reliable Websites
Know and save reliable sources of online information.
Reduce confusion by having some websites and social media accounts where you feel confident the information is correct (more about this and some recommendations in tip 2!)National Breastfeeding Helpline
Save the number for the National Breastfeeding Helpline - open 24/7 so you always have a way to chat to someone regardless of the day or time.
www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk - 0300 100 0212Private Specialists
You might also like to find out about private services in your area. Look for their qualifications and insurance. For example, Breastfeeding Counsellors, Infant Feeding Coaches and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants - better known as IBCLCs.
Note your list somewhere you can find it easily - on your phone notes, or attached to your maternity notes - and make sure to share it with those that will be supporting you. You could even pass it on to your pregnant friends or antenatal group!
If you are not sure where to find your local services, you are always welcome to get in touch with me and I will do what I can to help you connect with services in your local area.
Tip 2 - Replace Google
Tip 1 included adding online information that is accurate and reliable…
There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a problem, looking for help and then ending up feeling confused. Which is what is likely to happen if you have questions about feeding your baby and end up on google!
Anyone can give advice about feeding your baby online, but how do you decide how to trust?
So Tip 2 is to cut out the noise and save a few websites you have confidence in.
Here are my suggestions to get you started:
The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
abm.me.ukThe Breastfeeding Network
breastfeedingnetwork.org.ukFirst Steps Nutrition Trust
firststepsnutrition.org
All of these organisations provide incredible resources and their information is written by qualified professionals and regularly updated.
What about social media…?
Now is a great time to fill your feed with evidence-based information. Lots of advice online is given with the absolute best of intentions, but isn’t always accurate and without knowing it they could cause harm to your situation.
Again, here are a few reliable accounts to get you started:
Olivia Hinge
An IBCLC and midwife and gives great, straight-talking information on all feeding topics.
@olivia_lactation_consultantKathryn Stagg
An IBCLC and holistic sleep coach - she is also a mother of twins so she has lots of great support if you have twins or multiples.
@kathrynstaggibclc
facebook.com/kathrynstaggibclcLucy Webber
An IBCLC who shares lots of great information, often including fascinating facts about breastfeeding and your milk!
@lucywebberfeedingsupport_ibclc
facebook.com/LucyWebberIBCLC
And don’t forget, mine too!
Tip 3 - Consider Breastfeeding in Your Birth Intentions
I highly recommend @birth_ed Instagram post titled ‘the main thing missing from breastfeeding education is this…’
Understanding how labour/birth can impact breastfeeding can positively impact your journey.
How birth impacts on your feeding journey is hugely underestimated - a little preparation can go a long way!
Here are a few considerations to get you started:
Skin-to-skin
But what about it specifically? It is incredible - but it can especially help with breastfeeding.
One reason that isn’t widely known is that it encourages your baby’s biological instincts to guide them in their first breastfeed - known as the ‘breast crawl’.
Unicef BFI explains why skin-to-skin is so beneficial, and the stages of a breast crawl:
Global Health media have videos of newborn babies actually doing this - it’s amazing!
globalhealthmedia.org/video/breastfeeding-in-the-first-hours-after-birth/
Heard of the ‘golden hour’? Think about switching this to the ‘golden bubble’ instead - unlimited skin-to-skin. As your baby may need longer than an hour to breast crawl (see my Golden Bubble post on Instagram)
Hand expressing
If you want to give your baby breastmilk over formula, consider writing this into your birth plan:
If anything prevents your baby directly breastfeeding then hand expressing is an amazing skill to have - get ahead and learn how to now!
Take a look at the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers page on hand expressing while you are pregnant:
abm.me.uk/breastfeeding-information/antenatal-expression-colostrum/
If you find it tricky to learn then take a look at my online guide:
Designed for mum’s-to-be, and can be put into practice for when you are at least 36 weeks pregnant after consultation with your midwife or health professional. Detailed guidance on hand expressing and storing and collecting colostrum.
