Preparing To Breastfeed - Do I Need To?

I love teaching my infant feeding session. It is a part of the Antenatal Course and when there is space you can join just for that week. It is also available as a pre-recorded session to buy and watch as many times as you need to and when you need to.

Why do I love it so much? Because there is just so much information in there and I really, really want everyone to have the best chance of the feeding journey they want.

See that? I don’t teach because I want to persuade everyone to breastfeed, or tell them why they ‘should’ be doing something. It is because so many feeding journeys are not what people are hoping or planning for.

I open every session asking what people’s thoughts are around feeding their baby. Mostly it is around hoping to breastfeed, going to try to breastfeed and often is followed by ‘but, it is ok if it doesn't work out’. Because everyone knows someone who had a tough time breastfeeding and we all know formula is there if we need or want to use it.

That means that a lot of women are approaching birth with a hope to breastfeed but an expectation that it probably won’t work out for them. They’ve heard it all – mums who couldn’t feed, babies who couldn’t latch, no milk, pain and bleeding nipples. It’s no wonder it is a rare person to say, ‘I am going to breastfeed’. You don’t want to feel like you are setting yourself up for failing – right?

But for some the reality is quite different. Once that baby is in your arms and you are trying to get the latch and position right, when the responsibility of keeping them fed, making sure they gain weight, sleep and stop crying really hits, you might feel very differently. Suddenly being able to breastfeed matters far more than you ever expected.

But because your approach in pregnancy was that it would be nice if you can but ok if not you might not have prepared for breastfeeding; not really seeing the value in taking a class or reading up on it. Surely the perfect time to learn is with a real live baby in your arms?

 Unfortunately it often turns out that it isn’t. However your birth went, the chances are you are physically and emotionally in need of recovery time; and learning a new skill is not the easiest when you really just want to sleep and heal. Not forgetting that you baby is learning a new skill too. Yes the suck reflex might come naturally but latching and having the strength to suck and keep going might not.

How will learning in pregnancy help you?

A good antenatal feeding class can teach you so much. You will learn about latch and positioning, it might be very different with a baby rather than a doll but even retaining the basic key points will get you off to a more confident start.

Learning about milk production will really help you understand what you and your baby need to do to increase your milk supply in the early days and maintain it after that. Again, you will be much more confident in what your body is doing and can be proactive in preventing problems.

Understand newborn behaviour. What can you really expect in terms of number of feeds, duration of feeds and nappy changes? How will you know if they take enough milk and what to look out for if they don’t. If you hear that babies need to feed every 3 hours and yours seems hungry every 90 minutes those doubts are really going to set in – no milk, baby can’t feed etc. when in reality a newborn breastfeeding every 90 minutes is not at all unusual.

Not having the right information to understand breastfeeding and breastfeeding behaviour can seriously undermine your confidence and your feeding journey.

For example, your baby is fussing at the breast, fidgeting, seems frustrated, hands are getting involved. What do you think? Most people are going to think – no milk. Baby really wants to feed and is getting frustrated there isn’t anything there. When actually this can be really normal behaviour; it is baby’s way of telling your body to let down the milk, they are stimulating your supply. Not because there isn’t enough but because it is time for a feed and that is how they do it.

It is also incredibly helpful to learn about expressing, particularly hand expressing before baby arrives too. You might be encouraged to express colostrum antenatally which is a great way to practice, but once baby is here, hand expressing, if you need to, is usually the easiest way to express colostrum. Knowing in advance will just make it more straightforward to do yourself rather than having to call a midwife on the ward to come and help you.

It is really helpful to learn more about the common challenges of breastfeeding. Not to have a scary list in your head but to be aware of them, look out for them and seek help when you need to, or know your self-help methods. It is also well worth having a list of local feeding support groups or lactation consultants. Feeding groups are often in Children’s Centres/Family Hubs but might also be in community venues or even cafes. They will be happy to meet you before baby arrives if you want to pop along to see the location, check out parking and meet some of the team. One less thing to worry about after the birth! These groups can be absolutely amazing and are definitely worth a visit if you have any concerns about feeding.

Whatever your plans it is also knowing a bit about formula and bottle feeding. Choosing formula, making up bottles, storing and sterilising. Again, just useful to be prepared in advance with good reliable information rather than outdated advice from friends or family.

It is definitely worth exploring the pros and cons of formula top ups. It is quite commonly suggested so a little knowledge could really help you make the right decision for you and your baby, or seek more support if that is what you need.

And if you can, bring your support person to the feeding class with you. Yes you are the one doing the feeding but they are supporting you, encouraging you, taking care of you and generally being there for you. Which includes being there to learn with you. Then, between you, you will have retained enough of the information to figure out what you are doing and get off to the best possible start.  

I know it is a really busy time before baby arrives with so much to prepare, buy and finish up at work but you only need to find a couple of hours to go to a class and learn more about feeding and be prepared and confident to do things the way you are hoping.

If you want to check out my recorded class you will find it here https://www.bethowen.uk/shop

Beth x