Just as you would prepare for birth, there are things that you can do to prepare for a smooth breastfeeding journey.
Relax. Listen to some relaxation recordings before the birth; this will also help with labour, and will help you when you have your baby as well. Listen to our free Hypnosis for Childbirth recordings from Tracy Holloway, from our site.
Relaxed Birth and Parenting also have a lovely CD, Arrival, to help you relax and connect with your baby.
Consider a relaxing massage or Shiatsu (Acupressure) from a practitioner specially trained to work with pregnancy and post-natally. Most practitioners on the Well Mother Register offer home visits for the first month, something I found really useful because I knew my baby was close by. They can also teach self massage of the breast, a useful thing to know to help prevent milk duct blockages.
Trust. Trust your body, trust your baby - when the two are put together frequently, comfortably and effectively, breastfeeding happens. Any form of bodywork, like yoga, Shiatsu, massage, meditation will support you to trust in your body and give you the mental space to just 'Be' with your baby.
Learn. Attend a class with a Lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor before your baby arrives. Breastfeeding is a new skill to learn, and because we don't see it in our culture every day, it is worth investing is a training session with your partner too. Supported mum = happy baby. Relaxed Birth and Parenting offer wonderfull weekly mother-to-be classes and couples workshops to help you prepare for your baby's arrival.
Buy a copy of 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding', 'Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding' or 'The Food of Love'
Understand. Your breasts will change when your baby is born; if you know what to expect, you won't be caught off-guard. See the PDF and videos on our Bravado Designs page whose nursing bras we sell.
Nurture yourself. Buy a comfortable nursing bra. I've yet to find a range that beats Bravado. Get measured around the 36th week of pregnancy.
Drink pregnancy well-being tea and have a packet of Mama's Nursing Support Tea in your cupboard. It's not just that these teas contains fantastic vitamins and minerals, the very act of making loose leaf tea will help you to relax, and drinking it will calm you. Think of it as your 'calm down for feeding' ritual, where nothing else matters but giving your body and your baby some TLC. Amanda, the Herbalist from Welcome World who makes these teas, also makes a tincture that may help to boost milk production.
Find Breastfeeding Buddies. Speak to other mums who have breastfeed. Find out if there is a breastfeeding support group close to you that you can go to before your baby comes so you can meet other breastfeeding mums. These groups LOVE having pregnant mums visit.
Attend a Baby Calm or Relaxed Birth and Parenting ante-natal class where you can meet other mums to be to share your journey
Make it comfortable. Try a good nursing support pillow, if it works for you, buy it, it will end up having lots of other support uses too! In the first few days of breastfeeding, getting the positioning correct is important to prevent baby latching oncorrectly. Sitting upright and with your feet and back supported makes this easier. After you have mastered the art of getting your baby attached, you may not need it, but for those first few days or weeks it may be your best friend.
Buy a tube of Gold Cream, you may never need it but having it there just in case will give you peace of mind.
Keep help at hand. Know where to get help if things don't feel right, or go wrong. There is a lot of support out there. Better to ask a silly question than suffer in silence. Visit www.lcgb.org for skilled local help, keep your local contacts handy so if you need to contact them you can do that straight away. Pain and/or slow weight gain is an indicator that attachment needs experienced and speedy attention.
Set yourself up for success. Read about how to have a 'Baby Moon', and why it's important to keep unnecessary people away during this special bonding time.
Your baby will need to feed at night, and it's recommend by Unicef/Baby Friendly that baby is in your room for at least the first 6 months. This can be in your bed or in a crib, cradle. cot or Moses basket next to your bed.
Find an Osteopath or Chiropractor you can take your baby to after birth for a check over. Regardless of what kind of birth you have, it's a good idea to do this to make sure there are no issues that could impede good attachment or can cause discomfort to baby or you. We are happy to give you names of trusted practitioners, or see Born Together.
Read positive articles about breastfeeding, read websites that support breastfeeding mums such as www.normalfed.com.
Print these Positive affirmations for breastfeeding and read them every day in the last month of pregnancy, and after your baby arrives:
~Eva, with help from April, Amanda, Becky, Dominique, Juliana, and Suzanne
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