Evidence-based pregnancy and birth information
Consider exploring pregnancy and birth in more detail, yes, from evidence-based sources! To help you to make informed choices in your birth planning with breastfeeding in mind.
There is so much information available - but which information is going to best support you in achieving your feeding goals?
Some recommendations:
@drsarawickham
@thegreenmidwife
@birth_ed
Tip 4 - Learn About Ways To Hold Your Baby
This might seem simple, but it plays a big role in breastfeeding. But, ‘it’s natural’ I hear you say…
It might be, if we didn’t live in the modern, western world. Many ideas we have about breastfeeding come from media and marketing and are based on bottle feeding.
The most common position we see is a Cradle or Cross-Cradle hold - but this might not help your baby latch well.
I want to make it clear that if you use or have used cradle/cross-cradle and all is well then do not worry about this! But if you have any difficulties with breastfeeding, try a different position.
So where to start…
Laid-back feeding
This is fairly self-explanatory, you lay back with your baby lying on top of you. If you watched the video I recommended in tip 3 showing the ‘breast crawl’ then this is the position you will have seen.
It looks different for everybody, so you don’t need to try to exactly re-create pictures or videos you see. It’s about using a few principles to support your baby and yourself.
It’s also referred to as biological nurturing which is a wider idea of returning to our instincts and natural wisdom of breastfeeding.
Here is a great example of laid-back feeding:
www.biologicalnurturing.com/sample-of-biological-nurturing
Other positions
Once you start looking into different positions, you may start to think that it’s getting complicated…
I agree it can! But knowing all the different positions and their names doesn’t matter - what’s important is being aware there’s more than one way to do it.
This blog from @feedeatspeak is a great starting point:
www.feedeatspeak.co.uk/blog/breastfeedingpositions
CHINS
With any position, there are things you can look out for that will help your baby to breastfeed. CHINS is like a checklist you can use to adjust the way you hold you baby.
What does CHINS stand for? Head over to this page:
abm.me.uk/breastfeeding-information/questions-new-mothers-ask/
Once your baby arrives, remember that the way you hold them can help or hinder breastfeeding. Try different ways, experiment and find what feels right for you and your baby.
Tip 5 - Create a Feeding Space / Kit
I remember feeding my little boy and suddenly realising I had forgotten about what I needed! After a while, I started to prepare my space and it made me so much more comfortable.
A feeding space (or a feeding kit if you might not always feed in the same place) is just a collection of items for your comfort.
So what can you include? Here are my suggestions:
Fuel
Fuelling your own body is really important, so a drink and a snack within reach is great, and things that you can have with one hand is a bonus!
Cushions
Breastfeeding cushions used to support your baby don’t always help. Instead, use cushions, pillows or blankets to support yourself - like under your neck and head, under your elbow, knees or feet.
Tissues
Or anything absorbent - like muslins, flannels, towels and breast pads too. You may find your milk leaks, your baby might dribble, or sometimes split up.
Useful also for your tears, with your hormones on the post-birth rollercoaster!
Entertainment
In the early days you may just soak up being close and connected to your baby. Feeding can also be a time to relax and do things that you enjoy. You might want to have a book to hand, the remote or your phone (and charger!).
You may add more items as you go! Your space/kit could be anywhere in your home, you could have more than one, or keep things in a bag so it’s easy to move around.
Read more about creating a feeding space in my blog here.
You might see suggestions for ‘essential’ breastfeeding items, often expensive or for certain brands. No items are essential - you might find some things useful but you don’t need to buy them in advance.
See how you get on and remember to seek support if you experience any difficulties.
Let your baby feed as often as they need and use the time and your space to focus on you too - your rest and recovery while snuggling with your little one.
Time to start preparing and feel excited and confident!
So those are my 5 tips to get you started in preparing to feed your new baby!
Pass these on and if you discover other great tips along the way then please drop them in a comment to help others!