Preparing to Breastfeed

Regina Kincaid shares her top tips when preparing to breastfeed. Regina is a mum of four, a midwife, an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and founder of the Kindest Milk breastfeeding service (kindestmilk.com).

It used to be a common belief that you need to “toughen up” your nipples in preparation for breastfeeding. Luckily, studies have long shown that this is not the case. But there is still a lot you can do before the arrival of your baby to set yourself up for a successful breastfeeding start.

How to learn the basics of breastfeeding:

Attend a breastfeeding class

• Attending an antenatal or birth class may be your initial priority. Many of these classes also include infant feeding as a topic. Most maternity hospitals offer free breastfeeding preparation classes or they will provide you with the details of the lactation consultant available in your area.
• You can also opt for a private breastfeeding class with a lactation consultant if you are looking for a smaller group or more personal experience. Many lactation consultants offer online antenatal breastfeeding classes or one-to-one antenatal breastfeeding consultations.

Spend time with someone who is currently breastfeeding

Being able to see how a baby breastfeeds is an invaluable learning experience for an expecting mother.

• Look in your circle of friends and family for parents with nursing babies who may be willing to share their experience.
• Many breastfeeding support groups welcome pregnant parents to join them as they remember being in the same situation only a few months prior. It can be a challenge to meet breastfeeding mothers face to face in the current climate but many voluntary support groups such as La Leche League of Ireland and Friends of Breastfeeding host regular support mornings via their Facebook groups.
• The Global Health Media Project on YouTube has an entire breastfeeding series available with lots of very educational breastfeeding videos which allow you to see breastfeeding close up.

Learn about hand-expressing breast milk.

Hand expression really is one of the key breastfeeding skills which can help you to overcome many potential breastfeeding challenges.

• Knowing how to hand express your own breast milk without the use of a breast pump can help you with tempting a sleepy baby at the breast, latching difficulties, and treating engorgement and blocked ducts. For more information on Express Breast Milk, click here.

Talk to those around you

Research shows that the messages we get from those close to us dramatically impact our confidence in our ability to breastfeed.

• Talk to your family about what breastfeeding means to you and what you think might be helpful from them.

Although breastfeeding is a very dynamic process, ask yourself what you want out of your breastfeeding journey. Consider a few important questions such as:

• Why is it that you want to breast feed? Is it because of the health benefits for you and your baby, is it because of convenience, or the opportunity to bond with your baby?
• Do you want to breastfeed exclusively or are you planning to pump? Remember, there is not only one way of breastfeeding or providing breast milk for your baby.
• Who can you lean on for support?

How to prepare at home in advance:

Create a ‘breastfeeding ready’ home environment

In the early postpartum days, newborn babies are fed very frequently around the clock (at least 8 or more times in 24 hours). This can leave little time for anything else, including feeding yourself. Ensuring you are consuming sufficient healthy calories is important for breast milk production.

• Meal prepping in advance or even stocking up on home-cooked freezer meals during pregnancy can really make dinner time with a newborn a lot easier, especially during periods of cluster feeding.

Setting up a so-called “nursing station” with nutritious snacks, drinks, support cushions, breast pads, nipple cream, hot/cold packs as well as toys for older siblings can also be a game changer.

• You can either prepare this nursing station in a certain corner of your home in which you will mainly be breastfeeding or store the items in a bag or basket which you can carry to wherever you are going to sit down for nursing.

Get your hospital bag breastfeeding ready

While the most important things are your breasts and your baby, packing the right clothing and accessories for your hospital stay will give you extra support.

Some suggestions on what you’ll need:

• At least 2 nursing bras or vest tops with no wires that could press into your breasts. Approximately 3 weeks before delivery is an ideal time to get measured for a nursing bra. Buy your bra a little on the large side, as your breasts are likely to fill out further once your milk ‘comes in’.
• 3-4 front opening nightgowns/pyjamas for easy access for breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding tops, blouses, or V-neck tops for breastfeeding
• A few absorbent breast/ nursing pads in case your first milk (colostrum) leaks from your nipples. Leaky breasts aren’t typically a problem in the first couple of days due to the smaller volume of colostrum.
• Multi-Mam compresses which are formulated to help treat sore, dry, blistered, and swollen nipples, are used by many mums. These are available to buy at your local Allcare Pharmacy. The compresses contain a cooling gel with patented bio-active polysaccharides “2 QR-complex” which is said to help prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the tissue. The soft and cooling pads can be applied at least twice a day for 30 to a maximum of 60 minutes. They are not recommended to be used for longer than 30 consecutive days. It is not necessary to remove the gel prior to breastfeeding. Allergies to the polysaccharides are very rare- try a little bit on the inside of the forearm before application to the nipple.

For more information on what to pack in your hospital bag, click here.

Any tips for sore nipples when starting to breastfeed?

Your nipples may be a little sensitive or sore in the first few days. For transient soreness, just express a few drops of your breast milk and gently apply it to the nipple/areola area. As breast milk has natural healing properties, this should settle the soreness.

In case your nipples are sore for longer or perhaps damaged, it is helpful to have nipple cream at hand. Lanonlin is a waxy substance sourced from sheep’s wool. Pure lanolin is non-toxic and hypoallergenic, so there is no need to wash it off before breastfeeding your baby. Lansinoh Lanolin nipple cream is available in-store and online. If you have a known wool allergy, you may need to avoid lanolin. 

Do I need to buy a breast pump in advance?

Unless you are certain that you would like to both breastfeed and pump, or you would like to exclusively pump for your baby, it is not necessary to buy a breast pump in advance. There are many different kinds of breast pumps such as manual breast pumps, electric breast pumps, or passive milk collectors on the market. Depending on your individual breastfeeding circumstances after birth, you may require a specific type of breast pump. It is therefore best to discuss this with your midwife, lactation consultant, or public health nurse after birth.

Shop our breast pumps online here.

Pop in-store and chat with your Allcare pharmacist for advice and support if you are preparing to breastfeed. Also check out the kindestmilk.com, The Kindest Milk Instagram, and YouTube for more tips!